DRMless

It's Complicated

2011-11-11T16:38:00.001-08:00

This is a really smart article by Mathew Ingram: "Our Relationship with E-Books: It's Complicated".

Ingram quite even-handedly covers the based on sharing ebooks, and ebook annotations, complete with lots of links, in clear language. He notes:

Will we ever be able to download a digital version of the print book we just bought, and then share that book with friends — or even sell it to someone else at a discounted price, as we can with real books — or share our margin notes and highlights with others, regardless of what e-book reader they use? Based on the current state of the market, that seems like an almost unobtainable dream, unless some government agency forces publishers and retailers/e-book reader companies to adopt true open standards (which seems unlikely).
The unfortunate part of all this, of course, is that publishers would likely be able to sell far more books if they made it easier for readers to download, read and share them — or passages from them — with anyone regardless of what device they owned. Until that happens, e-books will continue to be a Balkanized mess of competing standards and sharing silos, and the book-reading public will be the worse for it.

Go read the whole thing, and do click the links.

24 Hours of Classical Music from Naxos on iTunes

2011-05-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is a collection of 316 tracks, including Medieval masses, Baroque and Classical pieces; even a few Romantic pieces. It's actually more than 24 hours. You can see the complete track list here. It's a compilation from Naxos, with mostly European musicians and conductors. It's especially rich in early music, and includes the entire Messiah.

The iTunes link is here.

Harper Collins Wants to Limit Library Circulation of Ebooks

2011-02-25T11:59:00.000-08:00

Apparently because of Overdrive's recent release of an ebook client for iPhones and iPad (read more about Overdrive and library ebooks here and here), Harper Collins has responded by announcing that new Harper Collins titles licensed from library ebook vendors will be able to circulate only 26 times before the license expires. Library Journal wrote about the announcement here, and included a letter from Overdrive's CEO Steve Potash which states that the Overdrive licensing terms for Harper Collins books will change

while still operating under the one-copy/one-user model, will include a checkout limit for each eBook licensed. Under this publisher's requirement, for every new eBook licensed, the library (and the OverDrive platform) will make the eBook available to one customer at a time until the total number of permitted checkouts is reached.

Harper Collins issued a statement that

HarperCollins is committed to the library channel. We believe this change balances the value libraries get from our titles with the need to protect our authors and ensure a presence in public libraries and the communities they serve for years to come."

According to Library Journal, Harper Collins President of Sales, Josh Marwell, said that "the 26 circulation limit was arrived at after considering a number of factors, including the average lifespan of a print book, and wear and tear on circulating copies."

In other words, they assumes a mass market paperback with a circulation period of two weeks per loan would be checked out 26 times a year. This suggests to me that they didn't talk to any librarians; I've seen a Harlequin category romance, a paperback with fairly low-end paper and binding, be checked out for three to five years. A book with sturdier binding—for instance a mass market paperback from Harper Collins will typically be checked out repeatedly for two to five years, often circulating as many as 100 times. And then there are the library bound mass market paperbacks which can last much much longer.

I want authors to be paid; I want publishing professionals to be paid. This is not the way to do it. This serves to limit circulation—and limit readers, while essentially punishing libraries who are already under siege.

The truth of the matter is that ebook readers buy print books more frequently than the average print book reader. This is a foolish decision on Harper Collins' part, and I supect it's one that will be followed by other publishers.

Instead, they should look to Baen, who has found ebook sales (and free ebooks) are driving sales of print books.

There's already a backlash on Twitter where users are responding the hashtag: #hcod.

Neil Gaiman‘s response: “I think it’s incredibly disappointing.”

You can read more about the Twitter reaction at Toby Greenwalt's The AnalogDivide "The Publisher that Kicked the Hornet's Nest."

ETA: Cory Doctorow weighs in here. Doctorow suggests that

libraries should just stop buying DRM media for their collections. Period. It's unsafe at any speed.
I mean it. When HarperCollins backs down and says, "Oh, no, sorry, we didn't mean it, you can have unlimited ebook checkouts," the libraries' answers should be "Not good enough. We want DRM-free or nothing." Stop buying DRM ebooks."

It's a nice idea in theory, but libraries buy what their users want to read. If users want books that are only available in DRM crippled versions, and libraries don't buy them, users will retaliate by crippling library budgets even more than they have already, via numerous tax and budget decisions. Libraries are closing, all over. This kind of activism isn't really helpful because it's naive and privileged. Libraries are locally controlled, right down to what books they buy&mdah;and don't buy.

