So I hear that Sony/BMG is set to release copy-protected Cds that aren't compatible with iTunes and iPod.
That's smart, guys. Really smart.
I have a problem with Apple's digital rights management, because it is restrictive. It's a restriction I can live with, though, and it seems to be the wave of the future. But if I buy a CD, I've bought it. And I have the right to make archival copies for myself. And I have the right to lend it to friends.
And (to bring up another subject tangential to this one) if I buy a CD, it should damn well be Red-Book. That's what the little compact disc logo is supposed to ensure. These CDs with their new copy-protection schemes (I'm assuming) and the new DualDiscs (CD + DVD) don't/won't work on all CD players. There's a reason I haven't bought Bruce Springsteen's new album. And I won't buy it, either. Not until it's made available on SACD, DVD-Audio, or standard CD. DualDisk is bogus if I can't play a DualDisc CD on any CD player in the world.
Anyway, the record companies seem bound and determined to alienate the few paying customers they have left by making their products, in their various forms, incompatible with existing hardware and with the lifestyles of people who don't get their music via "playground piracy" and actually want the artists to get their cut.
I'm disappointed with iTunes for a host of reasons -- most notably the fact that they don't offer downloads at even full CD quality. And high-resolution audio is out there. That doesn't mean I'm not using it. It means I haven't abandoned CD buying in favor of the online experience. Because I'm concerned about quality. But perhaps that's on the way. And -- once that happens, I might just quit buying CDs.
All of this is essentially rambling back to the point that I don't like restrictions being placed on what I do with music I've bought and paid for.