News, info, and opinion by Mac users, for Mac users.

March 30, 2007

business

EMI talks about the future of phones and DRM

Posted Mar. 30, ’07, 4:20 PM PT by Thomas Gagnon-van Leeuwen
Category | Business

Eric Nicoli

Every time I think about record labels, there’s this little flame of loathing and discouragement that burns inside of me. However, once in a while, that flame turns into a flame of hope lighting the end of a dark tunnel. Before this post becomes a poem, let me tell you what this is all about: EMI’s chief executive recently spoke at CTIA Wireless, and he said some nice things. Really.

Eric Nicoli’s main point is that phone carriers, makers, and content providers should be prioritizing the customer if they want the phone industry to be taken to “the next level”. He offers the example of, yes, Apple:

“Apple makes stuff that people love to own,” Nicoli said. “They love the simplicity and user-friendliness of the iPod and iTunes. Apple doesn’t employ any sorcery or dark magic to achieve this. They listen to what consumers want. And that shouldn’t be Apple’s unique privilege.”

It’s nice to see a “big guy” that gets what it’s all about. Speaking of iTunes, Nicoli also talked about digital rights management. While he mentioned EMI is willing to try different options regarding DRM, he claims that the industry must move forward now: “The status quo is not an option if we hope to exceed our goals.” Hopefully that includes considering selling DRM-free music on the iTunes Store, but only time will tell.

[via Macworld UK]


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