Alex: "Hindering Online Music Burned to CD"
Dee dee dee dee dee dee ...
Contestant: "What is ... how do you increase demand for illicit P2P, Alex."
As been noted on this blog previously, it is currently trivial to get around online music DRM. All one has to do is burn the music to CD (which all the major non-subscription services permit to a greater or lesser extent) and then re-rip the music, without DRM, to the hard drive. Basically, this proves that DRM is not really about hindering piracy, but maintaining control (Why Use DRM If It Doesn't Work?).
Anyway, some record labels are apparently considering means to close this means of copying music, according to a report in C|Net News (Labels to dampen CD burning?). Apparently, burning software would permit you to burn a CD that couldn't then be re-ripped.
Frankly, I think this is truly bizarre.
First, it isn't going to work. Whatever scheme they use will be cracked and/or CD's burned using the scheme will cause all sorts of headaches. Second, if it works for burned online music, why not burn all CDs with that scheme? Third, it penalizes those who purchase online music. Do the labels want legitimate online music services to thrive or not? Illicit filesharing will not decrease one iota and may increase thanks to otherwise legitimate purchasers seeking music without onerous DRM schemes.
The only benefit I see is that the labels won't be liable to consumer lawsuits since online music is licensed, not sold. Of course, those who have "purchased" music legitimately and find their contracts changed such that they don't enjoy the same rights down the line will have no one to blame but themselves.
Slashdot has some good commentary on this issue: Recording Industry Hopes To Hinder CD Burning.
Category: IP Abuse
As it is, burning to CD and then ripping is unnecessarily circuitous. It's easier and cheaper simply to *play* the music on your computer (you're going to listen to it at least once, right?), capture the *digital* audio signal and save it to disk. There are any number of freeware/shareware programs that will do this for you, such as Total Recorder. They'll even save to MP3 or other compressed file format on the fly.
This is not the 'analog hole'. It's a different hole that probably needs a handy name. Microsoft means to plug it with Secure Audio Path and the 'trusted computing platform', but we're not there yet.