dreadedmonkeygod . net

No matter what the entertainment industry has been telling everyone, DRM isn't aboout piracy. It's about reducing competition.

And finally, Forbes is saying so.

Acording to the article, the DRM on these CDs isn't really meant to get in the way of pirates. It's meant to put pressure on Apple to open the iPod up to Microsoft's brand of DRM, so that music producers can sell content to iPod owners without having to do business with Apple.

Apple is sitting pretty, though. Upwards of 80% of the players out there are iPods, and they only work with iTunes. So if you want to sell digital music, you have to do without DRM, or do business with Apple. So I fully expect Steve to give Sony and BMG the finger.

Me, I take this as a hopeful sign. It means that the music industry is getting frustrated, and they're looking for new solutions. Yes, at the moment they're still convinced that they need DRM. But this may motivate them to realize that they've effectively ceded digital music distribution to Apple and that the only way to truly reclaim it is to go DRM-less.

Well, I can dream, anyway.

So yeah, this whole thing is now taking on this freaky meta-ness. Let the DRM wars begin.