Decius wrote:

k wrote:
It's only surveillance if you're being surveilled, and it's only wrong when you aren't doing something you shouldn't be.

So, what you're saying is, that if I make a mix tape for my girlfriend, and then later on we break up, and then her new boyfriend shares her music collection on a file sharing network, that I've done something wrong, and I ought to have my personal name and email address in the hands of everyone who downloads a copy of those files, and I should not be informed that this is a risk?

No, what I'm saying is that a collection of MP3's isn't a mix tape, and that you shouldn't treat them as such.

You seem primarily concerned about not being told by Apple about the tracks and I'm kind of sympathetic to that. Practically speaking all it would've meant is that people would've found a way to break it before it was even out, as opposed to within a couple of days.

Ultimately all of this just says to me that the music companies can't win. Digital pirates *will* find a way around anything. I've argued that before. I've said before that I think that leaves little hope for any system besides a compulsory licence scheme, which is effectively a tax, and one that people will largely rebel against.

So what's the fix?

It's possible the system will collapse, the big companies will crumble and there will be no more money out there for marketing and promotion of artists. The celebrity system will crash and musicians will pretty much all be relative unknowns, making money off the fickle tastes of people who buy their stuff online, see them live, etc. If no one's famous, then the desire to steal their music evaporates. I don't necessarily think this is a negative viewpoint.

RE: Apple hides account info in DRM-free music, too