The REAL losers here continue to be the record companies. It's still laughable to me to read post after post of people sounding like they're blaming Apple for the state of DRM on iTunes. It's the record companies. Check Amazon all you like, but while people want DRM-free, people truly LIKE iTunes... so in the end, the record companies are giving Apple a longer and STRONGER strangle-hold on the market, by allowing the continued sale of music that LOCKS people into iTunes, instead of what Apple is requesting... namely to remove all DRM from iTunes music entirely. Apple has offered non-DRM options to all of their partners, and while it seems blindingly obvious that the record companies should JUMP at the chance to not have their music "shackled" to iTunes, they continue to live under the delusion that if they totally go "DRM-free", they will be leaving money on the table somehow as piracy will increase.
Apple has done a great job of making it "difficult" to do much with music in the way of simply marching around to all one's friends, and redistributing all of your tracks. Apple has actively locked down the library file on its media devices. FINE. That's the trade off. You can't use Apple devices to redistribute the music you've added to your library. FINE. But, iTunes "music sharing" feature is a great way for a limited amount of listeners to "share" music without "redistributing" it.
The record industry needs to BACK OFF of their DRM stance, and let Apple free its customers to use their music however they like. The NEXT stop should then be the movie industry, and allowing people to "RIP" their DVDs freely and jukebox them.
~ CB