I think the vast majority of people don’t even realize or understand DRM in general or if they do they don’t fully grasp the fact that at any point in the future they could lose access to the rights protected things that they have purchased with real money if the company shuts down their servers, they lose access to the account, or any number of other things that would cause the files to be encrypted virtual paper weights.
That being said, I use Audible a few months out of the year to get a few credits for the Audible exclusive content, but I don’t view those purchases as content I now own, I view that stuff as “rented”. Though I’ve been looking into some open source projects that can decrypt my Audible stuff, just haven’t had time to do it yet.
Great insights. I was skeptical Libro.fm would have enough of a selection for me, but it seems to have most things I am looking for most of the time. This realization made me question why people choose Audible.
I think another big part of it is simply visibility. Audible is Amazon, and Amazon is (seems like) the “only” place to buy anything these days. I checked out Libro.fm a while back and at the time they had a rather small selection comparatively, but after browsing for a while yesterday I see they have grown quite a lot! I think I’ll give them a go next time in looking for something.
It isn’t about choosing DRM. Unless the DRM is obnoxious (video games often), then usually you don’t even notice it. So it becomes a non-factor in your choice of audiobook store. However, when someone makes the rejection of DRM an ethical or moral issue, obviously even transparent DRM becomes important. The thing is that most people don’t care.
Yep, the one driving factor in the mass adoption of any new technology, especially when it comes to media consumption, is convenience. All other factors, like quality, cost, or restrictions (like DRM or availability) are secondary. This has played out the same in every single format war, from Laser Disc, VHS, DVD, cassette, vinyl, MP3, torrents, and streaming services. If you can make something more convenient than what came before, you win.
I get free audible credits from my credit card. It syncs across devices, and any books I want to reread I buy the actual book. My required effort is super low.
