Â

Apple CEO Steve Jobs Shifts Blame On Music Industry

The Story
Steve Jobs is getting anxious. He knows that a host of European countries are concerned about iTunes music downloads and how they only play on the iPod. Apple is now officially in violation of consumer protection laws in Norway. Apple has refused to license Fairplay DRM to other parties (thus locking the user into the iPod.

Major record labels, online music stores embed software code into the digital song files they sell to restrict the ability to copy them. Apple uses its own system, the songs it sells can be played only on the iPod.

Rather than Apple engaging in Fairplay, Steve Jobs suggest that labels could shed digital rights management altogether.

Music industry executives said that if the music industry moved away from copy protection, it could potentially make it easier for competing music players. Mr. Jobs seems to be betting that anything that stimulates the sale of digital music can only help his company.

Others claim that Steve Jobs is calculated freak and loves his name in the press. These statement drew criticism from some competitors, who argued that he was simply trying to get in front of a shift in industry strategy and claim credit for it.