Quote:
Originally Posted by Fluribus
They could have done discounting without removing DRM.
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No, they couldn't.
After Playsforsure failed they had no viable DRM-based alternative to Apple, it was DRM-free or keep on bowing to Apple.
Once they did DRM-free and Apple saw they were serious, Apple allowed variable pricing and windowing. And they got what they wanted, but only as long as there is no lock-in; they released *everything* without DRM. No going back.
Music is not books, whether sold through physical media or in digital form.
Even the piracy is different; the biggest ebook pirates never bother to open most of the content they accumulate--nobody can live that long.
And on the music side, even if an act's entire catalog is pirated, they still have revenue streams--many from the very pirates, who may not be willing to pay for a Cd or download but will happily pay to atend a live performance. And if not, they can be paid to appear and perform at public venues.
I'm not a fan of DRM but I do understand that what works for music won't necessarily work for ebooks. The businesses are too different.
Tor, for one, can experiment with DRM-free and if they don't like what they get, they still have the option to DRM future releases. Or future sales of the same titles. So let's not get too excited about that.
When it comes to selling ebooks, nobody knows anything for sure; everybody is fumbling through the fog of the disruption.