If I had purchased some kind of DRM crap from Walmart (people should know better) then I wouldn't feel bad about heading over to TPB to download the ones I was getting screwed out of.

Letsgohokies

@tenio:

That's the problem. You buy a license from a vendor (such as Rhapsody, Microsoft, Napster, or, in this case Walmart) who initiates a Terms of Agreement with the buyer that stipulates that the service can be terminated at any time. That is where it IS legal....

ACEzWILD

Stick with CDs kids. Rip to whatever codec you want.

Skorpius

Can someone help me out, how is this not illegal?

I mean one buys a song, NOT just the song on a single computer, but a single license of that song. This means he can listen to it on any computer. Then
Walmart just decides to take this right away, the customer deserves a refund at the very least.

tenio

The Fing you're getting AND the Fing you got!

Just buy CDs and rip 'em.

strider_mt2k

Why doesn't WalMart just offer to replace the songs with DRM free copies?

Toshie

At least you can rip iTunes songs and re-import them. Can't do that with those pesky WMA DRM music.

The big worry is what about TV content that is sold. What happens when those server get shut off?

And why shut them off in the first place? Stick the damn thing in a closet and let it run.

freakshow1

@Skorpius: Or you can just dedicate a Small Hdd for music and your good.

XxRiXoNxX182

Pirated music is always best for the user. Higher quality and no restrictions.

snrub

@Toshie: was thinking the same thing myself.

frigg

They should be required to provide the software to remove the DRM.

fastm3driver

For the millionth time, this is why physical media will not go away. Until they solve the issue, the customer will always vote with their dollars.

Hardcore1

@Letsgohokies: But you haven't, and you use TPB anyway, right?

Hyman Decent

@snrub: Works with cars too! If you steal one, you can usually find something a little nicer than what you might otherwise be able to afford, and you don't have to deal with the hassles of financing, inspection, etc.

frigg

@tenio:
Because they signed a contract they didn't read. :(

Strider-No.9

I knew I should have used LimeWire!

Pwnage

@fastm3driver: Please don't comment on something you don't know anything about. DRM is part of your Windows Media Player and cannot be removed since you can't remove Windows Media Player itself.

WD40

Since WalMart only sold eight tracks to some guy in Arkansas this is no biggie. But imagine the uproar when Apple shuts down its authorization computers. Now THAT will get government action and class action lawsuits.

davidwb

@tenio: Let's say that for example you buy a CD, then 2 years down the road that CD is scratched or stolen. Do you go back to the store to get a replacement?

Same concept here, when you purchase music...back it up. It is not WalMart's (or any other store that sells digital music) responsibility to back up the music for an eternity just in case your computer crashes.

WD40

Ok, several things here that maybe can clear up a lot of questions.

1. Walmart music is NOT shutting down, just switching to MP3 files.

2. Support is ending to a file format that has not been sold in over 6 months.

3. Don't blame anyone for your hard drive crash, it is YOUR responsibility to back up YOUR music.

4. Don't like the EULA? download illegally, until you get caught, nobody is forcing you to purchase music. (if you know what you are doing then you shouldn't get caught)

5. Illegal music & movie downloads will only trigger artists not want to get any new content done if it's going to end up getting stolen. Do you work for free?

6. Yes, I work for Walmart Music Downloads support, I'm in no way a role model for what I do I just hate retards.

7. @davidwb - A little fun FYI...Walmart is the largest (making them #1) music and video retailer in the WORLD, not iTunes.

WD40

@WD40:

3. Don't blame anyone for your hard drive crash, it is YOUR responsibility to back up YOUR music.

Wait a second, it's not that simple for these files I don't think. Sure, you can back them up and make sure you still have them, but you can't play them when moved to a new computer (the whole purpose of the DRM scheme). So depending on what denotes a "new computer" (new HDD ID, new motherboard, new CPU id , etc.) you may have the files stored away on DLT and additional hard drives, but you are still screwed.

What walmart is saying is that you need to transcode the files back to uncompressed format and put them on a redbook CD. Then presumably you could re-encode them into a DRM free format. They aren't addressing the sonic joy that is two passes through a lossy compression.

stokessd

@Hyman Decent: No, I actually use amazon for the music I do buy. I don't buy much, as there really isn't as much good music anymore. The music I like, I already had on CD.

Letsgohokies

@Skorpius: @Skorpius: @freakshow1: @Toshie:

They are more than willing to replace them, operators are standing by to take your credit card number...

Oh, you mean free? Bwahahahahaha....

