Daily Clerks

The news many weeks back of music giant EMI’s transfer to a DRM-free existence on the Web, and the subsequent decision by Universal Music Group that came only days ago to do the same with its catalogue, has been accepted with (mostly) open arms by the blogosphere. Yes, there are some particulars concerning where the tracks have been chosen to be sold and whether the switch is temporary or in fact a permanent one that have kept a number of people on the fence. But overall, the cheers are far more pronounced than the jeers. As they should be. The death of DRM, however slow in coming, is undoubtedly a welcome one for consumers of recorded music today.

One issue, however, has been giving some analysts reason to caution music lovers about what it is exactly that they’re buying when they see that DRM-free tag. That issue is watermarking.

It’s been found stuck to the underside of EMI tracks following the company’s move to non-copy-protected material. And now Universal “has confirmed that it will be using watermarks in its DRM-free music.” What are these newfangled digital watermarks? In short, they’re a way to track those tracks. See who’s buying what, who’s sharing what, and even (this has not yet been confirmed as part of the industry’s agenda, but it can be done, so chances are it will be done) seeing whether they can nab some key sources of all that illicit peer-to-peer skullduggery going on these days on the WWW.

We know, we know. Now you want nothing of these sneaky tricks perpetrated by those evil music execs if they’re going to be watching your every move. We’re with you. It’s definitely not cool that they’re keeping tabs on you even without the administration of copy protection software to singles and albums. If we were to have our way, we’d be getting CD-quality audio with CD-like openness. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Alas, that is not to be so. At least not yet. While two of the Big Four are inching along and very cautiously relinquishing control (the other two will presumably follow once they’re assured the water’s warm enough), they want to be absolutely sure that they’re not being taken for a ride by pirates masquerading as consumer advocates. Supposedly, watermarking makes them sleep more soundly.

That fear, of course, is completely unwarranted, and even a bit insulting to those that have paid and continue to pay to expand their music collections. As Apple CEO Steve Jobs stated in an open letter to the music industry several months ago, most illicit proliferation of music on the Web is most easily done with audio rips of physical compact discs. Doing so is completely untraceable. With the vast majority of music sales still being made through the CD format, the options for piracy are immense, making the argument against openness for the digital download market baseless and ridiculous.

Anywho, we’ve got these watermarks to deal with, for the time being, that is, but if you simply wish to listen to music purchased less any DRM on most any portable device you wish or any PC-based audio software you desire, you can rest assure that you’ll be able to do so without fearing the arrival of a warning, fine or lawsuit courtesy of the RIAA.

Eventually, we do hope watermarking, like DRM, goes the way of the dodo. It’ll make for more pleasant experiences with buying and enjoying digital downloads. Which, if I’m not mistaken, is what every rational individual consumer of recorded music would like to have. Doing away with these protections requires trust, which the industry most definitely must show quite a bit more of if it’s to turn around its’ fortunes in the future.

While trust can be a complex thing, personal or commercial, it can also prove to be a very strong catalyst for growth.

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