jsl pointed us to an article over at PCWorld.com in which a new study warns music companies that are thinking of distributing copy-protected CDs. They will likely only cause frustration among consumers and it could even lower their revenue.
According to the survey, released by GartnerG2, 77 percent of respondents thought they should be able to copy CDs for personal use in another device. Also, 60 percent said they should be able to give copies of CDs to members of their families.
The results fly in the face of efforts by the music industry to gain tighter control over their content as they face the perilous, infinite possibilities for copying in the digital age. But while the ghost of such free file-sharing services as Napster still haunt the halls of Hollywood, Gartner discovered that consumers do not think copy-protected CDs are the answer. |
The copy-protected CDs limit users options--preventing them from making a copy of the CD to play in their car, for example, as one could with a cassette tape. But they also limit their mobility. In some cases, the protected CDs cannot even be played in more than one of the consumer's CD players.
These restrictions are likely to frustrate users, possibly resulting in a decline in revenue for the record companies, the researcher said.
The GartnerG2 study also found that 74 percent of those surveyed believed that if the music companies must distribute copy-protected CDs, they should contain warning labels. More information can be found here.
Source: PCWorld.com