Sheldon

stokessd

@WD40: They should offer to swap out the DRM'd songs for the DRM-free songs, or for stuff they don't have the rights to without DRM, give people their money back, like Yahoo is doing.

matt buchanan

@stokessd: You are correct, backing up to an external hard drive does not work because you will be missing license files that make your music play.

So the options in the table at the moment are these,

1. burn your music to a CD
2. loose your music if you don't burn to CD

It's pretty blunt, I will admit that much but this is in regards to a format we have not sold for over 6 months and will no longer support, it's much like going to Microsoft and asking for a refund because they no longer support Win98 SE.

It is within every company's EULA the facts that screw the consumer, yet we fail to read them.

WD40

@matt buchanan: You know that has been a question even we have been wondering here. Still have no answer as to why can't we offer some sort of way to let customers upgrade (which I'm all for it) to MP3 files instead of the WMAs.

I'm thinking at this point it's a risk Walmart is willing to take by just telling people they need to either burn to CD or re-purchase their music in the new format.

I know this first hand because I too have a big library of music and I can't imagine having to burn all of it in music vs. data format.

WD40

@WD40: You're stupid. Your analogy is stupid as well. The consumers are not scratching discs. They are doing nothing wrong in any way shape or form. They are using the product they purchased within the reasonable expectations. Your analogy should have went something like this.

"Let's say that for example you buy a CD, then 2 years down the road Walmart comes into your home and steals your CD or scratches it. Do you go back to the store to get a replacement?"

WalMart is the one making their product unusable. Not the consumer. Did you fail kindergarten?

mattplo

@mattplo: chill out hes just trying to answer the guys question.

Zomb

Meh...the only DRM-laden store I can trust for music and videos is iTunes. Other stores, poop.

michaelleung

Sorry for being thick, but could someone explain to me why they can't just keep the server running? IT costs?

This is assuming these servers are unattended, of course.

Anticitizen

Better analogy (though not perfect, no analogy is) would be to say that people bought some music in a certain format (8-track) and now the last 8-track player is going away.

Could have bought a cassette or LP, but they didn't.

ghmlco

@WD40: That would be fine, except the problem isn't caused by the consumer and regular use...it's caused by the company. A better analogy would involve Walmart coming into your house and scratching the disks so you can no longer play them. Even if it's in the license agreement that they can do that, it still wouldn't be legal.

Additionally, having a "backup" (in the manner Walmart suggested) would mean having something with lower quality (or at least "different") than what you purchased, due to jitter, normal variances in the reading, lens quality, etc. Most people probably wouldn't notice the difference, but heavy audio users can usually tell the difference between a CD and a digital download. Something is always lost in the conversion.

I fully support requiring Walmart to refund or provide equal credits for every DRM'd download that they are now making inaccessible. Walmart is effectively nullifying your purchase.

geowrian

WalMart could have generated a tremendous amount of goodwill by allowing customers to re-download DRMed purchases in MP3 format. Instead, they're turning the whole thing into a PR nightmare.

Or did they think their customers would be dumb enough to stay customers and buy them again?

ghmlco

CDs, CDs. Any file format that you want, as high of a bitrate as you want, and you have an instant physical backup to boot! One that you can listen to in the car too.

Eptin

@stokessd: You know, honestly the sort of people who buy DRMed music or actually pay for gimped lossy music are the kind of people who just don't care. All they care about is that it sounds kind of like the song they paid for. People don't know and don't care, they just want the convenience of buying online. Well, I hope these people are rich and can afford to lose all their music if their DRM providing overlords say that they can't listen to their music anymore.

sxr7171

Walmart music store is lame anyway. I tried to go on there and it told me it was windows only and recommended Internet Explorer. I thought that was pretty lame and vowed not to use it. Not that i could download anything on any of my computers anyway.

luciusad2004

I knew walmart was weak but damn lol

lilbrotherjohn

And this is why limewire or whatever your fancy should be THE ONLY way you get your music. Sucks for the fools that bought their music DRMed, but on second thought they kinda deserve what they walked into.

StarControl

Wal-who?

tabaks

first off. In what letter does it say walmart is shutting down the mp3 store? headline is wrong. the only thing walmart is doing is going to stop reissuing your licenses because your completely incompetent to back them up properly yourself. for those who have purchased music, call in before the 13th (the actual day drm licenses are being reset) and get them reset. Every customer knows about the drm or should, so its on them for their purchases. Speaking of video for walmart, that was a total test phase, and had the cheapest episodes and full downloads. It didnt generate enough money to keep it up and running. it Point is, protect your music, dont be a tard.

SatyarupaImbibery