Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
... DRM doesn't need to be 100% effective in order to be useful. All it has to be is less hassle than going to the darknet....
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I see where you're coming from, but think it's kind of wrong.
DRM, even if relatively unobtrusive, will at some point prevent a legitimate use of the product. When this happens, you have an honest, but upset customer, who may not purchase again, and possibly some tech-support costs. The result, in the long run, is more often than not, lost sales, lost goodwill, and increased piracy.
For books, as for music, fans are important. Fans generally like to support the artists they like. So, I repeat, if the price is right, and access is easy, they will buy. Good (or popular) authors will continue to make a decent, or better than decent living, and the vast majority will need to keep their day job. And some will only be read by hapless, but duty-bound, friends and family.... Just like it is now, and like it has been in the past.
There is a reason why the music industry is moving away from DRM. When the price is right, and access to product is easy, the majority of the market will pay for the product, even if it can be obtained elsewhere by illegal means for free. iTunes works, because the price is sort of right (and Jobs had to fight very hard to keep it right, against considerable opposition from the music industry, which preferred to bet on DRM.)