Amazon: We’ll remove DRM from Audible’s audio books if people gripe. Care to speak up? About e-book DRM, too?
“Audible’s audio books are wrapped in a layer of DRM, which Amazon does not plan to remove unless customers start to complain, [Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener] said.” - PC World article on Amazon’s Audible buy.
The TeleRead take: Make a fuss and get the effin’ DRM removed! Whenever you have reason to e-mail Amazon support about an audio book or e-book or Kindle hardware, tell ‘em you’d like to be able to own your purchases for real. Say you’re sick of Amazon assuming you’re a criminal.
Remind Amazon that it’s doing well with a DRMfree music store. Does this mean that music-lovers are more honest than e-book-lovers? Or simply that Amazon is playing games with consumers to prop up its proprietary formats?
Hey, no anti-Amazon feelings here—in fact, just the opposite. I rarely buy DRMed e-books, preferring unshackled files or used p-books instead. But I’d love to purchase e-books from Amazon that I knew would be readable 20 years hence, no matter what device I was using—be it my OLPC XO-1 or a gizmo hardwired directly into my brain.
Suggestion to other e-book sites: Why spread around the suggestion that people speak up to Amazon? It’s like any other company, dependent on the goodwill of customers.
And a detail: If nothing else, it’s good to know that with enough complaints, Amazon will be open to ditching Audible’s DRM. Granted, book publishers presumably will have to give their permissions for Amazon to shed “protection,” but I suspect the marketplace in time could take care of that—the nonDRMed books would draw more buyers. Come on, Jeff. Show some leadership.
February 12th, 2008 at 7:09 am
I rarely buy DRMed e-books, But I’d love to purchase e-books from Amazon that I knew would be readable as they are DRM removed audio books.
October 24th, 2008 at 4:52 pm
i dont mind if amazon leave on the drm just please please please surrport more devices my phone(sony k800i) doesnt work my mp3 (samsung yp-t10) player doesnt work ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh so annoying
November 30th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
you mean I can listen to these out side of my home?
January 1st, 2009 at 6:22 am
Awesome. I’m in on the effort. If you are, too, please respond to the public email I sent Audible:
http://n2.nabble.com/Audible-Linux-support-td2098562.html#a2098562