[WhaMe]

In an on-line article about getting the most out of mp3 players TIME recommends burning protected music onto a CD and reripping the tracks into mp3 format.

If you have high-quality music files but they're the wrong file format (for example, you just got an iPod but you've already downloaded lots of songs from Napster 2.0), burn the tracks to CD, and then re-rip them in the format you require. Audiophiles will balk at this hackneyed way of doing things, but it's easy, painless and hard to tell a difference, thanks to the high quality of pay-for-play music downloads.

I wonder what parent company TIME-Warner thinks about this.

[mitchell_pgh]

I see nothing wrong with people doing this.

I have said this in the past, and will continue to say it.

Until the day when hardware manufacturers encrypt everything from the media all the way down the chain to the speakers, people will be able to pirate music.

[-Q-]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
Until the day when hardware manufacturers encrypt everything from the media all the way down the chain to the speakers, people will be able to pirate music.

Exactly.

And until all catalogs are available for purchase and download, and the purchase/download option is easier than the 'fire up eMule or Kazaa' option, people will pirate music.

Make it easy to buy (with enough variety) and I think a lot more people will take the legal download route. Even more would if there wasn't any DRM involved.

[WhaMe]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I see nothing wrong with people doing this.

I am not saying that I have a problem with the technique. I was just pointing out the conflict of interest. Whether or not one approves of removing DRM protection or thinks that the DRM attempts by the music industry are futile, I found it odd that someone who works for a subsidiary of a company that is in the music business, would pass along info on how to defeat DRM.

I realize that this practice is not new or earth shattering and there are alternate (perhaps better) ways of defeating DRM. The practice of removing DRM is typically in violation of the TOC and I bet that the heads of Time-Warner would not be happy to see the article

[mitchell_pgh]

I wonder what the percentage of people that buy music then turn around and share it. I would guess it's VERY low.

Just like my history with Photoshop. When I had it in the past (pirated copy) I'd give it to anyone...

Not what I've paid the full price, I keep it under lock and key. I would guess music would be about the same way.