DRM Solutions to Grow Despite DRM-free Music Initiatives
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., July 31, 2007 -
The recent “DRM-free” music tracks that were announced by Apple and Amazon.com do not herald the death of Digital Rights Management (DRM), reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). Instead, the DRM-free model will likely be viewed as a music industry-only experiment, albeit one that will be closely monitored to see if a viable business model emerges, the high-tech market research firm says.
“The amount of digital content flowing over telecommunications networks is enormous and growing,” says Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst. “Much of this content is already protected by some type of DRM or content protection scheme. As the creation of digital content expands, it is, in turn, fueling demand for more DRM solutions and content protection technologies.”
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
Forensic DRM technologies, which are used to identify actual end-users of digital content, will see much wider usage in the future.
A significant percentage of US consumers remain ignorant about DRM. In a recent In-Stat survey of US consumers, over 40% of respondents stated that they were not familiar with the term “Digital Rights Management.”
However, DRM is a familiar topic for a growing number of consumers. Forty-five percent of the same survey respondents stated that they had either purchased or used some type of media product with integrated DRM or content protection technology.
Recent In-Stat research, Digital Rights Management Update (#IN0703584CM), examines the current atmosphere surrounding Digital Rights Management and content protection. It discusses the debate about “fair use” of content vs. piracy, defines DRM and conditional access, and identifies leading vendors and DRM systems. In addition, it presents the findings of a recent US consumer survey about DRM and DRM technologies, and examines key trends that will shape the market over the next 12 months.
This research is part of In-Stat’s Consumer Media & Content service, which focuses on changing digital content models and how these models will influence the evolution of equipment, standards, technologies, services and consumer usage models. CMC also addresses the acquisition, distribution, and use of digital content (audio, imaging, video, and voice) and how it fits into the consumer’s digital entertainment lifestyle. Also explained are the opportunities for equipment makers and service providers within the emerging digital home.
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