Yahoo Music VP and general manager Dave Goldberg suggested to attendees at the Music 2.0 conference that music labels should try selling their songs online without the encumbrance of copy protection schemes.
As lunch sponsor of the Music 2.0 conference in Los Angeles, Goldberg provided the ultimate palate cleanser to music label executives who chose to dine in on Thursday.
Digital Music News reported on Goldberg’s keynote address, where the executive suggested DRM hinders the digital music marketplace much more than it enables that business.
Goldberg advocated creativity in providing features with an online music service, instead of limiting how people can use the music they have purchased:
Goldberg noted that many consumers are not making repeat visits to paid music stores, deterred by aggressive price points and onerous usage restrictions. “There is a cost associated with DRM, and that is lost sales of content,” Goldberg said, cutting against the prevailing major label philosophy. Goldberg called for more innovation, and encouraged the industry to experiment with more MP3-based sales plays.
However, Apple has sold over 1 billion songs through its iTunes Store, and utilizes the Fairplay DRM scheme for its music. While that music can easily be placed on an iPod, owners of competing portable music players cannot do so because Apple does not license Fairplay to the music labels.
Goldberg’s comments dovetail with the prevailing sentiment among many music fans. By limiting the user’s ability to listen to a song they have legally purchased, the music labels drive fans to options like file-sharing instead.
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David Utter is a staff writer for murdok covering technology and business.
