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iPod Microsoft music DRM cracked! :D
- Thread starter MacBoobsPro
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I liked this line in the article:
Funny, I thought Apple dominated the 'digital media space' with iTMS.
Funny, I thought Apple dominated the 'digital media space' with iTMS.
gauchogolfer said:
Most people who use iTMS have an ipod, and the tracks that they buy there work on their iPod. They rarely switch to a new player so they rarely have to worry about the DRM. Plays for sure, on the other hand, is used by a whole lotta companies (i.e napster) who use a program where you pay a per-month fee for as many songs as you want, but when you stop paying, you can no longer use the songs. It is also a pain to get the songs to work on your DAP, and there is no sureity that your music will work.
Engadget reported on this, and then wrote an open letter to microsoft about why they should let it slide. Recomended reading. However, they later posted that microsoft was working on a way to patch it. These is also reports of a way to strip the iTMS DRM, which should make for some interesting discussions here...
Just to clarify. FairPlay is the DRM used by Apple in iTunes. I think you meant Plays for Sure which is Microsoft's DRM scheme for 3rd parties. Ironically the impending Zune will apparently not use this scheme (based on what I have seen).Felldownthewell said:
The subscription model seems like quite a liability. If the DRM is cracked suddenly anyone who's willing to take the time can download thousands of songs for free.
When Apple's DRM is cracked, however, it just means that I now have the freedom to play my songs (paid for by me) wherever the heck I want, like my 360. Some like to refer to this as "fair use."
*Prepares for lashing by hockey puck mouse... be gentle.*
When Apple's DRM is cracked, however, it just means that I now have the freedom to play my songs (paid for by me) wherever the heck I want, like my 360. Some like to refer to this as "fair use."
*Prepares for lashing by hockey puck mouse... be gentle.*
The BBC article, as is sometimes the case, is a little off with it's words on how things actually stand, such as the "Big Gorilla of digital space" that is Microsoft!
I agree with you who say these DRM strippers are more of a risk to subsription based models. However any chances of DRM being stripped could jeopardise anyones chances of the record labels continuing to supply them with music, if they see it as too unsecure (unfortunately, as thats what the labels often demand, otherwise we wouldn't have as much DRM, obviously!).
There will be plenty more FairPlay DRM strippers attacking iTunes, don't you worry. And Apple will yet again patch it constantly until they can/want to do away with the DRM, label permitting. Microsoft will do the same, it's becoming a cycle.
Yes, a DRM-free world would be great, even if we still paid for our songs so we legally owned them, just had the freedom to play it on whatever we wanted. Unfortunately we're not there yet.
Anyone get the feeling that at least part of all this DRM between the actual companies like Apple and Microsoft is an almost stale mate? Both of them almost worried about releasing DRM-free based songs incase teh other one did and just incase it meant that more people switched over to a specific company, with no more differences or bars between them. It reminds me of the Cold War and M.A.D (Mutually Assured Distruction) where both sides had nukes on each other and neither dared fire or disarm just incase the other did the opposite or something else which would cause the first side to quickly retaliate in futile, elliminating both sides! (This make sense???? )
...Yes, I often have strange analigies and bleak outlooks and interpretations. Its just something that pictures in my mind when I visualise the whole thing!
I agree with you who say these DRM strippers are more of a risk to subsription based models. However any chances of DRM being stripped could jeopardise anyones chances of the record labels continuing to supply them with music, if they see it as too unsecure (unfortunately, as thats what the labels often demand, otherwise we wouldn't have as much DRM, obviously!).
There will be plenty more FairPlay DRM strippers attacking iTunes, don't you worry. And Apple will yet again patch it constantly until they can/want to do away with the DRM, label permitting. Microsoft will do the same, it's becoming a cycle.
Yes, a DRM-free world would be great, even if we still paid for our songs so we legally owned them, just had the freedom to play it on whatever we wanted. Unfortunately we're not there yet.
Anyone get the feeling that at least part of all this DRM between the actual companies like Apple and Microsoft is an almost stale mate? Both of them almost worried about releasing DRM-free based songs incase teh other one did and just incase it meant that more people switched over to a specific company, with no more differences or bars between them. It reminds me of the Cold War and M.A.D (Mutually Assured Distruction) where both sides had nukes on each other and neither dared fire or disarm just incase the other did the opposite or something else which would cause the first side to quickly retaliate in futile, elliminating both sides! (This make sense????
)...Yes, I often have strange analigies and bleak outlooks and interpretations. Its just something that pictures in my mind when I visualise the whole thing!
I just read that iTunes 6 has been cracked also, under the name QTFairUse. But seeing as iTunes will be updated to 7 very soon, it may have been for naught.
I actually think that this might be good for Microsoft and bad for Apple. Good for consumers in the short term, bad in the long run.
Why good for Microsoft?
The iPod has a 70% marketshare. Now you can buy stuff off of Microsoft's music store and strip the DRM and it will work with 70% of the MP3 player market that was previously off limits. That should mean a lot more paying customers.
Why bad for Apple?
See above...less iTunes sales.
Why good for consumers in the short run?
More choice of course!
Why bad for consumers in the long run?
"More choice" means between Apple's DRM and Microsoft's DRM. Anything that helps push Microsoft's DRM as standard and commonplace is bad, because of Microsoft's track record of monopolizing things and making them not work with competing products. Already, Macs cannot play music with Microsoft's DRM, nor can Linux...
Why good for Microsoft?
The iPod has a 70% marketshare. Now you can buy stuff off of Microsoft's music store and strip the DRM and it will work with 70% of the MP3 player market that was previously off limits. That should mean a lot more paying customers.
Why bad for Apple?
See above...less iTunes sales.
Why good for consumers in the short run?
More choice of course!
Why bad for consumers in the long run?
"More choice" means between Apple's DRM and Microsoft's DRM. Anything that helps push Microsoft's DRM as standard and commonplace is bad, because of Microsoft's track record of monopolizing things and making them not work with competing products. Already, Macs cannot play music with Microsoft's DRM, nor can Linux...
Apparently so. It's Python based and requires some gritty work on behalf of the user. It's not quite a fully fledged easy interface yet. It apparently affects iTunes 6.0.4 and 6.0.5. No doubt 6.0.6 will immediatly come out if a big breach was reached.spicyapple said:I just read that iTunes 6 has been cracked also, under the name QTFairUse. But seeing as iTunes will be updated to 7 very soon, it may have been for naught.
It's not that difficult to run actually. The instructions say Start iTunes. Start QTFairUse. Play a Protected AAC song. It then creates a dump of the AAC minus the DRM (and tags and artwork). The only gritty part is re-entering all of your tags and such.Gil_Grissom said:
EDIT: After further investigation I stand corrected. The process to stript the DRM is simple, but you get a raw AAC file that is pratically useless. You then have to repair it with another tool and then use yet another tool to get it into an M4A wrapper so you can import into iTunes and play it. Then you still have not tags/artwork. I wonder if Automator can help with this process.