Digital Rights Management (DRM)

Not so much an explanation as a history lesson and rant combined:

"Digital rights management" refers to restrictions on the number of times a song file (such as an MP3) can be copied by you, or listened to by you, or it can restrict which types of Jukebox you can listen to that particular MP3 on.

E.g. you could buy MP3 that allows you to make 1 copy only; or that you can only listen too for a year, after which time the license (your permission from the publisher, or artist) to listen to that piece of music expires and the file will no longer work.

Music sites, like iTunes, Napster, etc. sell MP3s with DRM built-in, meaning that you can only play those MP3s on MP3 players that are DRM enabled. This stops you making copies of those MP3s to sell, or give to your mates, or the rest of the world.

The Digital Rights and Copyrights referred too are the rights of the music companies and artists. From a consumer's perspective a more accurate description would be "Digital Rights Restrictions"; "Tune Rental" as companies seek to get you to pay repeatedly for the same piece of music or "Lack of Copyright" as some of your long standing rights to make replicas are eroded.

Under normal circumstances you have the right to make copies of music you buy onto different media format e.g. in the olden days you could copy a CD you bought to cassette tape and that was perfectly legal.

However, with the advent of the Internet came a problem: the record industry allowed a vacuum to develop. No-one was issuing music online, even though the technology was ready and people were clamouring out for this service. The music industry failed to show any leadership, so consumers took matters into their own hands and started to disseminate the music themselves. This meant that consumers got what they wanted, but the Music industry got no revenues. No-one to blame but themselves really. Dukebox.com tried to sell music (legally), but the European licensing procedures were nightmarish and the costs prohibitive. There were obstacles at every turn and if there weren't, someone invented some quickly.

It took organisations such as the RIAA years to recognise the fundamental way in which the internet had changed things for good, but once they realised how big the problem was, and how huge the potential was for them, they decided to take action. If they could put a 'Lock' in the MP3 files themselves and the 'Key' in the MP3 Player then they could take back control of the music business. Not only that, it gives them more control than they ever had before. They can now dictate exactly your level of rights for each individual tune you listen to.