Is iTunes Killing the Music?

Feb. 16, 2007 — -- Steve Jobs dropped another of his bombshells this month, writing that he would like to abolish the copyright protection technology shackling the music files sold on iTunes.

He suggested that doing so would lead to more diversity in the types of music stores and players available to consumers.

While some critics believe his action might be a posture to thwart a lawsuit targeting Apple's use of this technology as anticompetitive, Jobs' vision of the encryption-free future is already coming to pass in certain niche markets.

In my profession -- DJing events for clients who pride themselves on being ahead of the curve -- online stores that sell music without "digital rights management" are a necessity. And, as Jobs suggested, these stores have developed alternative forms of distribution that do more for music lovers and music professionals than free up their usage rights.

First, a primer on the shortfalls of the current model of digital music distribution:

The biggest sting to mainstream consumers is that iTunes files will play only on iPods -- not other music players. This particular restriction on what is called interoperability is at the heart of the lawsuit against Apple.

Other aspects of DRM are more pernicious: The protected file format restricts the number of copies you can make, the number of computers you can use, and the number of times you can customize CDs. If you're a DJ, these restrictions are more than just pebbles in your shoe. When you need multiple copies of music to burn, blend and blast -- all within the bounds of copyright law -- keeping track of these numbers can be encumbering, to say the least.

There's another, less publicized, shortfall of digital music distribution. The one-size-fits-all model Apple and other mainstream sites have embraced also dilutes the quality of the music itself.

To keep file sizes low, sites like iTunes and Napster sell songs in formats that we audiophiles call low-resolution. Even the best set of speakers could not squeeze the full audio dimensions out of these files. As a performing DJ, you don't want to play a tinny MP3 recording at a major event as if it were a dorm room party.

ABC News contributor Michael Smith is a DJ, and has a music-services business. He works with a variety of national brands www.smitheventmusic.com or info@smitheventmusic.com.