Kinda off topic question about Naps

Question

Mod... feel free to close this if you feel you have to. I figured I might get a good response asking this here though.
Anyway, I have a Zen Touch and a napster subscription. I liked the idea of being able to basically sample music (via the subscription) and then buy what I really like. Anyway, yesterday I bought my first album. It was an album that I had already downloaded via the subscription. I was under the impression that buying the album released any protection on it, and thus I would have a bunch of unprotected wma files. But after copying the wma files to another computer, I found this was not the case. I tried playing those files on the computer, and windows media player was still looking for my napster license. I was able to burn the tracks I purchased to a CD, like I'm supposed to be able to after purchasing them. But, is this what I have to do to "keep these tracks forever"? If my subscription runs out, will I not even be able to play the WMA files that I purchased? If that's the case, then this whole thing is disappointing. I was under the impression that by buying the tracks, they would no longer be tied to my napster subscription in any way, and I could create a library of wma tracks that I purchased, which I would be able to play and do whatever I want with after my subscription runs out. If I have to burn all my purchased tracks to CD to keep them forever, then what's the point of buying digital music? I still have to create a clutter of CDs if I want to keep the music. I realize of course that I could just rip the songs off the CDs I burn to have an unprotected file, but that's ridiculous.
Does iTunes work like this? I.e., if I buy a track, it is still protected in any way?

Answer 1

All DRM (WMA DRM or Apple Fairplay) stays with purchased tracks forever, UNLESS you burn an audio CD. On that audio CD there is no DRM anymore. You can rip it back into anything. Same thing in Napster, Yahoo, MSN Music, iTunes, etc..
Here's how Napster works: You put Napster software (or WMP Napster plug-in) on as many computers as you want. No limit. Each track you buy gets a license to play on up to 3 computers. That's all. This license is for each track, not for Napster itself. You can have various tracks on many different computers so long as one track only plays on 3. When you go to, say, computer number two, you "synchronize" your Napster downloads. This puts all the stuff you downloaded or bought on that computer, too. Now you can play your purchased stuff on the second computer. Napster looks at the tracks you need on computer number two and automatically downloads a copy there when you synchronize. You do not need the full Napster software to do any of this--the WMP plug-in will work just as well. Tracks you download only (don't buy) will expire. The license will not allow them to play after you quit Napster. Tracks you buy from Napster have a license that does not expire. I have a whole bunch of these and I left Napster in September. They all play and all download to my Zen players, too. I just burned a few to CD recently, too.
Message Edited by MikeM32 on -29-2005 0:5 AM