Survey: UK public demands DRM-free music
updated 03:15 pm EDT, Mon August 6, 2007
Public demands DRM-free
A majority of the public strongly rejects DRM measures in its music, a new survey indicates. In a poll of 1,700 music buyers across the United Kingdom, Entertainment Media Research and the media lawfirm Olswang concluded that an overwhelming 68 percent would prefer to buy DRM-free music whenever possible. Furthermore, 39 percent would agree to pay extra for this right -- as on Apple's iTunes Plus -- while 18 percent would tolerate DRM, but only if it meant saving money. The remaining percentage is said to either be unfamiliar with DRM, or have no opinion on the matter.
The results of the survey contrast sharply with 2006, when the majority (53 percent) had no knowledge or opinion on DRM.
In the 2007 results, a sizable 61 percent of those familiar with DRM agreed with the statement that DRM "invades the rights of the music consumer to hear their music on different platforms." 49 percent said that DRM was a "nuisance," while 39 percent believed that it could create privacy problems. 63 percent did agree with the basic principles of DRM however, supporting the notion that it "protects copyrighted music from illegal file-sharers."
In the past, critics of anti-DRM advocates are said to have complained that their views are "not representative" of the public as a whole. [via Ars Technica]
Forum Regular
Joined: Aug 2001
demand?
Where's the demand? The best they got is "We'd prefer not to...." Maybe in the UK that's synonomous with a demand. I was expecting something like "85% refuse to purchase any music without DRM!"