Apple, iPod, and CD Copy Protection

[MacRumors]

CNet reports that two of the major companies responsible for Audio-CD based copy protection methods are approaching Apple to make their CDs compatible with the Apple iPod.

Reportedly 80% of complaints genereted from the copy protected CDs are due to iPod incompatibility. As a interesting side-effect, this may hurt Microsoft's dominence in this field. Current schemes involved providing protected Windows Media Audio files along side the copy protected tracks. While this allows Windows users to load the songs on their PCs, it prevents their use on the iPod - which does not support WMA files.

The upcoming versions of the copy protection appears to be more flexible and will also diminish Microsoft's control of the media:

SunnComm and Macrovision each say that the new generations of their technology, due later this summer and early next year, respectively, will let people effortlessly create versions of songs for computers and portable players, in almost the same way people rip CDs to create MP3 files today. Software will be loaded on the music CDs that will help create a new copy-protected file in a form that can be played on an iPod, or on Microsoft-compatible players such as the Rio Karma, or on whatever else a consumer might be using.

The only sticking point, however, is from Apple - who has not yet licensed their FairPlay digital rights management format to these companies. This could represent a new revenue source for Apple, depending on the terms of such a license.

[Docrjm]

Hopefully Apple will licence. Good revenue stream and another chance to say to M$ "Pog-Mo-Thon".

[Stike]

License it, and hit MS hard... thats the best thing they could do...

[dogbyte_13]

2 thing to say
About time!!
and
PPBBTTTTT!!! micro$uck and may you loose many other market shares of whatever you have your greedy hands in!

[windowsblowsass]

more mac compatibility and it hurtds microsoft, im in

[G5orbust]

Yes Apple! This is your chance to stick it to MS! Go! Now! Run, dont walk!

[RadiusMan]

Yeah, I agree. This is a great opportunity for Apple to do some ass kicking. The iPod's popularity is something that Apple needs to hold on to for everyone's good.

I have been nervous about them making the same mistake with the iPod as they did with the Macintosh, but things like this will help ensure that that doesn't happen.

[TBR]

License it, License it HARD!

[tliptak]

This is all good for apple.

Anything diminishes microsofts control has got to be good.

[jbembe]

They'd better do this right, I don't want to be forced to listen to a 128kbps file when I bought the CD and want to hear AAC lossless through my Airport Express because they don't want me ripping their CD without DRM!!! I will NOT purchase such CDs.

[Freg3000]

The only way I see Apple saying no is so perverse that I will go crazy if they reject this offer. But the scenario is that Apple says no since they want the only way to get that type of music onto iPods is to buy it from the iTMS, not getting DRM'd files from the CD itself.

Although that would be incredibly stupid. License it Apple!!!

[Lancetx]

Apple won't license it unless they get a very favorable deal, so we shall see I guess how generous Sunncomm and Macrovision are willing to be. I personally won't buy any CD with such copy protection, whether it's endorsed by Apple or not. I might as well download it from the iTMS if that's the case...and that's precisely why Apple will never license it to these guys.

[billyboy]

So where is the catch? The makers of a number one record want Apple to let their music be played on an iPod. It is a request from a company that has so far been totally MS. All sounds plus plus.

I suppose the only thing holding Apple back is deciding whether or not copy protected CDs are going to be the future. If Steve Jobs crystal ball says yes, then it will be on. If his ball clouds over and shrinks to the size of 2" square portable TV screen, then Sunncomm are out of luck.

"the scenario is that Apple says no since they want the only way to get that type of music onto iPods is to buy it from the iTMS"

The music store is a vehicle to sell iPods, so I suppose if another huge source of music that is iPod oriented opens up, ie copyright protected cds, Apple would be daft not to go with it - ie let Sunncomm pay Apple a royalty, sell a $299 iPod instead of an album, and still probably see the person who bought the cd going back at some stage to the music store looking for more music to buy.

[Apmonia]

I might be wrong here, but shouldn't consumers be allowed to put the music they purchased into any type of format they want? Take for example those that listen to jazz or classical, they might want to put the music into a higher bit rate or even a different codec. This is good for Apple, but bad for the consumer.

Apmonia

[Fuchal]

I've personally never run across a CD that my superdrive powerbook couldn't rip... but I do have a few CDs that will ONLY read in my powerbook... my cd players (old) say they aren't cds.

