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最近乔布斯要对数字音乐市场动脑筋了
Source: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/
Thoughts on Music关于音乐的思考
Steve Jobs
February 6, 2007
With the stunning global success of Apple's iPod music player and
iTunes online music store, some have called for Apple to "open" the
digital rights management (DRM) system that Apple uses to protect its
music against theft, so that music purchased from iTunes can be played
on digital devices purchased from other companies, and protected music
purchased from other online music stores can play on iPods. Let's
examine the current situation and how we got here, then look at three
possible alternatives for the future.
随着苹果的iPod 音乐播放器和iTunes在线音乐商店的巨大成功，一些人已经要求苹果"开放"数字版权管理（DRM）这个苹果用来保护其产品不被
盗用的系统，以便从iTunes购买的音乐可以在从其它公司买到的设备上播放，并且，从其它在线音乐商店购买的受到保护的音乐也可以在iPod上播放。
让我来考察一下现在的情况，并且了解如何能达到那一步，然后再来看看未来的三种可能的选择。
To begin, it is useful to remember that all iPods play music that is
free of any DRM and encoded in "open" licensable formats such as MP3
and AAC. iPod users can and do acquire their music from many sources,
including CDs they own. Music on CDs can be easily imported into the
freely-downloadable iTunes jukebox software which runs on both Macs
and Windows PCs, and is automatically encoded into the open AAC or MP3
formats without any DRM. This music can be played on iPods or any
other music players that play these open formats.
首先，有必要记住的是所有的iPod播放任何DRM免费的音乐并且其代码被编写成诸如MP3和AAC之类的"开放"协议格式。iPod的使用者可以并且
确实在从许多来源获得他们的音乐，包括他们自己的CD。CD上的音乐很轻易就导入免费下载的iTunes点歌机软件中，这种软件可以在Mac和
Windows PC机上运行，并且自动就转换成开放的AAC或者MP3格式，不受DRM的限制。这种音乐能在iPod或者其它能播放那些开放格式的播
放器上播放。
The rub comes from the music Apple sells on its online iTunes Store.
Since Apple does not own or control any music itself, it must license
the rights to distribute music from others, primarily the "big four"
music companies: Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI. These four
companies control the distribution of over 70% of the world's music.
When Apple approached these companies to license their music to
distribute legally over the Internet, they were extremely cautious and
required Apple to protect their music from being illegally copied. The
solution was to create a DRM system, which envelopes each song
purchased from the iTunes store in special and secret software so that
it cannot be played on unauthorized devices.
障碍来自苹果在它的在线iTunes商店上销售的音乐。因为苹果并不拥有和能够控制任何音乐本身，它必须遵守协议规定的权利去分销这些属于其它版权所有
者的音乐，所有者主要就是"四大"唱片公司：环球、索尼BMG，华纳和EMI。这四家公司控制着世界70%以上的音乐的版权。当苹果向这些公司提出承诺
通过互联网合法销售他们的音乐时，他们表现得极为谨慎，并且要求苹果公司保护好音乐以防盗版。这种情况促使DRM的产生，它把每一首从iTunes上购
买的歌曲用特殊加密的方法打包以至于不能在未授权的设备上播放。
Apple was able to negotiate landmark usage rights at the time, which
include allowing users to play their DRM protected music on up to 5
computers and on an unlimited number of iPods. Obtaining such rights
from the music companies was unprecedented at the time, and even today
is unmatched by most other digital music services. However, a key
provision of our agreements with the music companies is that if our
DRM system is compromised and their music becomes playable on
unauthorized devices, we have only a small number of weeks to fix the
problem or they can withdraw their entire music catalog from our
iTunes store.
这时候，苹果能够商定明显的使用量的权利，包括允许使用者最多在5台电脑上播放他们的受DRM保护的音乐，在iPod上播放次数不限。此时，唱片公司的
版权获得了前所未有的保护，甚至至今其他的大部分数字音乐服务商都没有达到这个保护程度。然而，我们和唱片公司达成的协议的关键条件是，如果我们的
DRM系统被破坏或者他们的音乐能够在未授权的设备上播放，那么我们修复系统或者他们能从我们的iTunes商店上删掉他们的全部音乐目录都只需要很少
的几个星期的时间就可以了。
To prevent illegal copies, DRM systems must allow only authorized
devices to play the protected music. If a copy of a DRM protected song
is posted on the Internet, it should not be able to play on a
downloader's computer or portable music device. To achieve this, a DRM
system employs secrets. There is no theory of protecting content other
than keeping secrets. In other words, even if one uses the most
sophisticated cryptographic locks to protect the actual music, one
must still "hide" the keys which unlock the music on the user's
computer or portable music player. No one has ever implemented a DRM
system that does not depend on such secrets for its operation.
