Well this is no big news to the internet community. We, more than everyone else, are keen on using new media devices and like to be among the first when it comes to technology in general. A survey among Canadian music retailers now found out what we actually now for a very long time: Copy protection is bad for business. Customers are more frequently than before returning cds which they could not play in their personal computer or copy to their mobile player. Retailers also observe that customers tend to put cds down when they spot the copy protected logo.
Music Retailers argue against the music industry which defendes using copyrighted cds by claiming its to prevent the unauthorized duplication of their cds. They take the side of the customers seeing that customers get frustrated by copy protected cds and tend to buy less. Tim Baker of Sunrise Records, a large retailer in southern Ontario puts it this way : “This is just another really, really ridiculous way of telling our customers, We don’t want your business”.
I personally think its good for the customers if music retailers are finally speaking out against this and show the music industry that not only the customers but also the retailers don´t like this practice. Retailers of course have different reasons for this but it nevertheless is a valuable addition to the customers position. Its rather strange that the music industry on the one hand cries about reduced cd sales but on the other hand introduce more and more protection mechanisms that do nothing to stop people from copying their cds but stop the customers from buying them. This is ridiculous.
A lot of my friends stopped buying cds that have a copy protection sign on the case. I think many people don´t care about copy protection until they find out that they can´t copy a song from the cd to their newly bought MP3 player.
Nevertheless its good news that retailers are siding on this topic with their customers.
Read Related Posts
-
Sony to patch copy-protected CD
-
Copying bought music is stealing !
-
How the music industry should react
-
New Trend: Raise Music Prices by offering DRM Free Music
-
Ripping purchased music not fair use ?
-
How to live without the music industry feedback
-
Music Industry Thoughts
-
Music Business News
I just returned a cd that I purchased (Dec 2007). I listen to most of my music on my ipod and was disappointed to find that the cd could not be copied. I did go back to the store and they completely refunded my money. I think that as a consumer that is willing to spend my money on the cd, I want to be able to listen to it in the manner that I want. I think we just have to stop buying and start returning (if purchased by accident) any cds that are copy protected. Maybe they will get the message.