Week 6 - Is DRM the best way to save the music industry?

Its hard to say if Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the best way to save the music industry so what has to be taken into account is whether the music industry actually needs saving at all. DRM is utilised in order to protect the rights of artists’ music copyright (as well as other media forms such as film). This restriction helps in creating a fair usage of music in a legal form, which in turn allows artists and record companies do better regarding money and overall record success as more people are paying for their music. Although few sites allow for piracy to occur, such as Limewire, where illegal downloading takes place on a large file sharing basis online, therefore causing a problem for the industries financial status. And new networks can always be replaced once caught out and stopped i.e. Napster once closed down was soon replace with the likes of WinMX and Limewire. A positive to a lack in DRM is that it can lead to the purchasing of an artists music as consumers can sample the track online to know what it sounds like, for instance as iTunes does. Despite music being downloaded illegally, a correct compatibility with the right music player is still needed which can hold those downloaders at a disadvantage. DRM may not be the finest way to retain the music industry as long as a market for free downloads are available.