要保护合法的拷贝，DRM系统就必须只允许在授权的设备上才能播放受保护的音乐，如果一个受DRM保护的音乐被发布到互联网上，它将应该无法在一个下载
者的电脑或者移动音乐播放器上播放。为达到这一目的，DRM采用了加密技术。保护内容除了加密别无他法。换句话说，如果一个人使用最先进的密码锁保护原
创音乐，他必须"藏"好那把能打开使用者的电脑或者移动播放器上的音乐的钥匙，没有一个人能破译DRM系统，它不依赖用来操控它的密匙。
The problem, of course, is that there are many smart people in the
world, some with a lot of time on their hands, who love to discover
such secrets and publish a way for everyone to get free (and stolen)
music. They are often successful in doing just that, so any company
trying to protect content using a DRM must frequently update it with
new and harder to discover secrets. It is a cat-and-mouse game.
Apple's DRM system is called FairPlay. While we have had a few
breaches in FairPlay, we have been able to successfully repair them
through updating the iTunes store software, the iTunes jukebox
software and software in the iPods themselves. So far we have met our
commitments to the music companies to protect their music, and we have
given users the most liberal usage rights available in the industry
for legally downloaded music.
问题当然是，世界上有许多聪明人，有些人有很多时间来动手操作，他们喜欢钻研一些秘密并且公布给大家以使人们获得免费（或者说盗版）的音乐。他们刚好在
这方面经常成功，所以试图通过使用DRM保护内容的任何公司必须经常用更难破解的密码升级它。这是一场猫和老鼠的游戏。苹果的DRM系统被称为正当播放
（FairPlay），我们已经能够通过升级iTune商店软件来成功的修复他们，包括iTunes点歌机软件和iPod播放器本身的软件。目前为止，
我们履行着和唱片公司达成的保护他们音乐版权的协定，并且我们给使用者在业界来说对于合法下载的音乐尽可能多的自由使用权限。
With this background, let's now explore three different alternatives
for the future.
在这一背景下，让我们探索三种不同的对于未来的选项。
The first alternative is to continue on the current course, with each
manufacturer competing freely with their own "top to bottom"
proprietary systems for selling, playing and protecting music. It is a
very competitive market, with major global companies making large
investments to develop new music players and online music stores.
Apple, Microsoft and Sony all compete with proprietary systems. Music
purchased from Microsoft's Zune store will only play on Zune players;
music purchased from Sony's Connect store will only play on Sony's
players; and music purchased from Apple's iTunes store will only play
on iPods. This is the current state of affairs in the industry, and
customers are being well served with a continuing stream of innovative
products and a wide variety of choices.
第一个方案是继续当前的局面，和每一个厂商自由竞争，每一个厂商都有"从头到脚"自成体系的销售、播放和保护音乐的系统。这是一个竞争激烈的市场，全球
主要公司都制定了巨额投资计划去发展新的音乐播放器和在线商店。苹果、微软和索尼都用自己的系统参与到较量中。从微软的Zune商店购买的音乐将只能在
Zune 播放器上播放；从索尼的在线商店上购买的音乐奖只能在索尼的播放器上播放；从苹果的iTunes商店购买的音乐只能在iPod上播放。这就是
当前业内的状况，消费者被一个个不断地创新产品的风潮很好的服务着并且有多样化的选择。
Some have argued that once a consumer purchases a body of music from
one of the proprietary music stores, they are forever locked into only
using music players from that one company. Or, if they buy a specific
player, they are locked into buying music only from that company's
music store. Is this true? Let's look at the data for iPods and the
iTunes store - they are the industry's most popular products and we
have accurate data for them. Through the end of 2006, customers
purchased a total of 90 million iPods and 2 billion songs from the
iTunes store. On average, that's 22 songs purchased from the iTunes
store for each iPod ever sold.
