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DRM Restrictions

Ahh, here's the sore point for us all. Record companies are not dipping their toes in the water, but tossing in a mere toenail clipping, they are very paranoid about this. I hope they will loosen up because people that pay for things want to feel like that tangible ownership.

I would like to rename DRM for our purposes from "Digital Rights Management" to "Digital Restriction Management" because that's what it is. There are three basic restrictions imposed on you:

Computers / License Backups

How many computers can play the song? For protected songs, the license is keyed to your physical computer... whatever that means! Somehow the software must determine your computer's identity. This means that if you upgrade your computer in some way, it may look like a different machine!

Now some allow you to specifically register/deregister a computer as one that's valid to play a song. With other's, once you choose, that's it! For BuyMusic, there is the concept of a "primary" computer.. the first one you download and play on. That is the only machine allowed to burn or export the files, careful there! I did this on a work machine before I realized it!

With WMA, there are license files buried in your computer that can be backed up to normal files except for buymusic... they don't allow backups! With buymusic, upgrade your machine, or change it so it looks different, lose a hard disc, and wham, your songs are gone unless you've made audio cd's with them.

It seems totally crazy to me that you have products that intentionally block archival backups of a protection key. With ITunes, I don't think it really matters since you can float the computer registration a bit.

CD Burning

All services allow burning one or more times using their own burning software, and with WMA files, sometimes other compliant software if it supports the DRM rules.

Since burning creates a copy that's unprotected, you can make copies of that disc no matter how many times you are allowed to burn from the service, so the burning quantity makes little difference. Of course I am ignoring the legal aspects of it, just the practical.

By all means burn everything you buy as a backup! I don't trust even the best licensing schemes, better to have the real deal. And you can then rip them again (if it's legal of course)

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