Thursday, January 22, 2009
Microsoft Brings Back DRM In UK's MSN Mobile Music
Posted by Ed Hansberry in "Thoughts Media Off Topic" @ 04:00 PM
"Microsoft yesterday unveiled its MSN Mobile Music service - and a surprise return to digital rights management (DRM). While companies such as Apple and Amazon have finally moved to music download services free of copy protection, MSN Mobile locks tracks to the mobile handset they are downloaded to."
What in the world are they smoking over there in the UK? You can't transfer songs between your phone and PC, the price is nearly double that of DRM free music from iTunes, and the music is not transferable to a new phone. I kid you not! You have to read the Q&A between PC Pro Magazine and Hugh Griffiths, the head of Mobile Music. This is not a question of will this service survive, but in how many months will it totally implode unless someone gets bopped with a clue-stick. 
How many of our UK friends are chomping at the bit to purchase songs for £1.50. For those of us in the US, that is $2.21 at today's exchange rate. 
