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Microsoft Screws Customers Less, Keeps MSN Music Servers Open Late

Microsoft will extend the life of its MSN Music servers—that authorize its old purchased music for new PCs or players—to at least 2011, after originally scheduling them for shutdown later this year. After "careful consideration", it decided it was a good idea to hold off on screwing the poor folks who bought songs smothered in PlaysForSure (HA!) DRM. Microsoft recommends burning your songs to CD to avoid being caught in this DRM death hole; we say you should poke around the web—there are plenty of ways to strip DRM without burning a CD. [Digital Home Thoughts]

12:09 PM on Thu Jun 19 2008
By Benny Goldman
2,935 views, 21 comments

Latest by bpatten: @wjousts: Indeed. You know what I meant though. more »

drm

Five Stores That Hosed Customers With DRM

Sure, it's easy to blithely state that DRM is annoying and sucks. But the fact is, it really can leave you holding vaporous media that you paid real money for, like when a vendor closes up shop or switches to new DRM. Last 100 rounds up five stores that have done just that: Major League Baseball (switched DRM, nuking any video bought pre-2006); Google (killed video store, and any vids you bought); Sony (ditched ATRAC and shut down Sony Connect); Virgin Digital (closed store, told customers to burn tracks to CDs and re-import as MP3); and most recently, Microsoft, which is shuttering MSN Music and its PlaysForSure (now officially worst DRM name ever) authentication servers in August. More »

Feature

12:15 PM on Mon Apr 28 2008
By matt buchanan
8,212 views, 45 comments

Latest by n/a: Comment on Five Stores That Hosed Customers With DRM Another story of a digital store that hosed customers is that more »