Ownership

The switch to digital has provided us with many benefits. In the palm of my hand, I carry with me a device that can give me access to all the world's information. I can also use it for media. I can read books, listen to music, watch TV and movies on it. It's pretty fucking awesome. The addictive nature of things aside though, this migration to digital everything does have some drawbacks, especially when you think about actually owning things.

Much like with software, so often now it seems like we’re now only licensing the ability to watch a movie, read a book, or listen to your favorite artist’s latest album. You’re at someone’s mercy, be it Amazon or Apple’s as to whether you can still access anything digital you’ve paid for.

Note: I obviously consider streaming different as I’m paying a fee for access, rather than purchasing.

I think the biggest one for me nowadays is probably books. While there is definitely something nice about a physical book where you can really hold the book in your hands, eBooks are convenient. When I went to Aruba 2 years ago, I read 10 books throughout the trip. Taking 10+ books in my luggage would have been a rather large hassle. A Kindle or other eBook reader is a godsend. On a device only a little larger than my iPhone, I can bring an extraordinarily large number of books and read on a screen that is not at hall hard on the eyes.

And while I do give up certain abilities with digital books, such as easily flipping between pages or being able to lend them to friends, the convenience can be worth it. The one thing I give up that we often don’t think about is the certainty that Amazon doesn’t decide to steal the book back from me and remove my ability to read it. It might not be the most likely event, but it has happened before (archive link).

Amazon sells the majority of their books with DRM.

For those who don’t remember, most MP3s used to be sold with DRM as well limiting your ability to choose how to listen to the music you purchased. If you were unlucky, you could through no fault of your own, lose access to your music. Eventually Apple, Amazon and others were able to convince the rights holders that DRM wasn’t worth it. Now I don’t believe any of the major digital music stores sell MP3s with DRM. This makes it so much easier for us consumers to listen to what we purchase in any way we want, using any software we want.

Books and publishers have not gotten on this train en mass. Amazon apparently does allow authors to now sell books DRM-free, but that hasn’t always been the case. I would wager the overwhelming majority of the books on my Kindle have DRM which means not only that Amazon can strip them away from me, but that I can’t read them anywhere else.

Note: To be fair to authors, I’m sure a lot of this comes from their publishers who can limit their ability to dictate otherwise.

Amazon built their Kindle empire by trapping us consumers in their walled gardens. Any eBook bought on Amazon with DRM can only be read on a Kindle. Want to switch to a Kobo reader or Barnes and Noble’s Nook? Too bad. You’ll have to purchase the book again. Want to strip the DRM so you can transfer it to your new eBook reader? Congratulations, you’ve now committed a felony. Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $200. It’d be hilarious if it weren’t true.

I’ve talked a lot about books in this post, mostly because it’s the one digital good that I interact with the most. But this same phenomenon can be seen in both TV and Movies as well. Those who bought movies and TV shows on the PlayStation Store saw their purchases disappear. And they bought from Sony, a reputable commercial juggernaut. It wasn’t like they went to bobscheapmovies.com and rolled the dice.

The digital world has brought us many conveniences and awesome ways to keep ourselves entertained, I just wish us consumers had more options.

Action Items I’m Taking

1. My next eBook reader will not be a Kindle.

My current plan is to switch to Kobo whenever my Kindle PaperWhite bites the dust. I’m not planning on changing without reason as it currently works well, and will re-visit what’s out there when the time comes, but I do want to leave the Amazon ecosystem.

2. Buying eBooks DRM-Free

If I’m going to buy an eBook, it will have to be one that does not contain DRM. I’m already going to lose a good chunk of my eBook collection, I don’t want to add to that. I’ll stick with the library or physical books for those I can’t find DRM-free.

3. Continue Buying Music

I still used Apple Music regularly, but I’ve been buying more and more music both digitally and on vinyl (yes, I love me some vinyl). Thankfully music has generally left the DRM station which means I’m free to listen to the music I purchase at I see fit.

I’ve been taking advantage of Bandcamp Fridays to get some good music and support the artists. I will also use Amazon and other digital stores for those that might not be on Bandcamp. Recommendations on reputable stores to buy digital music are appreciated.

4. Buy DVDs and Blu-Rays of my Favorite Shows/Movies

I don’t buy nearly as many DVDs and Blu-Rays as I have in the past. Part of that is that I don’t spend as much time watching TV as I have in the past. With the less time focused on the screen, it often feels almost wasteful to go out and buy physical media that will just collect dust. And while that is most certainly true, I do want to make sure that Paramount, Disney, or whoever else can’t pull the rug out from underneath me and remove my access to the content. Hopefully it might also show the media conglomerates that certain shows are loved and appreciated. I’m still bummed Lower Decks was cancelled after only 5 seasons.

I also have been spending time ripping the DVDs and Blurays to my NAS so I can stream them to my TVs. Best of both worlds.

5. Take Advantage of Having the Library

Because...duh! Libraries are awesome. This is the one place where not “owning” what you’re consuming doesn’t matter. I would highly suggest taking a look at what your local library has to offer. You might find out they provide a lot more than just the ability to borrow books.

Cory Doctorow & Rebecca Giblin wrote Chokepoint Capitalism which provides some additional data.