[iBook] File format

[Angus Wallace]

I think shopping at ITMS is a bad idea. Here's why:

If you want portable music (free from DRM), you need to reencode it*. This is
bad, because everytime you encode it, you sacrifice quality. By reencoding the
same music twice (once at ITMS, and once on your computer), you will end up
with a file that sounds much worse than the CD.
Apart from this it is a hassle.

Are you aware of the restrictions placed on files downloaded from the ITMS? (eg.
can listen on 5 computers, etc). Did you know that these restrictions can be
changed, retroactively, in the future? For example, next year Apple could come
out and say 'now you can only listen to songs on one computer, and put them on
2 ipods', and that would affect all the music you've already bought. (I don't
think this is particularly likely, but it *is* possible. What would happen if
the record companies somehow got Apple over the barrel?)

As stated before, ITMS files aren't compatible with other players, because Apple
hasn't licensed the protocol. The SONOS lounge-room player can't play them for
example. No other portable player can play them either. Do you really want to
tie yourself to buying Apple music devices forevermore?

Maybe some people are different from me. Maybe they think that music is truely a
comsumable, and that in 5 years, they won't care about the music they have now.
But if you do care, I suggest you consider this. (I bought Dire Straits - On
Every Street in 1992, and I still love it)

These are the reasons that I won't buy music that has DRM (other examples are
Harmony, Rhapsody - anything that says PlaysForSure - that's M$'s DRM scheme).
I buy all my music from www.emusic.com, which sells independent music, in
high-quality mp3 form. I know that the music I buy there can play on anything.

Sorry, this has become a bit intense, but this is a subject (that as a musician)
I feel somewhat passionate about.

Cheers,
-Angus

*jHymn can remove the DRM on music purchased on ITMS before iTunes6. If you're
using itunes5 or earlier, you can use jHymn to remove the DRM.