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QuickTip: What Is DRM?

by bhoughton on July 13th, 2007

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. DRM is a few little pieces of computer code that record companies and others use to control what you can do with the music you buy.

In theory, it protects the person who created the music by preventing you from making a zillion free copies for your friends.  In practice, DRM sometimes prevents you from doing what you want to do with the music you paid for.  It’s why, for example, you can’t play songs bought at Apple’s iTunes on your Microsoft Zune player.

Hint: Instead of buying your songs via download, buy CD’s and rip them as DRM free mp3’s using one of the many free programs available like WinAmp then upload them to your iPod or other portable player.

POSTED IN: Downloads/P2P, Portable Players

1 opinion for QuickTip: What Is DRM?

  • Woodshed
    Jul 15, 2007 at 6:30 pm

    DRM is the reason I stopped getting songs from iTunes. But, after getting used to picking and choosing tracks, I can’t go back to buying a CD which is probably crammed with filler tracks. Now I use, the DRM free, eMusic to get most of my music.

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