News Yahoo! to disable customers' music

[CardJoe]

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2008/07...tomers-music/1

Yahoo! Music is to transition into a partnership with Rhapsody by disabling its DRM servers at the end of September, a move which will cripple the music collections of its customers.

[kenco_uk]

Poor saps.

[ChaosDefinesOrder]

Trading standards should fine Yahoo! for this. Customers bought the music fairly, Yahoo! has an obligation to provide the product they advertised, and if they become unplayable after September then that's a breach of "contract"

Maybe I'm just "dreaming of a better world" but these kinds of company using this stupid Digital Restriction Manipulation need to be given a big financial kick in the teeth to be told to stop it. Nokia's "Comes With Music" is even worse than Yahoo! though - your music is tied to your PHONE! You can't even put it on your PC let alone carry it over to a new phone!

[lewchenko]

Long live the CD, Long live the King.

Its mine.. I bought it,I own it, I ripped it... I will do anything I want with it !!!!! I wouldnt buy music from Yahoo or any other Internet Search / Advertising company !

The only mistake I made was in the early days I ripped most of my collection to AAC for use in iTunes, rather than non DRM mp3 format. Works well with iPods.... but not a whole lot else :-(

[Silver51]

DRM, focus groups hunting 'pirates', law firms and the RIAA (PRS) racketeering...

I'm not a pirate, I object to being treated like one. This was always the thin end of the wedge, which was driving us toward censorship of the Internet and the excessive use of technology to decode media. I don't remember 8 tracks, but I'll bet that you didn't have to use special cables or use a decoding chip hooked up to the 'net to listen to music.

What happened? How have we ended up in a situation where people are running scared from the entertainment industry.

[Paradigm Shifter]

Perhaps Trading Standards should be enlightened as to this situation. At least for those purchasers in the UK... and that didn't buy the 'subscription' model, as for them the subscription has been terminated at the provider end.

I'd never purchase DRM'd music online... I have been tempted on the Play.com music download service to buy a CD as MP3s because I was finding it impossible to get the CD in question. As luck would have it, I resisted and found the CD on Amazon Marketplace a few weeks later.

As for a 'financial kick in the teeth' for the companies that force DRM down people's throats... their only response to that will be "OMG! They're not buying our DRM infested music! But they can't possibly be taking a stand at our unscrupulous business practices, they must just be pirating it! Piracy! PIRACY!" Then watch the lawsuits fly and politicians jump on the bandwagon as per usual.

[DOA Draven]

With all the media hype about ISPs and The Music Industry clamp down on illegal downloading, news like this makes you wonder if you are any safer or better off doing it the legal way?

I wonder if 'this story' hits the 09:00 News ?

[1ad7]

wow I really hope they give out some refunds..... thats some major bs what If itunes did this.... ppl would be shitting

[The Jambo]

This is why I want M$ to take Yahoo, after all, they can't make it any worse than stealing from their customers.

[Gareth Halfacree]

Originally Posted by The Jambo

This is why I want M$ to take Yahoo, after all, they can't make it any worse than stealing from their customers.

Except that MS are doing the exact same thing with music purchased from the Zune store - except with a three-year deadline rather than a few months.

[kenco_uk]

Consumers were reminded why Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions don't play nicely with their personal freedom yesterday when Yahoo! Music announced that it was to stop releasing keys to unlock songs downloaded from its service.

btw, a couple of corrections in the first paragraph.

[Gareth Halfacree]

Originally Posted by kenco_uk

btw, a couple of corrections in the first paragraph.

I really need to start writing these things after my morning coffee...

[mikeuk2004]

THis is why I buy CD's Digital distributions is not what its all cracked up to be right now with so many formats an difference drm crap.

Its not worth it.

[airchie]

Digital distribution is great.
Just not any of the legal ones.

I really hope this brings some light to bear on the uselessness of DRM.
Those evil pirating types (ie, most of us here probably) know how to defeat it and its the average pleb that gets stung, even after purchasing it legitimately.
Utter horse manure IMO.

[ParaHelix.org]

I have NEVER had any problems with digital distribution, however, I don't use specific software, I usually pay and download from the artists official website and it seems that is the best way to go.

[ParaHelix.org]

Originally Posted by airchie

Digital distribution is great.
Just not any of the legal ones.

I really hope this brings some light to bear on the uselessness of DRM.
Those evil pirating types (ie, most of us here probably) know how to defeat it and its the average pleb that gets stung, even after purchasing it legitimately.
Utter horse manure IMO.

Download music illegally and you might as well steal an instrument from your favorite band, if no one payed, no one would have music because the artists would not exist.

[EmJay]

Originally Posted by airchie

I really hope this brings some light to bear on the uselessness of DRM.
Those evil pirating types (ie, most of us here probably) know how to defeat it and its the average pleb that gets stung, even after purchasing it legitimately.

QFT. The more they try to clamp down, the more they drive people to piracy. That doesn't excuse piracy, but still. Time for some different tactics.

[Lazarus Dark]

Originally Posted by ParaHelix.org

I have NEVER had any problems with digital distribution, however, I don't use specific software, I usually pay and download from the artists official website and it seems that is the best way to go.

As more bands offer there music I'm doing this more and more. A lot of new bands are doing this through services through myspace and such, so far none I have dl'd have been drm, just straight up mp3. I feel better about dl'ing direct from the bands myspace or site than I do about buying their cd on amazon; though I don't know for sure, I can only assume the band is getting a much better cut. Mostly though, I support bands by seeing their shows and buying cd's from thier merch table.

[f00dl3]

from article:
"CNet is reporting that the Electronic Frontier Foundation is stamping its feet over the issue, using Yahoo! Music's move as another illustration on why DRM should stand for Digital Restriction Management. Corynne McSherry, one of the EFF's attorneys, points out that “people think they can use music wrapped in digital rights management just like they do a CD. This should teach everyone that you can't.”"

The EFF is a freaking joke. They can't do crap. I don't know why they even call them attourneys... I have yet to see the EFF make a difference like they state they will.

[notatoad]

if you bought drm'd music, you deserve this. if nobody had ever bought this crap, then perhaps the mp3 stores would have come around a little quicker.