In actual fact what they are getting towards, is a value added proposition with the download version rather than value adding a CD (which many people say is the way to help CD sales)... The web version has 5.1 audio (over the CD's 2) while the song plays the lyrics are displayed in time.. There are web links.. there are CD notes... I would bet dollars to doughnuts there will be a buy it now button for the hard media too... This medium however could be really great for the small / indie type bands that need to maintain a good connection and community around a smaller user base of fans... There could be a paradigm shift from pulp pop to artist communities.. Lets face it I would no longer need a record label to distribute... WMP encoder will do that for me and then I create my community... Lots of interesting angles to this...
Of course this can be shared and distributed in its current WMA encoded form but on the set date Poof the licence is expired and this is the first taste of DRM... I had it yesterday I dont have it today... No matter where the copy has spread to in its WMA form the licence will expire and WMP9 will not play it...
I believe that re encoding these files will become as easy as MP3 encoding now... There will be apps (already are if you dond mind using lots of stages to the job) that take a licensed copy play it once and re encode the output to another non protected copy... This is inevitable but will it be worth the hassle...
My pain threashold exists at the 'when I cannot buy infinite use licences' and also on price point and restores...
All of this is fairly safe.. We know that media belongs to someone and its hard not to like a system that may benefit both consumer and artist better... What happens beneath the surface though becomes much much more gray... In a DRM'ed OS only WHQL certified drivers will be usable... Look at the link to the Creative DVD-A player I posted... Notice how this card will only work on DRM equipped OS and drivers.. DVD-A would not be on the PC if the digital out was left in place so now the driver will be auto shutting the digital out at detection of the MLP content... Hmmm
Then extrapolate this IP idea to SW as well as media... The Boys from Redmond will then be holding the keys and it is possible that anything non certified would cause the PC to stop functioning in some manner after all if they detect a crack (eg for MLP out the digital) being run they have the right to have it reported (hey Jim
) and stop this happening... In fact part of the reason why 'Freestyle' PCs are costing a lot of money (as well as advanced HW) is the fact that at this point MS are only allowing them to be released on OEM machines that are tied up in DRM certified drivers...
In a fully DRM'ed future every patch / every freeware app / ever byte of code run on a PC may have to be certified... This would have obvious knock on effects to cost of SW and speed of fixes and updates...
Orwellian ??
Better to ask was Orwell near the mark in his predictions :-/ ??
Fun times huh....