tag:consumerist.com,2010:/1/tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254- 2010-01-09T06:30:50Z Comments for Bill Gates: Don't Buy DRM Music Shoppers bite back. Movable Type 4.32-en tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254 2006-12-16T00:49:28Z 2008-05-01T13:53:58Z Bill Gates: Don't Buy DRM Music Gates said that no one is satisfied with the current state of DRM, which "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" while trying to distinguish between legal and illegal uses. He says no one has done it right, yet. There are "huge problems" with DRM, he says, and "we need more flexible models, such as the ability to "buy an artist out for life" (not sure what he means). He also criticized DRM schemes that try to install intelligence in each copy so that it is device specific. Meg Marco Uh, this is weird. Bill Gates gave an interview where he told people not to buy DRM music. Like the DRM music Microsoft sells in it's Zune Marketplace. Um. Ok, Bill. We won't:
    Gates said that no one is satisfied with the current state of DRM, which "causes too much pain for legitimate buyers" while trying to distinguish between legal and illegal uses. He says no one has done it right, yet. There are "huge problems" with DRM, he says, and "we need more flexible models, such as the ability to "buy an artist out for life" (not sure what he means). He also criticized DRM schemes that try to install intelligence in each copy so that it is device specific.

    His short term advice: "People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then."

Or you could use eMusic. —MEGHANN MARCO

Bill Gates on the Future of DRM [Tech Crunch via BoingBoing]

]]> tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:746814 Comment from buthidae on 2006-12-16 buthidae Don't point out the Mac behind him! :P

Bill looks really stoned/horny...

]]> 2006-12-16T10:14:53Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:746437 Comment from homerjay on 2006-12-16 homerjay What he's thinking:
"You know you want to take me right here on this table, dude. Go ahead, shove that RAM right into my socket!"

and so on....

]]> 2006-12-16T06:50:28Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745980 Comment from Holden Caulfield on 2006-12-15 Holden Caulfield http://keldwud.org Is Bill selling computers or Sweet Love?

]]> 2006-12-16T04:01:54Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745622 Comment from RapperMC on 2006-12-15 RapperMC And thus, he admits defeat in the iPod-Zune war. Speaking of which, is that a Zune that he's laying on in that picture? I haven't seen one yet.

]]> 2006-12-16T02:45:15Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745457 Comment from Funklord on 2006-12-15 Funklord robbie--I think you're a little bit off, as Microsoft has their own Zune store which sells DRMed WMA files.

But Gates is a very smart man. You'd have to be an idiot to "buy" (a better word is "license") music that can be taken away from you at any point, that locks you to one device for portable play, that locks you to one particular operating system (Zune is Windows-only), and that's poorer quality than what you get on a cd for roughly the same price.

eMusic is a decent deal--you're getting 192 kb/s mp3 files, not as good quality as on a cd, but then again, you're paying 20 or 30 cents for them, and it makes a statement about supporting a business model of selling music without DRM (and puts more money in the pockets of musicians than the iTunes or Zune store, despite the lower price).

]]> 2006-12-16T02:16:38Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745442 Comment from LTS! on 2006-12-15 LTS! Well, it's entirely conceivable that Bill Gates does not like DRM. It doesn't mean he doesn't accept what that he needs to implement it in order to sell a product.

You could argue that he should simply not put out the product but the market for digital music is huge right now and of course it fits into the Microsoft everywhere framework.

Still, he's right. Furthermore, beyond DRM, people are paying the same amount of money for reduced quality versions of the music they enjoy.

Finally, I would expect that Bill the Pinup Stud is saying that once you buy the right to your favorite artists song you should be able to have it in any new format that it may come out on in the future. I'm not sure how that works.. but hey.

]]> 2006-12-16T02:14:22Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745169 Comment from robbie on 2006-12-15 robbie Perhaps he is splitting hairs by criticizing DRM built into music vs. DRM applied by devices. He seems to be slamming M4P and AAC and encouraging users to rip content because it encourages use of the Zune, which applies its own protection to shared music regardless of source. Hmm? (In which format(s) does the Zune Marketplace deliver music?)

]]> 2006-12-16T01:27:24Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745134 Comment from acambras on 2006-12-15 acambras Oh, Ben! Ya just beat me to it!

]]> 2006-12-16T01:22:13Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745131 Comment from acambras on 2006-12-15 acambras Is Bill Gates stoned in that picture, or are those his bedroom eyes?

]]> 2006-12-16T01:21:48Z tag:64.14.177.195,2006://1.222254-comment:745012 Comment from Ben Popken on 2006-12-15 Ben Popken http://www.consumerist.com What a dreamboat! He should've called his company Microhard.

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