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I certainly do not expect to make endless copies for others, but I expect to be able to make a copy to play on the computer and in the car, as well as on the main system. I am not really into the download thing except to download music to find exactly what I'm looking for so I can then go out and buy it.

Would it be inappropriate to request an end to this line of questioning having to do with downloads in light of the fact that your magazine is supposedly dedicated to the promotion of fine audio components?

The DRM is meaningless. At least on Apple's side, because you just turn it into a AIFF format and the drm is gone. Compression is the issue.

At what point do we make an investment that we can do anything we wish?

I don't care because I won't do free downloads, it's stealing and I won't pay for downloads, it's too expensive. Give me a real CD anyday.

I won't buy CDs with DRM. I write record companies saying (when possible) "I've already got the artist's entire back catalog, but this I'm not buying". With downloads, I do not pay for compressed content (CD resolution is low enough!), and I've not found sites with significant uncompressed content. So I'll deal with that if and when. But when I consider the complexities and uncertainties of moving programs from old to new computers, etc, I think it is unlikely I want to get involved with it.

DRM is only one of my gripes. I'm not paying for lossy-compressed downloads when I can buy a full bandwidth CD for usually the same per-track price. With an original CD, I've got a permanent backup copy (the original CD itself) and the flexibility to transfer my music to any one of my portable devices.

When you "buy some music with DRM," you're not actually buying anything. Sure, you might be temporarily able to listen to the music, but you get no rights, no media, nothing. If anything happens to your computer, or the company producing the DRM then you're fried, and so is "your" music.

The time I would spend finding and downloading music to our #@$%& computer system. That works as it should about 50% of the time I could be spending in the listening chair listening to music on a system that works every single time I turn the power on. I could not possibly imagine keeping my music on something as unreliable as a computer.

I only listen to the music ;)

I don't want restrictions on how I am going to listen to my music. Any technology that seeks to dictate how and where I'm going to use it is off my list.

What, you want to copy something you bought? Some nerve! The music industry will teach you to buy its products. It's not like biz is bad or anything.

The sticking point seems to be the details are often explained in the fine print and downloaders may not be fully aware of the restrictions at the time of purchase. Who reads the fine print, after all? This could go badly for the suppliers if rights standards and disclosure standards are not developed quickly. I understand the notion of let the buyer beware, but if the public starts asking, "what the hell am I buying anyway?" that's a problem.

I don't steal music. However, I won't buy anything with DRM. You lock yourself into one protection scheme, and who knows how long it will be around? Will I be able to play this music 50 years from now as I can some of my old albums?

I'd never buy a compressed audio file on or off line. So what do I care if these files have DRM or not.

a yes American democracy. So different than the rest yet still not democracy.

I believe that if I purchase something, I own what I have purchased. I have no desire to purchase what amounts to a limited us liscense. The other important issue to consider is that legally downloaded content is already inferior to the comparable Red Book CD issue. Why would I want a limited use product that is demonstratably inferior ? I may be inclined to alter my view if I were allowed to download a full 16/44 Red Book file or better yet, a 24/96 or higher resolution file.

I'll be po'ed the day when I can't burn one more copy of something I downloaded, but so far it hasn't been a problem at all. Besides, don't you know that this all a grand scheme to get us to keep our downloaded music on an iPod, and not anywhere else? What really peves me, is to see the problems that have surfaced with record companies disregarding our fair use of store-bought media, such as the case with last week's Soapbox.

I just need to know that my fair use is still intact, and the restrictions only keep people from mass producing pirated versions of music. For example, I am allowed to create CDs from any music I download from iTunes music store—not withstanding the poor sound quality of the files I download...

I don't care. Actually, I do care. It bothers me so much that I never bought a downloadable file, and have no current plans to do so.

The last time I successfully downloaded anything, I was a 12-year-old kid shovelling bullshit from the back of a pick-up onto my mom's flower bed. Nothing has changed.

Who's rights! I don't want anything I can't hold in my hand! If you can't do with it as you please it's really worthless. At the rate this industry is going you will have a hard time owning anything in the near future! I'm not for sure but every time I start reading these types of threads all my vinyl starts sounding that much better than the last time I listened to it. So your hard drive crashes and all your downloads are un-retrievable and never backed up as your software was unable to do so and at a buck a piece for 2500 songs you tell me.

I do not Download!

Especially if not disclosed or cheaper than nonrestricted media.

I dont download music from pay services because of the DRM.

DRM means you keep your music, I keep my money! Buy bread with that, pardner.

Apple's iTunes Music Store's restrictions haven't been a problem for me.

It stinks because you can only play the song on that machine or for a limited time. I say that's a foul ball in my neighborhood! I just don't do any DRM downloads anymore.

This whole thing is a case of severe paranoia. I advise all the gone-crazy-copy-protectors-of-the-music-universe to go and see a shrink...

I do not care since I never download music.