And They Wonder Why People Download Media Illegally

You would have thought that companies involved in selling digital media (especially those with DRM content) would have learned a lesson after the fiasco Google went through when the company decided to close its video marketplace. That was last August, when Google abruptly cut off access to the videos that many customers had rightfully purchased or rented. Then, after heavy internet criticism, all customers received an apology and full refunds.

Schizophrenic Microsoft must not have heard about that news story however, as Ars Technica has now reported that customers of the defunct MSN Music store (which shut down in Nov. 2006) will be forced to "commit to which computers (and OS) they want to authorize forever, or give up access to the music they paid for." And it's all just because Microsoft has decided that it no longer wants to support the long-gone service.

Basically, it means that anyone who purchased DRM music through the service has until August 31, 2008 to authorize any PC they wish to access their music from in the future because, come September, the MSN Music license servers that store users licenses will be turned off for good.

What Microsoft does not seem to be taking into account though, is the fact that PCs don't last forever. Many people upgrade every 2-3 years (or even more often) and even more people upgrade OSes on the same PC. That means that all customers who wait until after August to upgrade their PC to Vista will have to repurchase all of that music through a new service if they want to enjoy it again.

This was never the case with physical media. Music fans who go out to buy an artist's CD never have to worry about having their music taken back, or having their tunes become obsolete all because they upgraded their CD player. Fans who buy physical media also don't have any lengthy contracts and rules to abide by before enjoying the music, and you have the freedom to share any of your collection with friends (meaning 'loaning' or 'borrowing,' not copying), without limitations.

The digital world is very different though, and it's no wonder why illegal downloading and sharing of copyrighted media has become such a major issue. When you keep the customers attached to strings and contractual conditions, they become disinterested and more likely to look elsewhere, where there is more freedom. Why pay and have to follow strict terms of use when you can get the same thing for free and without rules from somewhere else on the web.

Its clear that DRM isn't working, and that's why we are seeing the AmazonMP3 marketplace take off, as well as a growing selection of DRM-free tracks on iTunes, now the number one music retailer. Even still, all customers who went the legal route and gave in to buying DRM'ed content should be able to keep what they paid for, no matter what. Whether that means offering to replace user's libraries with the same DRM-Free content or fully reimbursing all customers for their purchases. Google learned its lesson the hard way last August, and now it looks as if Microsoft will too come this August when former MSN Music customers fully realize what they could soon lose.