Music, Computers and Copyright

These aren't so much consequences of some draconian DRM scheme as it's a consequence of the fact that the files you downloaded aren't MP3's at all; they're Apple's proprietary AAC format. Currently, iTunes and the iPod (as well as HP's upcoming hardware based on the iPod) are the only things that play these files.But this stuff is relatively easy to circumvent, because Apple's DRM is actually not that restrictive compared to others. For instance, there's no limit to how many times you can burn that song to a CD - with the stipulation that you can only burn the same playlist three times, if it has these DRM'ed songs on it. I realize it's a pain-in-the-ass workaround but you can archive all your dowloaded songs onto audio CD on a burner (currently avaliable for all of about 20 bucks or so.) If you re-import them, you can do so in MP3 format and they'll play on anything, DRM-free. Of course you lose all the track info, which you have to put in by hand because your burned custom CD has no CDDB entry.(Also, now's the time to remind you that by default Apple imports songs in AAC format, not MP3. You can change this setting, however.)I use iTunes for my audio "needs" because I also love the Music Store, and I love the "radio" station presets it ships with - I listen to "Fistful of Sountracks" a lot while I play video games.

If they wanted to make it harder, you wouldn't be able to burn the track on a CD at all, which some of the other guys actually don't let you do. Which sucks because then you can't play it in the car or anything.If you decide to switch over to one of the other guys, you need to check what their DRM scheme will let you do with the track. I'm pretty sure, though, that Apple has one of the less restrictive schemes. As I said it's the one I use, but I don't buy a whole lot of music. Usually a track or two but I have downloaded an entire album because I had a real CD that got too scratched to play. (Remember when they told us these things were indestructable?)