Movie studios want piracy concessions from Apple

[Thank The Cheese]

To summarise the main points:

Macworld.co.uk:
Movie studios are demanding that Apple implement a tougher and more restricted digital rights management system if it want to sell their movies through iTunes.

Among other restrictions, movie bosses want Apple to "reduce the number of devices that can use a film downloaded from iTunes," reports the Financial Times.

They claim that Apple's current model — which allows owners of legally acquired content to play that content on up to five computers and an unlimited number of iPods — is too generous.

Citing the phantom of file sharing, they exclaim that they want restricted rights, or none, according to the report.

"We're very willing to do a deal but we're keen to get some concessions from Apple that will account for the differences between the value of music and television content and feature film content," an executive said.

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This makes me so angry I keep making typos! I certainly am not going to pin this on Microsoft, because it is not their fault at all. However, I think this madness is stemming -- directly and indirectly -- from the Xbox 360 and Zune.

Ordinarily, competition is good for consumers, but in this case I feel the Zune's "piracy tax" for universal has caused dollar signs to spin inside the eyeballs of executives like a slot machine.

Moreover, I think now that Apple has some serious competition for a movie store with the Xbox 360's HD content, movie companies can now say "if you don't do this, steve, we'll just go to bill. take it or leave it". This is a bargaining position they did not used to have.

again, i want to stress that i am not blaming MS for this. This would have happened as soon as any company started to gain serious momentum on Apple. While MS is far from rivaling iTunes/iPod, they certainly have the power to do it in the long term.

What has to happen before the general public gets fed up?

 

[MisterMe]

...
Moreover, I think now that Apple has some serious competition for a movie store with the Xbox 360's HD content, movie companies can now say "if you don't do this, steve, we'll just go to bill. take it or leave it". This is a bargaining position they did not used to have.

...

Zune has no momentum, serious or otherwise. This is just the record labels' trying to revive the 1970's. As for the movie studios, well .... The studios and music labels need to understand that Apple, its iPod family, iTunes, and the iTunes Music Store represent one of their last chances to generate a revenue from an environment dominated by piracy. Play footsie with Microsoft all they want. They will learn what many have learned before—few have survived alliances with the Redmond Monopoly.

 

[fryke]

Actually, this "scheme" has popped up before the Zune, before the X-Box and *ABOUT* the iPod. Steve Jobs called it ridiculous back then when asked about it.

But if I listen around here in Switzerland, I get the feeling that there's quite some truth about it. Many, many people _are_ sharing their libraries of copied songs with friends etc. and on the 'net. So they _do_ have a point. Then again, there already _is_ a tax on MP3 players in some countries (Switzerland included) for private copies of songs. The real question is: How should the industry (including Apple) go about this.

1.) Only release music in perfectly protected DRM enclosure.
That's a no-go. People would use analog copies instead. It only takes *ONE* person to loop music from a player back into a computer to digitize it. It's not a perfect digital copy, but certainly as good as anyone sharing music illegally needs.

2.) Release music freely and get their money from taxpayers.
Yeah, that would be it. Won't happen, of course. It's not what the labels want.

3.) Accept that there will always be pirates and good buyers.
They'd have to make a good product. Good packaging. Nice goodies. Stuff that actually makes people buy the CDs etc. Of course buying songs online isn't exactly the same thing. And I think the music industry simply _isn't_ primarily about the artists and the music. They're about the money. And they'll use all and everything they can to get their money. And more. And more. With less energy/money/power. They're _already_ working very efficiently, don't you think? Shoving crap like quickly made "super stars" and "idols" down the youth's throats at prices that certainly make the investment ridiculously low.

This is not about Microsoft. Or X-Box. Or Zune. Or even iPod and Apple. This is about addiction (we _are_ addicted to music) and finding the best way to make as much money with as bad a product as a label can. It's where capitalism _obviously_ fails. The best product wins? U-huh.