Amazing dichotomy between what they say and what they do. "Oh yeah, I don't like DRM at all. Never mind us being the biggest suppliers of DRMed {hard|soft}ware in the world, just ignore that, because I... umm... don't like DRM. Trust me. DRM bad. BUY IPODS/ZUNES/VISTA!"

Sheesh.

It's right up there with Google helping the chinese government in their oppression, under the banner of "don't be evil" [...unless it renders a buck, and then just keep on talking about how not evil we are]

My guess is that Jobs knows he may be indicted for stock options backdating and he is trying to get the unwashed masses in his corner as much as possible before that happens.
DRM is necessary because the vast majority of people are dishonest. Record sales are most certainly off because of piracy and to suggest anything else is either idiotic or dishonest.

Kudos to Jobs...

It's actually not in the record companies interest to use DRM. Sales are off, and it's not because of piracy.

Record companies are hated by both artists and consumers.

DRM is treating all customers as potential thieves. Where is the benefit to being at odds with your customers?

Rather than using new tech to distribute more content, Jobs says 90% of sales are still on CDs. This is the best example I can cite to show DRM doesn't benefit the label, the artist, or the consumer.

Kudos to Jobs. I'm not a fan, but he's right on this one.

I'm glad Jobs came out on the bandwagon to say this.

Of course, Bill Gates has also come out a while back to voice his distaste in DRM: http://www.engadget.com/2006/12/14/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-part-xxi-gates...

Maybe Apple wants to do away with DRM because they don't want to F*** up and delay their OS and drivers with DRM.

But eliminating DRM is a very good goal and I can set my Apple hatred aside just this once, haha.

Indeed SJ does have quite an interest to get rid of DRM as it currently poses a problem in some Euro countires. That being said, i have no problem supporting his stance. DRM is evil and if he manages to start a movement that will be the demise of DRM then more power to him as this will be a Good Thing TM for all of us.

Adi

Awesome! Simply, awesome!!! I'm totally stoked he said that. It really does make a lot of sense. (and this is coming from somebody who refuses to use services like limewire, etc.)

/Golf clap

It’s odd to hear commonsense being promoted by a corporate entity although refreshing.

Makes sense to me, but I can't help but think he's looking to eliminate DRM as a way to expand the iTMS into countries who don't allow such nonsense. WHich is good for Apple, of course, but it has the side-effect of being good for us. This is spin, though I'm cautiously optimistic.

How often do CEOs of companies say things that are so straightforward and make sense? I'm not surprised that it's coming from Jobs, either.

This might make Apple's relationship with the recording industry more tenuous, but it certainly relieves some of the legal pressure Apple's been feeling in Europe. It's important to remember that this isn't the first we've heard about doing away with DRM in music. A recent analysis of the industry revealed just such advice. The idea could be gaining more momentum than we allow ourselves to think.

This is probably the first time I agreed with something he said, much less cared. (afaik)
DRM sucks, and if steve leads us out of the media nazi age, I'm all for it.
I hate to say it, but Go Apple!

It's very easy to say that "we'd go without DRM if we could" when you're heads and shoulders above your competition in the digital music distribution and digital music player business.

If Apple didn't have such a lead, they would be complaining about the other companies DRMs (whomever else would be in the lead).

That's a really good letter. It's obviously in Apple's self-interest to publish it, but in this case it's very much true. I really can't refute any of the points he makes.

Kudos to Jobs, even if he has self-interested reasons for saying it. The only way to get any momentum on this is to keep the ball rolling. Having the bar-none largest vendor of MP3 players say it, is a nice boost.