Web Publishers, Steve Jobs and The End of DRM
In today’s unique manifesto from Steve Jobs entitled, “Thoughts on Music,” Mr. Jobs essentially says that it’s time to get rid of the Digital Rights Management (DRM) system currently required by four of the largest record companies: Sony BMG, Bertelsman, EMI and Vivendi.
Aside from the irony that we still call record companies “record companies”, Apple’s Mr. Jobs is suggesting a revolutionary idea from the upper echelons of the corporate world: owning digital music copyrights and relentlessly protecting them is fiscally unwise and, ultimately, piracy cannot be overcome.
It seems that the music industry and proponents of DRM are finally catching up with what web publishers and bloggers have long known: content can be compelling and valuable when shared.
For example, with this post, I reference Mr. Jobs…. I link to his words and company website…. I reference what others are saying such as Engadget, The Wall Street Journal and PaidContent.
I ‘mash up’ this content and make it my content by making an observation that is mine. Ay, there’s the content.
For web publishers and bloggers the digital rights - so fruitlessly defended for the sake of perceived value by old world record companies - has already evolved. The lack of a DRM on the web has created click streams of content that benefits the publisher by generating a blogospheric conversation enriching those that encounter it and providing a template well-suited to the creative world of music.
–John Ebbert
-- John Ebbert
Sphere It