[Stella]

The ball is now in favourably Apple's court.. this would be a good time for Apple to license fairplay.. they have the majority of online music business, now its their opportunity to capture the DRMed CD music.

If Apple do not license fairplay now, I shall be stunned.

[uzombie]

I want a black iPod. Not a painted on, but a truly, black iPod. Black wheel, buttons and reverse display (black with white letters). Black accessories. Black earphones.

White is so...passé.

You know iPod is EOL when they have a RealTree® Camo Mossy Oak version.

[Freg3000]

Originally Posted by billyboy

"the scenario is that Apple says no since they want the only way to get that type of music onto iPods is to buy it from the iTMS"

The music store is a vehicle to sell iPods, so I suppose if another huge source of music that is iPod oriented opens up, ie copyright protected cds, Apple would be daft not to go with it - ie let Sunncomm pay Apple a royalty, sell a $299 iPod instead of an album, and still probably see the person who bought the cd going back at some stage to the music store looking for more music to buy.

I know, I know. It's a stupid reason. But Apple has been known to do stupid things in the past. I hope they don't make a mistake now as they are faced with a great opportunity.

[Dippo]

This sucks for all consumers.

If I wanted DRMed music, I would buy it from iTunes or some other online music store.

This would be great for Apple, but bad for honest people that want to rip music as they like. We all know that this won't stop the real pirates...

[stoid]

As The Guess Who said,

It's the new Mother Nature taking over,
It's the new splendid lady come to call.
It's the new Mother Nature taking over,
She's in the zone!

I see this as the first step in the turning of the tables. Apple is on the way up in many big ways and for many reasons. Microsoft is going to fall in many big ways and for many reasons!

[suzerain]

Anything that legitimizes these stupid copy-protected CDs is bad, IMO. Myself, I would prefer to see these CDs remain incompatible with the iPod, so that people would have fewer reasons to buy them in the first place.

This will only make it more likely that these stupid copy-protection schemes will continue, furthering the problems such as buying CDs that don't even work in certain older CD players, and so forth.

Sorry, but under the fair use laws, I should have the right to make copies of my CDs for myself. Anything that gets in the way of that is wrong. I say, don't help these *******s out.

[stoid]

Originally Posted by Dippo

This sucks for all consumers.

If I wanted DRMed music, I would buy it from iTunes or some other online music store.

This would be great for Apple, but bad for honest people that want to rip music as they like. We all know that this won't stop the real pirates...

It sounds to me that you'll just use the Macrovision or whatever application on the disk to rip the music from the CD. You should be able to rip to whatever format you want, it just adds DRM so that you won't be able to share it over LimeWire or Aquisition.

At least not until someone cracks the DRM.

[advocate]

What does FairPlay have to do with this? FairPlay locks a track to a certain Apple ID. Are they going to predict the Apple ID of the purchaser while the CDs are being pressed -- or, in this scheme, individually mastered? Somehow I don't see how that's going to work.

[ericdano]

I don't see Apple doing this. Why? Cause it's redundant. People, including myself, buy a CD to be able to whatever we want with it. I don't want to be FORCED to listen to it at 128 AAC. Protected AAC. I want to rip it however I want, 192AAC, Apple Lossless format, whatever.

I think Steve will say that copy protection doesn't do anything to prevent piracy. And he is right. Adding copy protection that "works with an iPod" isn't going to do anything positive for anyone except Macrovision.

[Lancetx]

Originally Posted by Freg3000

I know, I know. It's a stupid reason. But Apple has been known to do stupid things in the past. I hope they don't make a mistake now as they are faced with a great opportunity.

The "great opportunity" for Apple here might very well be to turn these guys down. SunnComm and Macrovision have a greatly reduced market for their copy-protected CDs if they don't work with iPods, so that puts Apple in the position of power here, not them. Unless Apple can make as much per song as they can through their music store, there is no sense in going along with this for them. Besides, Apple could perhaps help kill off the market for copy protected CDs if they don't support them and that would do us all a big favor.

In a nutshell, if it requires DRM and it must play on an iPod, then the iTMS is already there, so who needs copy protected CDs to be compatible? I'm predicting they'll just say no to SunnComm and Macrovision when it's all said and done.