If you’ve read more than a day or two worth of posts here, you know how I feel about systems that assume all customers are cheats and thieves. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the way most of us will come into contact with one of hese systems, and the marketplace is full of truly rediculous DRM schemes. Now, however, comes a report that some record labels might be ready to do the unthinkable and release music without DRM crippleware attached.

When you read the article, it’s obvious that this isn’t a move that’s going to happen tomorrow, but as I said in an earlier post, when the record companies feel pain, they’ll look at changing their strategies. There’s nothing like a sales number lower than the one you expected to cause pain in the halls of the record companies, so there’s reason for hope–and reason to keep supporting the artists and record companies that have already taken a listener-friendly approach to distributing their music.

Categories: Entertainment, Media