Sharing Purchased Music

Question

I have to say Apple has really disappointed me in their decision to not allow music store purchases to be shared among a local network.
I work in a post-production facility where we are constantly auditioning music for commercial spots. I will quite often look at the shared libraries of my fellow editors to find inspiration. The only problem is that I have no way to listen to the majority of their libraries in a shared setting due to the limitations imposed on the music purchased from the iTunes store. What good is a music sharing option if you have to ask the owner of the music for an account password in order to hear it?
I can deal with limitations based on how many computers my music physically exists on (the limit is five), but why on earth can I not enjoy a library that exists ephemerally in my iTunes until the owner shuts down his computer or turns off sharing?
I have to say that this is a big blow to my enjoyment of the iTunes line of products, as well as a disappointment to my coworkers who would like to be able to share their ideas in an elegant and efficient manner.
From now on I will be buying my music the old-fashioned way. I thought I found a better system with iTunes, but I not only want to buy music I enjoy, I also want to share it with others.
-Mike
G5   Mac OS X (10.4.3)  

Answer 1

I am concerned with the ability to use the sharing feature at all,
Again, the record companies force Apple to restrict how many users can share a given track (there are restrictions on network sharing even for tracks you import from a CD), and that there be an authentication mechanism in place for tracks purchased from the iTunes Music Store. We're probably lucky they allow it at all; the record companies would be within their rights to force Apple not to allow any sharing through iTunes of any sort.
And yes, it is rather illogical that you have fewer restrictions when purchasing a CD than when purchasing via a download. But the music industry is often illogical. And as I said before, more and more CDs are appearing with copy protection that will limit or even completely prevent the content from being shared. So the less restrictive use when buying CDs may be coming to an end.
In any case, the bottom line is that Apple has no say in the matter. If they want to be able to resell tracks, they have to implement whatever protections the record companies require. And again, it's the same way with all the legal download stores carrying content from those record companies.
So if you wish to complain to someone, complain to the record companies. But don't expect them to loosen restrictions; they're on the road to much tighter restrictions, not more lenient.
'Nuff said.