Public Library Ebooks and Overdrive

2011-02-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

Michael Cohen, over at Tidbits, has written a piece about downloading a DRM protected ebook via his local public library. His library like mine uses technology and books provided by Overdrive, Inc. The books in question are DRM epub books, using Adobe Digital Editions technology for DRM. Cohen writes:

So, when I discovered that my local public library had dipped its toes into the ebook waters and had begun to offer ebooks on loan, I was more than intrigued. After all, I’d read books on a Kindle (loved it), read books using iBooks on my iPad (loved it, too), and was looking forward to making even more use of my local library than I already did.

It's a good piece, and thanks to Cohen, I discovered Bluefire Reader.

Cohen's experience was, on the whole better than mine; I've been using Adobe's digital DRM protected books since about 2000. I'm on my fourth computer now though, and when I attempted to get Adobe's authorization to use the book I downloaded from my public library, not having accessed any of my Adobe DRM protected books on this new computer, Adobe borked my books, and told me I had to call for permission to authorize a fourth computer.

I did. Adobe told me I was SOL, because you know, they only authorize three computers. Mind, I don't even have two of the computers; they're dead, defunct, and long past pining for the fjords. But I did pay for about fifteen ebooks using Adobe's tech, and now, I can't read any of them, at all.

Moreover, they told me that one of the books--a scholarly edition of a medieval ms. that was a few hundred dollars--won't work at all on any Adobe reading platform. (Fortunately, I have an old computer with an old OS, which I'll be sure to keep for reading this one book).

I am not a happy camper.

The lesson here, boys and girls, is that DRM doesn't stop piracy (pirates've already figured out how to crack Adobe's Digital Editions DRM) but it does stop paying, legal, law-abiding readers.

Am I going to buy more Adobe using ebooks? No. Not ever. Nor will I crack them or pirate them, but I will let authors and publishers know why I'm not buying their books.

Why Technology Fails to Stop Book Theft

2011-02-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

Various forms of technology intended to control who could read books have failed.

All of them have failed, and largely, for the same reasons.

We have first the book curse, sometime called a fiat. Then we have chained libraries.

DRM doesn't work because it is as easily broken as the medieval chains were broken—which is why so many medieval book collections were ravaged for their valuable covers and the contents between the covers casually disposed of, which is exactly what happened to The Book of Kells in 1006.

DRM doesn't stop thieves. It just stops honest people from buying and reading DRM books.

On the other hand, giving away books without DRM encourages people to buy more books. It works. And while I absolutely don't think giving away books for free is a tactic for everyone, it's awfully interesting that Cory Doctorow and Baen's books seem to be less frequently pirated not because they're free (not all of either entity's books are free) but because good reasonably priced DRMless content does seem to drive out cracked illegal content on the basis of ease of use, and production quality/readability.

Thieves are thieves; they're not new. Talk to a librarian or to someone who works in a bookstore. Thieves will steal.

Technological anti-theft methods fail because the genuine paying customer is alienated, annoyed and frustrated and so doesn't buy or read the protected book. We buy and read another book—it's not like there's a shortage of books readers want to read.

The remedy is to concentrate on appealing to the majority customer--the honest people who want to pay for their books--and making them available without DRM. People like me who love books will buy multiple copies of the same book—we did this before ebooks, and we do it now. We're the real customer‚we actually read our books as well as pay for them.

Baen Books Ebook CD-ROM Images

2011-02-06T20:43:00.001-08:00

They're here.

Here's the host's statement:

The Baen CDs hosted here are freely-distributable disks provided to promote the sale of the books contained within. Baen allows these CDs to be distributed not simply to provide free electronic copies of their books, but to generate sales for those same books. They are a medium of advertising.

These CDs are generally available bound into the first edition of the books they are titled for. A few of the CDs (those marked with the P prefix) are not bound in any book and were made available as publishing industry promotional material.

Please remember that just because these books are being provided at no cost does not mean that they are in the Public Domain. Just because Baen isn't asking for any money for these copies doesn't mean that they are giving up any of their copyrights. Copyright doesn't mean that you have to pay for something, it means that someone legally owns the right to distribute something (or not) in any fashion they desire - including doing so at no charge. So all the rules that apply to an ebook you bought and paid for also apply to these titles.

