When Walmart made a special effort to remind us why DRM'd music should always be avoided by shutting down their authentication servers, the response must have been deafening. The world's largest retailer has decided to maintain its digital rights management servers for the present time “based on feedback from [its] customers,” otherwise known as "the interminable wrath of the internet." I'm guessing a flood of emails with compelling arguments like "don't destroy my legally purchased music" and "I hate you" had something to do with the decision.
From: Walmart Digital Music Date: October 9, 2008 11:03:39 PM CDT Subject: UPDATE: Important Information About Your Digital Music Purchases NOTE: This is a follow-up to our email titled "Important Information About Your Digital Music Purchases" from 9/26/08. Based on feedback from our customers, we have decided to maintain our digital rights management (DRM) servers for the present time. What this means to you is that our existing service continues and there is no action required on your part. Our customer service team will continue to assist with DRM issues for protected windows media audio (WMA) files purchased from Walmart.com. While our customer support team is available to assist you with any issues, we continue to recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD. By backing up your songs, you insure access to them from any personal computer at any time in the future. We appreciate your support and patience as we work to provide the best service possible to you. As we move forward with our 100% MP3 store, we'll continue to update you with key decisions regarding our service and your account via email. Thank you for using Walmart MP3 Music Downloads. The Walmart Digital Music Team