Copyright Crackdown

Copy Controls May Be Stalling Mobile Music

Users of Rhapsody 3, RealNetworks' newest version of its music service, weren't singing a sweet tune when the upgrade was released in May. When the software debuted, many users--including some PC World editors--had trouble transferring songs to music players. Yahoo's new Music Unlimited service (still in beta) has been serving up some similar glitches. Is the culprit Microsoft Windows Digital Rights Management 10 technology, which both Real and Yahoo are using?

Though some of the problems have now been fixed, Rhapsody's troubled debut illustrates how copy-control technology can alienate music customers. Real, in an effort to make its music portable, offered users the ability to copy songs to a music player for an additional $5 a month. To do so, Real relied on Microsoft's DRM, which is designed to allow users to play back music from a subscription service such as Rhapsody or Yahoo Music Unlimited on a portable player. The software makes the song unavailable as soon as your subscription ends.

Finding a Fix

With so many companies involved--Microsoft, Real, Yahoo, and the various device makers--it's hard to determine exactly what's causing the problem. "There are too many moving parts," says Mike McGuire, research director for GartnerG2.

Real and Yahoo both say that they are working on the problems and that reliability has improved since we first reviewed the services (see this article and this article). Yahoo released an upgrade in late June that corrects some bugs, notes Ian Rogers, a developer for Yahoo Music Unlimited, but he admits that it doesn't solve every problem. "The top customer service issues are related to DRM," Rogers says. "The biggest issue is, customers get into a state where the Microsoft DRM doesn't work anymore and they can't play protected tracks," he says.

Microsoft has developed a workaround, which Yahoo passes on to customers, Rogers says. The hitch has affected only about 1 percent of the service's users, he points out, but "for them, it's a show-stopper."

Real has released several updates for Rhapsody 3, including one in mid-June that addresses the top complaints, according to spokesperson Matt Graves. As for Microsoft DRM 10 failing occasionally, "it's something we've heard," Graves acknowledges. But he says that he doesn't know it to be a "significant" problem for Rhapsody users.

Working Together

Microsoft says that it is collaborating with music player makers to improve the devices' firmware and eliminate troubles. "Microsoft continues to work with our device partners to offer 'out of the box' support for the growing number of subscription music services, and we're making great progress," says Kevin Unangst, director of marketing for the Windows Digital Media Division. "We're working closely with our partners to ensure the best possible consumer experience," he says.

Even if you buy a player now, you may need a firmware upgrade from the vendor, says GartnerG2's McGuire. These companies have not done as well for consumers as Apple has with ITunes and the IPod, he says. "You have to make this appear seamless and easy the way Apple does," he says.