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Microsoft PlaysForSure DRM - did I screw myself?

GodlessAstronomer

GodlessAstronomer

Lifer
So I'm a little slow on the uptake (this news broke in December '07) but I just read this CNet article regarding MS dropping PlaysForSure.

I decided a couple of years back to start buying music online because I was sick of buying CDs with a bunch of crap and a couple of good songs. I don't like to download music illegally because I'm a firm believer of supporting artists (and software developers, etc). So I bought from Digirama, which was the only online music shop available in my area at the time. Songs have PlaysForSure DRM. I'm very annoyed at having to go to the effort of re-downloading all of the licenses every time I format or upgrade my hardware, but it's only <1hr work each time so I can live with it.

Now I see that MS is dropping the DRM and licenses will not be able to be renewed. My question is will I still be able to renew licenses from Digirama after September? Does this apply only to MS music store customers? I feel like an idiot because I have read all the negatives of DRM and bought hundreds of tracks anyway thinking it would never be as bad as everyone had been saying. Now it looks like I'm going to lose access to hundreds of dollars worth of music, if not in September then some time down the line.

:| DRM :|
 
There's software out there that strips the PlayForSure DRM. I can't remember what it is called though.
 
Originally posted by: Queasy
There's software out there that strips the PlayForSure DRM. I can't remember what it is called though.
Click to expand...

Probably best not to discuss that here (don't want to get thread locked or anything) but suffice to say the software is not capable of cracking my WMP IBX version (v11.0.6000.6324) without an annoyingly large amount of effort. I suppose at some stage I'll have to do it but it's just so frustrating. I bought my music with the best of intentions (supporting the artists that created it) only to be shafted by DRM.
 
Originally posted by: mugs
You didn't screw yourself, Microsoft screwed you, and it's inexcusable.
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That's true I suppose. But I should have heeded the warnings, and probably would have if they weren't predominantly coming from rabid frothy-mouthed Digg users. But they were right in the end.
 
Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
Originally posted by: Queasy
There's software out there that strips the PlayForSure DRM. I can't remember what it is called though.
Click to expand...

Probably best not to discuss that here (don't want to get thread locked or anything) but suffice to say the software is not capable of cracking my WMP IBX version (v11.0.6000.6324) without an annoyingly large amount of effort. I suppose at some stage I'll have to do it but it's just so frustrating. I bought my music with the best of intentions (supporting the artists that created it) only to be shafted by DRM.
Click to expand...

Normally, I would agree. But with MS abandoning PlayForSure and leaving people who bought $$$$$$ worth of music twisting in the wind, it seems an acceptable solution.
 
That sucks. I did buy a few tracks from MS way back when and then reformatted, restored...and they wouldn't work. I'm sure I could have figured it out...but it just wasn't worth it to me (only bought 1 album which I'd already burned to CD and maybe 3 other tracks.

I've been buying stuff from iTunes with DRM...and it still doesn't make me excited...but I don't see Apple just abandoning it with the position/stake they have in the business. Still, I'm not in favor of DRM as I feel the only people it is hurting are the ones who are willing ot pay in the first place...but people could argue that forever...I do like where Apple is going with iTunes Plus though (even if it does store all my info...I'm fine with that as I only plan on using it myself...I just don't want the DRM restrictions (like playing through my XBOX 360.
 
Perhaps you can do the 'iTunes' fix. Burn all your cds in CD format, then rip them again. It sucks, but it seems that most of these proprietary formats are almost requiring us to convert multimedia that we purchase to unencrypted formats.
 
This is why Amazon is the only place I buy digital music from. I usually buy CDs, but once Amazon came out with DRM-free MP3s, I find myself buying more and more from them.
 
Microsoft has a solution for this.


Just don't reformat. 🙁

I sense a class action lawsuit in the future.
 
What MS is doing to it's customers is not right, but I have to add a "everyone told you so, you should have listened". No matter what company, no matter what the setup, if the product is DRM infested, you stand a decent chance at losing your investment at any time for reasons beyond your control. Anything from hardware failure to equipment changes to changes in the business direction etc can cause you to lose access to something you purchased. It's like buying a TV that has a contract associated with it that says the manufacturer can come by and take it away for a variety of reasons.
 
This CNet article is different from the news that MS Music Store DRM servers will eventually be turned off.

Today, one of my colleagues pointed out that Microsoft's no longer maintaining the facade: PlaysForSure has officially been rolled into another logo program, Certified for Windows Vista. The old compatibility guidelines and tests for device partners are still in place, but the brand will quietly disappear into the annals of market failures.
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MS is dropping the "PlaysForSure" branding, but this says nothing about DRM servers being deactivated by companies like Napster.

What is likely is that MS will (or already has?) stopped putting any effort into updating / imporivng the DRM, leaving their partners twisting in the wind. Closed source and "freedom to innovate" for MS wins again!

So I bought from Digirama, which was the only online music shop available in my area at the time. Songs have PlaysForSure DRM.
Click to expand...
You'll need to email them and ask what is up with their DRM servers.

Burning to an audio CD so you can rip WAV files or finding some way to crack the DRM is probably a good idea for safety's sake.
 
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