一些人已经讨论说，一旦一名消费者从一个自有体系的商店中购买了一部音乐作品，它们就永远地被锁定到那家公司唯一指定的音乐播放器上了。或者，如果他们
买了一个专门的播放器，他们就只能固定的去相应的那家公司的音乐商店购买音乐作品。这是真的吗？让我们看看iPod和iTunes商店对他们的统计数
据。截至2006年底，消费者总共购买了9000万部iPod产品并从iTunes上购买了20亿首歌曲。平均算来，每部iPod从iTunes上购买
22首歌曲。
Today's most popular iPod holds 1000 songs, and research tells us that
the average iPod is nearly full. This means that only 22 out of 1000
songs, or under 3% of the music on the average iPod, is purchased from
the iTunes store and protected with a DRM. The remaining 97% of the
music is unprotected and playable on any player that can play the open
formats. It's hard to believe that just 3% of the music on the average
iPod is enough to lock users into buying only iPods in the future. And
since 97% of the music on the average iPod was not purchased from the
iTunes store, iPod users are clearly not locked into the iTunes store
to acquire their music.
今天最普遍的iPod内存有1000首歌曲，研究告诉我们平均起来iPod几乎是占满的。这意味着1000首歌曲里只有22首，或者说低于平均一部
iPod里存储的音乐的3%，是从iTune商店购买并且受DRM保护的。保持在97%比率的音乐不受保护并且能在任何能播放开放格式的播放器上播放。
很难令人相信在未来，平均每部iPod中只有3%的音乐足够去锁定一个用户只能去购买iPod。由于平均一部iPod中97%的音乐不是从iTunes
商店购买的，iPod用户很明显没有被锁定到iTunes商店以获得音乐。
The second alternative is for Apple to license its FairPlay DRM
technology to current and future competitors with the goal of
achieving interoperability between different company's players and
music stores. On the surface, this seems like a good idea since it
might offer customers increased choice now and in the future. And
Apple might benefit by charging a small licensing fee for its FairPlay
DRM. However, when we look a bit deeper, problems begin to emerge. The
most serious problem is that licensing a DRM involves disclosing some
of its secrets to many people in many companies, and history tells us
that inevitably these secrets will leak. The Internet has made such
leaks far more damaging, since a single leak can be spread worldwide
in less than a minute. Such leaks can rapidly result in software
programs available as free downloads on the Internet which will
disable the DRM protection so that formerly protected songs can be
played on unauthorized players.
对于苹果来说第二个方法是与现在和将来的竞争对手签订它的正当播放（FairPlay）DRM技术协议，以达到在不同公司的播放器和音乐商店之间互相兼
容的目的。表面上，这看似一个很好的想法，由于它在现在和将来能提供给消费者更多的选择。苹果可以从一小笔正当播放（FairPlay）DRM协议费用
中赚钱。然而，我们再看得深一点就发现，问题开始出现了。最严重的问题是签订DRM协议涉及透露部分它的密码给许多公司里的许多人，历史告诉我们密码将
不可避免的外泄。互联网已经使这样的外泄变得更加有危害性，因为一个单一的外泄能在不到一分钟传遍世界。这种泄露会迅速导致软件程序可以在互联网上免费
下载而不再受DRM的保护，从而使曾经受保护的歌曲能够在任何未经授权的播放器播放。
An equally serious problem is how to quickly repair the damage caused
by such a leak. A successful repair will likely involve enhancing the
music store software, the music jukebox software, and the software in
the players with new secrets, then transferring this updated software
into the tens (or hundreds) of millions of Macs, Windows PCs and
players already in use. This must all be done quickly and in a very
coordinated way. Such an undertaking is very difficult when just one
company controls all of the pieces. It is near impossible if multiple
companies control separate pieces of the puzzle, and all of them must
quickly act in concert to repair the damage from a leak.
一个同样严重的问题是如何很快的修复由于泄露带来的损害。一个有效的修复将可能涉及改进音乐商店软件，音乐点歌机软件和有新密码的播放器软件，然后把这
个升级包传送给数千万（或者数亿）台Mac电脑,WindowsPC机和已经在使用的播放器。这些都要迅速并且配合良好的方法去做到。当一家公司控制所
有部分时，这项任务就非常困难了。而多家公司要控制一个麻烦的很多个互不相干的部分，并且全都要迅速行动去修复泄露带来的损害，这几乎是不可能的。
Apple has concluded that if it licenses FairPlay to others, it can no
longer guarantee to protect the music it licenses from the big four
music companies. Perhaps this same conclusion contributed to
Microsoft's recent decision to switch their emphasis from an "open"
model of licensing their DRM to others to a "closed" model of offering
a proprietary music store, proprietary jukebox software and
proprietary players.
苹果已经有了结论，如果和其他人签订正当播放协议，它就不能再承诺保护那些它和四大唱片公司协议保护的音乐了。也许同样的结论促使微软最近做出决定，把
他们的重点从"开放"他们的DRM协议给其他人的模式转变成"封闭"的提供自有的音乐商店、自有的点歌软件和自有的播放器。
The third alternative is to abolish DRMs entirely. Imagine a world
where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open
licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music
purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is
playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for
consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat. If the big four
music companies would license Apple their music without the
requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to
selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store. Every iPod ever made
will play this DRM-free music.