If you download any of the disks, please take the time to go to the Baen Webscription site and buy a copy of at least the CD's primary ebook. For a modest investment of about $6, you can buy the book, which gives you access to a downloadable copy of the CD, anyway. Or you can buy the entire Webscription month that the CD accompanies for $18 and/or buy the book in paper form.

MacWorld on DVD Ripping: Is It Legal?

2010-04-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

One of the smartest, most thoughtful discussions I've seen about ripping backups of DVDs you own from MacWorld Staff:

Is DVD ripping illegal?
The MPAA and most media companies argue that you can’t legally copy or convert commercial DVDs for any reason. We (and others) think that, if you own a DVD, you should be able to override its copy protection to make a backup copy or to convert its content for viewing on other devices. Currently, the law isn’t entirely clear one way or the other—Fair Use proponents claim you have the right to make a back-up copy of the media you own whereas those who support the Digital Millennium Copyright Act say that the DMCA overrides Fair Use.

Go read the rest here.

Two Graphic Explanations of why DRM doesn't work

2010-03-26T22:25:00.000-07:00

DRM really doesn't work; it doesn't even slow down pirates, but it frustrates honest users, and programmers. Here are two clear explanations of why it doesn't work to protect artists, creators and publishers.

First, from Brad Colbow "Why DRM Doesn't Work or How to Download an Audio Book From the Cleaveland Public Library."

Second, from Geeklogie a PowerPoint that compares what happens when a honest, legal, paying customer, puts a DVD in a drive, compared to what happens when a pirate puts the same DVD in a drive:

O'Reilly DRMless High Quality Technical Ebooks

2010-02-04T20:31:00.000-08:00

O'Reilly is one of my very favorite technical book publishers, right up there with Peach Pit and Take Control Ebooks. O'Reilly earned a reputation almost immediately for reliable, useful high quality books about operating systems, development processes and procedures, programming and scripting languages, and quality books about creating for the Web. They're the publisher with the nifty animal covers. They also realized very quickly the importance of the Web, and of community, and that it was both possible and worth taking the time to produce digital versions of their printed books. I beta tested Safari Books Online, the O'Reilly digital subscription service way back when, and am still impressed with their policies and the quality and utility of the content and the user experience.
I note, by the way, that O'Reilly Ebooks have all the quality of their print books, and no DRM. Here's the official O'Reilly statement:

When you buy an ebooks thru oreilly.com you get lifetime access to the book, and whenever possible we provide it to you in four, DRM-free file formats — PDF, .epub, Kindle-compatible .mobi, and Android .apk ebook — that you can use on the devices of your choice. Our ebook files are fully searchable, and you can cut-and-paste and print them. We also alert you when we've updated the files with corrections and additions.

Initally the books were all only available in high quality easily navigable .PDFs; now O'Reilly is releasing books in "bundles" with multiple DRMless file formats:

When you purchase an ebook bundle (currently available on a select set of titles as part of a pilot project), you'll get access to all three of the formats we're currently supporting. Since we began selling PDF versions of many of our titles, we've offered free updates to reflect published changes in the books; the same will apply to the Ebook bundle, which will replace the PDF option on those titles in the pilot program.

You can find a complete list of O'Reilly titles with sample chapters here. The books available as ebooks are clearly marked.

iTunes Holiday Sampler: 21 Free Songs

2009-12-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

The Web link is here; there's a link there to open iTunes and start downloading. These songs are free, right now, and DRMless.

The songs are a mixture of contemporary "holiday" songs, and traditional songs, with a wide variety of performers.

O Come All Ye Faithful Amy Grant
Angels We Have Heard On High Aretha Franklin
Carol of the Bells / Jingle Bells Barry Manilow
Dream a Dream Charlotte Church iTunes
The First Noel David Archuleta
A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) 4:22 Glasvegas
The Nutcracker, Op. 71, Act 2: Character Dances (Divertissement) - Dance of the Reed Pipes Kirov Orchestra & Valery Gergiev
Baby, It's Cold Outside Lady Antebellum
Auld Lange Syne The Lonesome Travelers
Above the Northern Lights Mannheim Steamroller
It Snowed Meaghan Smith
Twelve Days of Christmas Mexicani Marimba Band
O Holy Night Musiq Soulchild
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Rascal Flatts
Silent Night Sarah McLachlan
Another Christmas Song Stephen Colbert
We Three Kings Toby Keith
Greensleeves Vince Guarald
We Wish You a Merry Christmas Weezer
Silent Night Wynonna

Free Christmas Music From Amazon

2009-11-24T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's the time of year when you start seeing a lot of musical holiday cheer. Amazon has, for years, been posting free DRM-less holiday songs. There's a collection of seven traditional (one medieval!) Christmas carols in MP3 drm-less format here.

