To date, I have stayed away from music downloads, for multiple reasons. I
have a large collection of CDs and buy few new releases. If I am looking for
a particular song or album, it is usually an older release, often not
available for download. My biggest concern is digital rights management. I
have read the information at the Buy.com site but had some additional
questions I was hoping someone on this list might be able to answer from
personal experience.
For various reasons, I end up doing many fresh installs of windows (software
upgrades, hardware upgrades, problems, etc.) and am concerned by the
reference to the "primary license." My understanding is that when you
download a song, you MUST use Windows Media Player to "get a license" which
then restricts future use. If I have a problem or decide to re-install
windows, do I then lose that primary license?
As technology changes, how will digital rights management handle this issue?
As vinyl gave way to optical CDs, as reel-to-reel gave way to cassettes and
8-tracks, as betamax was supplanted by VHS and now digital PVRs, what
happens to my purchase as MP3, WMA and i-tunes give way to the next
generation of better quality compression routines and new hardware?
As an example, I have a large selection of pre-recorded VHS tapes that I
have acquired over the years. VHS tapes are a fragile medium. I have already
"purchased" the rights to the movie, but the medium limits the time I can
utilize these rights. As the tape medium deteriorates, the value of the
investment dwindles to $0. I am then required to re-purchase the rights to
view these same movies on DVD. Now, DVDs are going to be supplanted by the
new blu-ray technology. So my DVD collection will become worthless. How many
times will I have to purchase the same movie to continue to exercise my
"rights?"
In addition, as the hardware become obsolete(i.e., it is difficult to find
VHS recorders anymore and impossible to find new betamax recorders) I will
eventually loose the hardware to utilize the recorded media.
Comments, observations and/or advice?
(And don't even get me started on the impending 2009 abandonment of analog
tv broadcasts and the required purchase of digital televisions and/or
adapters).
Jim Maki
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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