Friday, August 26, 2005

No DRM Code for Pearl jam -- Larry Greenemeier, INformation Week weblog. When Pearl Jam hits the stage for its upcoming 2005 U.S. and Canadian tour, fans will be able to download music from the live shows within hours of the final encore (probably before most of the band's faithful can get their cars out of the arena parking lot after the show). True to its fiercely independent approach to both music and the recording industry, the band will make its work available online without the protection of any digital-rights-management software. This time, however, it's not just a matter of principle. The band is waiting for digital-rights-management technology to catch up with its fans. Pearl Jam has been offering oxymoronic "official bootlegs" of its concerts since its 2000 tour, when fans could purchase these live recordings from retail stores. In 2003, the band offered links on its site where fans could listen to that year's concert clips as well as order concert CDs delivered by mail. With this latest incarnation of official bootlegging, Pearl Jam is offering professionally mixed concert recordings via its Web site within hours of a live show. The recordings are encoded at a heady 192 Kbps and cost $9.99 per show. Here's where it really gets interesting: There are no restrictions on how the recordings are shared once they are purchased. In other words, the band has opted to sell its music without digital-rights-management protection. 7:48:59 AM    comment []