PoliTech's Journal: Yahoo! Taking DRM Servers Offline ... No Music For You!

You know, somehow, "We told you so" just doesn't quite say it...

Yahoo! Music Store taking DRM servers offline, freezing out customers

In a move which at best could be described as unsurprising, Yahoo! has announced that it's taking its Music Store DRM license key servers offline come September 30th... and freezing customers from ever registering their music with another computer. Ever.

TechDirt asks:

Did Yahoo Not Pay Attention To What Happened When Microsoft Pulled The Plug On Its DRM Server?

Yahoo! sent out an email to users noting that its DRM server will be shut down, preventing the "buyers" from moving the songs to new computers. This seems doubly ironic, given that Yahoo's last two music bosses, David Goldberg and Ian Rogers had spoken out against DRM. While neither is still with the company, it's rather amusing that Yahoo is now helping to prove the point.

Even the L.A. Times has some Opinion about this move:

Yahoo pulls an MSN Music (only faster)

This afternoon, Yahoo alerted customers of its erstwhile downloadable music store that it would no longer provide support after Sept. 30 (download the cheerful e-mail here).

Update: Yahoo tells Information Week it will reimburse users on a "case-by-case" basis, (so you may have to grovel, plead and beg them a little to continue to exercise your usage rights ... but that's ok, because youre not really a Yahoo! customer anymore, you're just another dried up revenue stream)

Yahoo! may possibly offer reimbursements or MP3 versions ... or not depending on Yahoo!'s latest whim (and whomever you happen deal with if and when you contact them). The FAQ is here.

If you were foolish enough to buy into DRM encumbered media, Yahoo!s screwing you out of your music is really your own fault. DRM is simply bad juju all around that only hurts Paying customers.

Even though you may lose a track or two because of Yahoo!'s DRM we really should all be happy that Yahoo!'s music is finally being sold DRM-free on Rhapsody. (Hint: If you dont want to grovel and beg Yahoo to keep that which you already paid for, rip your Yahoo! DRM encumbered media onto CD and then convert the CD to flak or a high bit-rate lossy format)

Update 2:

Yahoo! has announced what you can expect when you grovel, plead and beg them to continue to exercise your music usage rights...

Yahoo offers coupons for music that stops working

Yahoo Inc. is offering coupons or refunds to users who find songs they bought inaccessible after Sept. 30, when the company shuts its music-download service.

The company said Wednesday it is offering coupons on request for people to buy songs again through Yahoo's new partner, RealNetworks Inc.'s Rhapsody. Those songs will be in the MP3 format, free of copy protection. Refunds are available for users who "have serious problems with this arrangement," Yahoo said.

Yahoo opted to shut down its system to avoid "delaying the inevitable."

You can get to your music, but only if you do a few tricks first..............I do that to my dog.

First I show him a doggy treat. Then I tell him to "Sit". Then I place the doggy treat on top of his nose ... then I wait ... and wait ... until I see he starts to drool, then I let him actually eat the treat.

"Good dog!"

Great Fun!