Don’t start a fight you can’t finish. The music industry did not capitulate to Apple’s (AAPL) suggestion that it allow music to be downloaded without digital rights management. It countered by saying that Apple’s closed iTune system was the major roadblock to a more robust song download environment.
The Recording Industry Association of America wants Apple to open up its anti-piracy system to all of its rivals. The Associated Press quoted the group as saying: "We have no doubt that a technology company as sophisticated and smart as Apple could work with the music community to make that happen."
Apple chief Steve Jobs has opened a Pandora’s Box he may wish he could close. Instead of pressuring the large music publishers to offer their content to DRM-free download access, he has been able to torque them off. That could make them favor rival systems like the Microsoft (MSFT) Zune, the platform that has suggested it share the revenue of its devices sales with the music companies.
Jobs needs to stay quiet.
Douglas A. McIntyre can be reached at [email protected]. He does not own securities in companies that he writes about.
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