The Gadgets Page

Ted Rheingold has done a really good job of explaining why paying the extra 30 cents for iTunes Plus is worth it.

• Spidey Senses -> Tingling :: Ted Rheingold’s Web Journal » Blog Archive » DRM-Free Music: Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is

He was where I was as far as buying music:

For the last two years I have gone back to buying CDs as they almost never have DRM controls on them and then I could burn it to my computer, Molly’s computer and then we could move it around to our music players, or play in the CD player in the car or house. This has been much more convenient then buying online and only being able to listen to it on devices approved by the seller or having to rip it and reinstall it over the purchased copy. I hated how iTunes would know I had bought DRM songs, but not allow me to re-download them after my harddrive crashed. Other sites offered DRM-free downloads, but had obscure libraries to chose from.

Now that there is iTunes Plus, I was able to buy that copy of Dark Side of the Moon. I can play it on my iPod and computer, of course, but now I can also play it on my car’s MP3 player without going through the rig-a-ma-roll of burning a “real” CD. I can just copy the tracks over and they play just fine.

Thanks, Steve Jobs, for pressuring the record companies to open up their music to me. I don’t think I would have ever purchased anything from you if you hadn’t. I had three iTunes gift cards that I refused to use until iTunes Plus came out.