Here there be DRM
Rafe Colburn brings up a scary thought:
If I fear that any CD I buy will silently install a bunch of crap on my computer, Apple’s DRM doesn’t sound quite so bad. At least I know what I’m getting.
I hadn’t realized it until I read this, but I honestly fear buying CDs these days. I just don’t trust that the CD will work at all, will not break my computer if I try to listen to the CD, or allow me to convert the music to a digital format. I think this fear has been building for months (if not years), but the Sony fiasco has pushed me over the edge. I would rather buy my music in digital format because I know exactly what I’m getting. This is sad — I lose out on the ability to share my music by buying from the iTunes music store (via iTunes on the local network at work), I lose sound quality, and I lose flexibility (to convert to a different digital format or use it on a non-Apple music player).