Since its inception, there’s been lots of discussion/debate about the cost-vs-reward of DRM on digital purchases.
The issue has become especially heated with new server-side DRM methods being inserted into games, meaning customers can’t play the games they legitimately purchased without being always connected to the internet so the firm can verify them with a DRM server. Guilty until proven innocent, so to speak.
As if that wasn’t facepalm-ish enough, Murphy’s Law has also kicked in and the DRM servers are plagued with stability issues, meaning legitimate buyers of the game, who forked out their hard earned dosh – like good kids doing the right thing – can’t even play their games properly.
This, while the people who downloaded the games off of illegal torrents are happily enjoying the new releases without a single interruption (and without needing a net connection at all times).
The music side of DRM is not much better. Making users jump through hoops and treating them as though they’re guilty file-stealing industry-sinking-scum-sucking pirates before they’ve even been given a CHANCE to be legitimate music purchasers, is very uncool.
As someone who has always been perfectly willing to pay for music, I have a specific gripe with this. Yes, I download files too, but I can honestly say that every single item I’ve downloaded, has been something I never would have paid for.
All my favorite albums, tracks and games were legitimate paid versions downloaded to my iPhone. Is it because I have outstanding morals, an unquenchable thirst to do the right thing, and an overpowering sense of pride for our music industry? Nope. It’s because i’m lazy.
It’s just easier to buy an album online than to download it, tag it, name the files properly, find the album art and integrate it into my music library structure – or so I thought.
Last night’s experience, however, proved that wasn’t always the case.
I spent over an hour, trying adamantly to legitimately purchase an album on iTunes. I tried repeatedly to go through the hoops, only to get random errors time and again as it tried to process.
“iTunes can not process purchases at this time, please try again,” “Unknown error has occurred, please try again.” I tried again. And again. And again. I rebooted iTunes, I rebooted the darn computer, and I tried doing it from my iPhone as well. No luck.
I simply wanted to buy the album and put it on my phone. I thought this process was supposed to be easy? I thought Apple stuff “.. just works!”?
I eventually gave up.. threw the album name into Google and the first result that came up was a torrent site. Two clicks, 3.5 minutes later and the 320kbps high-quality version of the album is on my PC. Another 30 seconds later, and it’s on my iPhone.
These days one can blame McDonalds for getting fat, just because the firm asks you, politely, to eat its food. You can sue the cigarette companies for getting cancer, just because the firm had the audacity to advertise cigarettes to you. You can blame pretty much anyone, for anything, if they so much as give you the slightest inkling of a push towards doing something you shouldn’t.
So.. Steve Jobs? YOU pushed me to pirating music. YOU are responsible for this download I had to resort to. YOU can take the blame if I get in trouble for it, because I was 100% willing and able to buy the album, but you didn’t let me. You stood in the way, and I had little other option but to download it instead.
In all seriousness though:
Game developers, music labels, you guys NEED to wake up. Your DRM, closed systems, and convoluted purchasing methods do NOT protect you against piracy. NOTHING will protect you against piracy.
After 20 years of “don’t copy that floppy,” copy/pasting files across Zip drives, CD burners, DVD burners, Blu-Ray burners, mix-tapes and VHS recorders, haven’t you realized this?
Scaring customers away from legitimate purchasing won’t help you.
Start treating the legitimate customers like real customers, with rights, and with good service and they’ll come back. It’s basic Business 101.
Now i’m going to go and try calm down while listening to my new pirated album.
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Sen is a corporate web dev geek, mobile internet addict, and all-round great guy. He manages a large state-government website, develops web projects on the side, and spends so much time playing with mobile/cellular gadgets that his wife regularly resorts to texting him when dinner is ready. You can read more from Sen on his blog CTRLRefresh
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