Microsoft: So you thought you bought that song for life, eh?
Posted: Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:52 am
http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=1716
As of August 31st, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of license keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers.
People need to wake up and stop paying for DRM'd media.While MSN Music has been defunct since 2006, users have still been able to activate new PCs to play their songs. This move effectively timebombs the existing content to the durability of the system activated at the time that Microsoft pulls the plug on the site. I’d say about five years on average, maybe ten years tops.
I guess that if you’ve only got a handful of songs then this isn’t a big deal, but if you’ve got a substantial investment tied up in MSN Music downloads then be aware that as of August 31st, your content is living on borrowed time.