. Instead of using clear-headed thinking and admitting that DRM is a problem and not a solution, the RIAA thinks that Apple just needs to open up its DRM to competitors.
On the surface, the RIAA’s complaint makes sense, the idea being that there should be an industry-wide, single standard for DRM. This would make any portable device compatible with any music store. The problem is that this gives the RIAA direct control over the license clearinghouses, meaning that they would have ultimate control over your songs, not Apple, Microsoft, URGE or anyone else.
So really, what the RIAA is saying, is that Jobs’s idea of DRM-free music isn’t the answer to getting people to buy more, but that universal a DRM is the key. The RIAA, again, isn’t seeing the forest for the trees.
Music industry group fires back at Apple [BusinessWeek]