RIAA spokesman Jonathan Ramy was quoted all over the web last week as saying that, “DRM is dead”. The following day, Mr. Ramy denied making the statement and the website reporting it has issued a retraction. It would be easy to ignore this as just more of that ‘DRM stuff’ but, it’s important that libraries follow developments like these for a couple reasons.
One, we offer digital materials, and our customers have to maneuver through all the DRM hoops that are the reality of how libraries provide digital materials now. Our customers depend on us to be able to offer a basic explanation of DRM and, why it is required by publishers who allow libraries to distribute their materials.
Two, people are passionate on both sides of DRM, just look at the comments which follow the TorrentFreak post about how Lars Ulrich of Metallica feels about the band’s role in the demise of Napster. Imagine if people got this worked up over the copyright statement near all our copiers.
DRM is complicated, and the issues surrounding it are felt passionately by those involved, in other words the more you learn about DRM the more interesting it becomes. Next time, you see DRM mentioned in an article headline, take a moment to read it, I think you’ll be glad you did.
posting by jim
4 responses so far ↓
myounker // July 29, 2009 at 8:31 am
die DRM, die!
Anne // July 29, 2009 at 9:10 am
I second that!
Jim McCluskey // July 29, 2009 at 9:32 am
see….what’d I say…passion.
Leo // August 4, 2009 at 8:44 am
I remember when DRM was first rolled out, you could circumvent it by drawing a line in permanent marker around the outer edge of the disk. This is gonna sound cheesy but that spirit of freedom and creativity just cannot be squashed!