Comments on: Wal-Mart Embraces Selling MP3 Songs For 94c Online http://stephensnexus.com/2007/08/21/wal-mart-embraces-selling-mp3-songs-for-94c-online/ Dave Stephens on technology and business trends Wed, 08 Dec 2010 23:20:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: josephmartins http://stephensnexus.com/2007/08/21/wal-mart-embraces-selling-mp3-songs-for-94c-online/#comment-9058 Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:13:14 +0000 http://stephensnexus.com/2007/08/21/wal-mart-embraces-selling-mp3-songs-for-94c-online/#comment-9058 Did I just misspell by? Serves me right for responding past my bedtime.

]]> By: josephmartins http://stephensnexus.com/2007/08/21/wal-mart-embraces-selling-mp3-songs-for-94c-online/#comment-9057 Sat, 24 Nov 2007 06:09:39 +0000 http://stephensnexus.com/2007/08/21/wal-mart-embraces-selling-mp3-songs-for-94c-online/#comment-9057 Sadly Dave, it isn’t DRM-free just because the format is MP3. Open file formats do not equal open implementations…that’s a common misperception.

Follow the link you provided to Wal-Mart’s Help section. Scroll down to the second-to-last entry for your answer.

The dead-giveaway was the platform dependency. Had this been implemented as a simple server side app serving up MP3s for download via browser, I might have believed DRM-free. But Win 2000 and XP only?

Wal-Mart’s “download manager” is a client-side app and it requires IE6 and Media Player as well. You can bet the download manager authenticates your “right” to play the music you’ve purchased via MS-DRM. Obviously, Mac users can circumvent that little annoyance buy running 2000/XP with Bootcamp, Fusion or Parallels. But who wants to have to boot a WinOS just to listen to music?

Want to listen to the MP3s on your iPod or other portable player? Too bad, so sad.

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