Digital rights management (DRM) software is a system forced onto
distributors that protects only a handful of the world's music,
according to [urlwww.apple.com] Apple[/url] chief executive Steve
Jobs.
In an open letter
posted on Apple's website, Jobs outlined the reasons behind the
company's decisions to close its FairPlay DRM system to other
developers.
Jobs claimed that Apple was being held hostage by the "big four"
record labels, which threaten to pull their entire catalogues from
the iTunes store if FairPlay is breached.
"If the big four music companies licensed their music to Apple
without the requirement that it be protected with DRM, we would
switch to selling only DRM-free music on iTunes. Every iPod ever
made will play this DRM-free music," said Jobs.
The Apple chief lashed out at the labels for requiring Apple, Sony
and other companies to encode music files with DRM software to
prevent copying while not applying the technology to CDs, which
comprise the overwhelming majority of music sales.
Previous attempts at putting DRM in CDs have proved
disastrous.
"If the music companies are selling over 90 per cent of their music
DRM-free, what benefits do they get from selling the remaining
small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system? There
appear to be none," said Jobs.
Much of the three page letter is devoted to explaining why Apple
had refused to open its FairPlay system to other vendors and allow
for songs purchased from iTunes to be used with third-party
devices.
Currently, the songs will play only on iPods and computers running
iTunes software.
The reason for this, according to Jobs, is that when someone cracks
FairPlay's copy protection, Apple only has a "small number of
weeks" to update the software before labels have the right to
demand that the music be pulled from the iTunes store.
"Such an undertaking is very difficult when just one company
controls all of the pieces," said Jobs.
"But it is near impossible if multiple companies control separate
pieces of the puzzle, and all of them must act quickly in concert
to repair the damage from a leak."
The problem with the DRM system lies with the record companies, not
Apple, said Jobs. As such, he suggested that unhappy consumers and
government agencies redirect their anger towards the "big
four".
"Much of the concern over DRM systems has arisen in European
countries. For Europeans, two and a half of the big four music
companies are located right in their backyard," he said.
"The largest, Universal, is 100 per cent owned by Vivendi, a French
company. EMI is a British company, and Sony BMG is 50 per cent
owned by Bertelsmann, a German company.
"Convincing them to license their music to Apple and others
DRM-free will create a truly interoperable music
marketplace."
Steve Jobs has outlined his reasons for
closing Apple's FairPlay DRM to other developers