A Legitimate Reason to Hate the Zune (And Microsoft Too)
This is a great article. Read it.
Apple Matters | A Legitimate Reason to Hate the Zune (And Microsoft Too)
if one went into a store and bought a bag of Apples and a big box of razor blades on October 30* would a reasonable person expect to pay an up charge because those razor blades might go into the apples which could then be distributed to trick or treaters? Oddly enough, that is precisely what is happening with the Zune
November 24th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
Frankly, I disagree. Microsoft is doing what it must to advance and monetize technology while the RIAA and the nebulous state of legal filesharing sorts itself. Google practiced the same stratefy by setting aside a third of its YouTube purchase for liabilties, chiefly to pay off the most major content creators to keep quiet for the next couple years while they figure out how to handle piracy (read more…).
November 27th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
Zach, I disagree and have read Cuban’s argument, which is certainly valid for YouTube. I think the key difference from my point of view is that YouTube already has and continues to distribute copyrighted material whereas the Zune price includes a premium that assumes ALL buyers will break copyright law. It’s not a punishment/fine for doing something wrong and breaking the law, it’s the assumption that you will. Combine that with the fact that only one record company - and very notably not the artists - will ‘profit’ (or however you define the payment) from this premium price and I think Chris Seibold, the author of this piece, makes a very valid argument.