Survey: Average Brits hate DRM

By Cory Doctorow at 5:28 am Monday, Aug 6

Entertainment Media Research's 2007 survey of UK music fans was very broad, looking at what "normal," non-geeky Brits want in music. The conclusion? Most fans don't want DRM -- not just the tech-savvy fans, but everyone from grannies to kids. As Ars Technica points out, the entertainment industry often dismisses anti-DRM sentiment as "unrepresentative" of the mainstream, but this survey suggests that the word is spreading: DRM music is defective by design.

First, the bird's eye view: 68 percent of those with opinions on the matter say that the only music worth purchasing is that which is DRM-free. Yet less than half (39 percent) are willing to pay a little extra for it, while 18 percent say that they'd rather save a little dough and keep the DRM if they had to chose between the two. In the middle is a mass of people with no opinion on the matter, because they're not sure what DRM is or don't know their preference. That will likely soon change.

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