第三种选择是彻底抛弃DRM系统。想象一个任何在线商店都销售DRM免费音乐的世界，代码按照开放协议编译。在那样一个世界中，任何播放器能够播放从任
何商店购买的音乐，任何商店能够销售可以在任何播放器播放的音乐。很明显这是对消费者最好的选择，苹果也会心情激动的接受它。如果四大唱片公司与苹果达
成协议说他们的音乐可以不要DRM的保护，我们将转而在iTunes上只销售DRM免费音乐。每个已经生产的iPod都能播放这种DRM免费音乐。
Why would the big four music companies agree to let Apple and others
distribute their music without using DRM systems to protect it? The
simplest answer is because DRMs haven't worked, and may never work, to
halt music piracy. Though the big four music companies require that
all their music sold online be protected with DRMs, these same music
companies continue to sell billions of CDs a year which contain
completely unprotected music. That's right! No DRM system was ever
developed for the CD, so all the music distributed on CDs can be
easily uploaded to the Internet, then (illegally) downloaded and
played on any computer or player.
为什么四大唱片公司将同意让苹果和其他人不使用DRM系统保护去分享他们的音乐呢？最简单的答案是DRM系统已经不起作用了，并且将永远也不再起到防止
音乐私有化的作用。虽然四大唱片公司要求所有在线销售的他们的音乐都受DRM系统保护，但是同样是这些公司继续每年销售着数十亿的完全没有对音乐进行保
护的CD，所以所有从CD上共享到的音乐很容易就上传到电脑或者播放器里。
In 2006, under 2 billion DRM-protected songs were sold worldwide by
online stores, while over 20 billion songs were sold completely DRM-
free and unprotected on CDs by the music companies themselves. The
music companies sell the vast majority of their music DRM-free, and
show no signs of changing this behavior, since the overwhelming
majority of their revenues depend on selling CDs which must play in CD
players that support no DRM system.
2006年，不到20亿DRM保护曲目在全世界的在线商店上被销售掉，同时200亿首歌曲被以完全DRM免费的方式和不受保护的唱片公司自己的CD的方
式卖掉。唱片公司销售了他们的DRM免费音乐中的绝大多数，并且没有预兆他们会改变这一行为，因为他们的全部主营收入都依靠那些CD的销售，它们必须在
CD播放器才能播放并且不支持DRM系统。
So if the music companies are selling over 90 percent of their music
DRM-free, what benefits do they get from selling the remaining small
percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system? There appear
to be none. If anything, the technical expertise and overhead required
to create, operate and update a DRM system has limited the number of
participants selling DRM protected music. If such requirements were
removed, the music industry might experience an influx of new
companies willing to invest in innovative new stores and players. This
can only be seen as a positive by the music companies.
如果一个唱片公司正在销售超过90%的DRM免费音乐，他们能从那部分小比例的受DRM系统保护的音乐中获得什么好处呢？看来是并没什么好处。如果有的
话，那就是对于发明、操作和升级DRM系统的专业知识和保持领先的要求已经束缚了大量销售DRM保护音乐的参与者。如果放弃那些要求，音乐产业可能迎来
一个有许多新公司愿意来投资建立富有想象力的新商店和开发播放器的新阶段。这只能对唱片公司产生积极影响。
Much of the concern over DRM systems has arisen in European countries.
Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their
energies towards persuading the music companies to sell their music
DRM-free. For Europeans, two and a half of the big four music
companies are located right in their backyard. The largest, Universal,
is 100% owned by Vivendi, a French company. EMI is a British company,
and Sony BMG is 50% owned by Bertelsmann, a German company. Convincing
them to license their music to Apple and others DRM-free will create a
truly interoperable music marketplace. Apple will embrace this
wholeheartedly.
大量和DRM系统有关的事情已经在欧洲国家发生。也许那些对现状的不满应该转向他们希望说服唱片公司去销售他们的DRM免费音乐的动机。对于欧洲人来
说，四大唱片公司中的两家半已经获得了他们后院的本土权利。最大的环球唱片，被一家法国公司Vivendi100%所有，EMI是家英国公司，索尼
BMG的50%归德国的Bertelsamann所有。说服他们和苹果与其他DRM免费销售商签订协议将创造一个真正自成体系的音乐市场领域。苹果将全
身心的拥抱它。