Can Apple convince recording industry? Can Consumers?

CAN APPLE CONVINCE RECORDING INDUSTRY?
[SOURCE: USAToday, AUTHOR: Jefferson Graham]
Record labels have consistently rebuffed calls by digital music executives to sell songs online without copy-protection restrictions. But now that the CEO of the predominant online music retailer has joined the chorus, will labels pay attention? "Apple is the fourth-largest music retailer," says Phil Leigh, an analyst at Inside Digital Media. "The labels have to listen. Jobs carries a lot of weight." According to the NPD Group, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Target are the top three music retailers, followed by Apple, then Amazon. But Ted Cohen, a former top executive at record label EMI, says DRM is justified, because "we need to protect content." If Jobs is truly serious about taking off restrictions, Cohen says, he should sell Apple software without restrictions on how many people can use it, and sell Disney and Pixar movies on iTunes without copy restrictions. Jobs is Disney's biggest shareholder, and the former CEO of Pixar. "Prove you're serious and take a bold stance," says Cohen. "Otherwise, I find it all a bit disingenuous."
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070208/2b_drm08.art.htm

* Fans, labels are split on unlocked music plan
http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-music8feb08,1,6406795.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-business

* Music industry group fires back at Apple
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/technology/16646518.htm

* A lock on the market
[Commentary] DRM systems hurt the people who actually pay for music by making the tracks they download harder to use. The record labels (and the Hollywood studios too) should stop trying to use DRM to give people less than what they're used to getting when they buy songs and concentrate instead on developing compelling new ways to discover and enjoy music.
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-ed-jobs08feb08,1,4288858.story?coll=la-news-comment

WORKING PAST INTERNET FILE-SHARING FRUSTRATING
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Les Ottolenghi, Intent MediaWorks]
[Commentary] Once media-hungry consumers get a taste of free music, video and games through file sharing, there's no turning back. File sharing offers consumers the complete package: rich media delivered directly to their computers, phones and e-mail addresses at no charge. Why would anyone want to return to a linear distribution system that requires more effort, more money and more limitations? The future of music is peer-to-peer file sharing. Consumers have opted out of the old system, which they found cumbersome, slow and expensive. They will never return.
http://news.com.com/Working+past+Internet+file-sharing+frustration/2010-1025_3-6157343.html?tag=html.alert