The Man Who Can't Be Moved

Now that iTunes has finally caught up with all our recent computer and hard-drive switches, we are facing the dreaded limits of DRM protection on some of our music.

I know that there are solutions to all of this, and that you can go through the whole rigamarole of deauthorizing computers or burning encrypted tunes so you can then reload them, but frankly, I can't be bothered.

Listening to my music -- that we paid for -- shouldn't be so complicated.

So the iTunes Store is now officially banned in our house until they unchain my music.

For the most part, this is easy. We're still old school and buy most things on CD. At least that way you know you own your music, and it provides a handy backup copy, just in case.

That said, there's something to be said for DRM-free, click-and-download convenience.

So tonight, on a lark, wanting to hear some stuff by the The Script, a new Irish band that I missed as a free iTunes single last week, I decided to test drive AmazonMP3 for some instant gratification.

The result?

Suprisingly simple, and, more-importantly, easily transferable.

Amazon has set up a program that downloads seamlessly into iTunes, making the process hassle-free. Copying the files over to our other computer worked perfectly.

I know this is exactly what the music labels want to hear. That the marketplace is shifting to Amazon, providing competition to Apple's dominance in online music.

Unfortunately this all just continues to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

The bottom line is that I want to buy my music on iTunes. I like my iPod and iPhone just fine, and like the convenience of having a one-stop hub for it all.

I know it's all a silly old pissing war between the dominant online music store and the still-petrified old-school labels, but come on guys, why aggravate a customer who still doesn't mind paying for the songs?

Oh yeah, The Script album is actually really good. Here's a taste of them live, singing The Man Who Can't Be Moved: