Virgin unplugs music download service

DRM

Yet another reason to avoid anything involving DRM. The music you bought from Virgin wasn't yours at all.

Just Say No To DRM

Help for stranded subscribers

For all those stuck with a collection of music they won't be able to access after their subscription ends, have a look on the Web for a tool called FairUse4WM - it can unlock the DRM on your music files, and allow them to still be played after the subscription ends. It's free, fast and very good.

<disclaimer>

Of course you must only use this tool if you own the music (like the CD for example), otherwise it's very naughty indeed and the RIAA or their bitches (BPI etc) will spank you until your bottom bleeds.

</disclaimer>

Rent-a-music sucks.

I'm not about to rent my music from anyone, and here's a damn good example of why. CDs and ripping for me, ta.

Its time that DRM was prohibited by law

Or at the very least, the law should say clearly and unambiguously that if a company discontinues a service, they must at the same time permanently disable any DRM that would otherwise inhibit the continued playing of any items they have already paid for.

Does anyone still think that DRM protects the consumer?

This proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that DRM actually harms the consumer.

What a jyp.

So, you buy something legally to respect the law of the land, and the rights of the music companies and artists, and then you're told that the stuff you've bought will no longer work. Isn't that like saying that if ford goes bankrupt, its cars will immediatly stop running? You're left with the shell, but whats inside is useless. Hmm.

And they want people to stop downloading music illegally. At the very least, purchasers should be offered refunds so they can go download the music from crap-tunes.

re:Its time that DRM was prohibited by law

.. absolutely, just like window genuine disadvantage, digital rights management should safeguard the rights of the consumer if it must be used!

Aim at foot....

..pull trigger.

DRM, ain't it grand...

Although DRM is bad…

…this isn't why it's bad. This is why subscription services are bad (which do, of course, depend upon DRM to work, but that's an implementation detail).

The real losers here are subscribers: they've just paid for the right to listen to the music for a set period, and so when the service closes its doors they no longer pay (and by extension, no longer have the right to listen to the music).

There's nothing legally or morally wrong with it per se, except that people who had a reasonable expectation that as long as they were willing to pay for it the music would be available are going to be sorely disappointed: if people knew the service would end in a couple of years when they first signed up, they would probably have spent the money buying tracks instead—which *is* dodgy.

Effectively, retailers shouldn't be offering subscription services unless they're prepared to support it more or less forever. Anything less is ripping off the consumer.

More blood on the iPod click wheel

Its just terrible. More blood spilled on the iPod click wheel. Darn Apple and its iTunes.

Why does it have to be so easy to use???

Why does it have to offer such a good price on music to own?

Why does it let users burn the songs that they buy??

Why oh why did Steve Jobs have to do this. He is responsible for so many services of Windows player music rental sites being closed. Shame on him.

er.

well.

Maybe,

Just maybe, the rental idea mostly sucks.

Just a thought. :-)

en

Nothing to do with DRM...

...it's the subscription model that's no good. Like everything else, buyer beware.

I would have thought one of the other services could 'buy out' the subscriptions though.

McD

Why can't we just listen to the music we've already, ripped/purchased......

......................... completely agree Greg, who on earth would ever want to rent music?????? come on, someone point to a succesful music service where the model is rent it. I think that's the proposition of the recently launched Music Station/Omniphone? Surely destined to go the same way as the Virgin service?