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WRONG NOTES: a blog of ear reverence

Wrong Notes collects posts on music, art, culture and fun stuff. Also included: news about the Ear Reverends.

Steal this

by jay · 2008 10 13 16 10 ·

I've been meaning to start an ongoing series / dialog here about why the Ear Reverends' music isn't for sale in the iTunes music store.

I've intentionally not released tracks via the iTunes music store (iTMS) because I feel they would offer inferior versions compared with what I can offer here. (Note: you can, of course, still play Ear Reverends music in iTunes and on your iPod—you just can't purchase the tracks from the "iTunes Store.")

But this post was prompted by today's xkcd comic, Steal This Comic, which is about DRM, aka, so-called "Digital Rights Management." xkcd really says it all about why DRM is so bad that one is better off even getting music via questionable sources than buying tracks with DRM:

Steal This Comic

So, with iTMS, one aspect of the inferiority of the tracks available there is DRM. One can buy DRM-free tracks on the iTMS, but I don't believe it's possible for me to ensure that all of the Ear Reverends tracks sold are DRM-free. And, in principle, I do want to ensure that all Ear Reverends' tracks are DRM-free, so that they remain totally playable / sharable over time.

Of course, I am curious if anyone really does want to buy Ear Reverends tracks via the iTMS—I am aware how important a store iTMS is for music sales. But, ongoing, I am continuing to look for ways to promote the Ear Reverends and sell tracks independent of the iTMS.

(Note that tracks will be for sale, here, soon on the Ear Reverends site!)

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