The songs include:

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear Frank Sinatra
Good King Wenceslas Paul Weston & His Orchestra
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing The Robert Shaw Chorale;Al Chernet
Deck the Halls Mario Lanza;Henri René and His Orchestra
O Come, All Ye Faithful (Digitally Mastered May 1990) Norman Luboff Choir
Panis Angelicus Robert GouletSilent Night, Holy Night Mahalia Jackson

Free MP3s from Amazon: Etta James, Muddy Waters, and Howlin' Wolf

2009-04-11T16:14:00.000-07:00

You can download three amazing MP3 tracks, without DRM from Amazon. The Chess Records Sampler includes:

"You Shook Me" Muddy Waters

"I'd Rather Go Blind" Etta James

"Sitting On Top Of The World" Howlin' Wolf

These are all fabulous songs, by legendary performers. Go, download them now.

Firefly

2009-03-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of those rare things on television, a show that was pulled blong before its time. After a scant season, when the air time shifted all the time, Firefly was cancelled. Hulu, however, is now streaming all the episodes in full, for free. I've linked the individual episodes for you below, in order. This won't work on an iPhone, but I'm hoping . . .

The episode order below comes directly from the DVD set and is the recommended order for viewing. Note that some of the episodes were not originally part of the shows that were listed.

Star Trek Original Series On TV.com

2009-03-04T20:39:00.001-08:00

Way back when, CBS studios produced Star Trek, the "Original Series," I was too young to realize what I was missing by not living in a home with a TV.

But now, CBS has released all 79 episodes of Star Trek, for free. You can watch them on any Flash enabled Web browse, or on your iPhone. You can see the complete list here. They're slowly releasing all of the episodes in HD. I'm awfully impressed with the quality by the way; these are clean, re-mastered versions, without little bits of the episodes being chopped out to make space for local commercials. I recommend you use the "full screen" option.

What is this, anyway?

2009-03-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. It's a way for content producers (publishers, television and movie producers, music production companies and artists) to control who can play or "consume" their work by embedding limitations in the content itself.

DRMless is a blog about legally available digital content that is available for download without DRM. Should you be asked, DRMless ("without DRM") should be pronounced Dream Less— because I very much believe that it is both imperative, and not just a dream, that high quality digital content be available without DRM— but still a source of genuine financial support for content creators.

While I absolutely and completely understand why artists and content producers and distributors want to control who can use their content, DRM just doesn't work. Honest people will pay for content; dishonest people won't. That being said, I am very much aware that there are a lot of people who do "try before buying," and will download an ebook, mp3, or trailer, to see what the work is like. If they don't like it, they delete the file; if they like it, they go buy their own version, either as a download or as "hard" media, in a the form of a printed codex book, a CD, or DVD.

I get that. I also know that there are a lot of us—yes I'm including myself in this group—who will not only pay for a digital version, but we'll buy the "hard copy," too, whether DVD, or printed codex book, or CD. I also think that there are reasons for using DRM for proprietary internal content—much the way we use encryption.

There's a statement from Steve Jobs at the top of this blog, one I believe in very strongly; it's from an interview he did for Rolling Stone magazine in December of 2003:

If copyright dies, if patents die, if the protection of intellectual property is eroded, then people will stop investing. That hurts everyone. People need to have the incentive that if they invest and succeed, they can make a fair profit. Otherwise they'll stop investing. But on another level entirely, it's just wrong to steal. Or, let's put it another way: it is corrosive to one's character to steal.

This blog is about the media, and the content, and the artists, who are providing digital content—TV shows, movies, ebooks, and audio files—that are available, even if only for a limited time, as free digital downloads. It's also about the issues around DRM, and copyright, and the absolute imperative of making sure artists are paid for their art.