Can't copy legit purchased music files onto new MP3 player

usignuolo

A year or so ago I purchased, quite legitimately, quite a lot of music on line (via my Napster and Amazon accounts) and copied it, quite legitimately, onto my Zen MP3 player. I have now bought a newer more sophisticated MP3 player and decided to take the opportunity to upgrade my playlists and transfer them onto my new MP3 player.

I thought I would do this using Windows Media Player and when I logged on to use it, got a message saying it needed to do an upgrade to work, as I was now running Windows 7 (XP at the time of tracks purchase). I clicked yes. What seems to have happened as a result is that all my legitmately purchased music has been flagged up as DRM and cannot be copied over to my new MP3 device, despite the fact that my original purchase allowed me to copy the tracks up to 5 times, and I have only copied them once.

I have since closed my Napster account so cannot go back them to retrieve the tracks again. Anyone else had this problem?

usignuolo

Just to add it seems this is a known problem with WMP as in "The Microsoft Windows Media Digital Rights Management (DRM) system may not work if you make changes to your computer hardware. You may not be able to play protected content. Protected content includes content such as songs that you have bought and downloaded from an online store. "

esuhl

I sympathise, but I imagine this is because the DRM licences were lost when you moved from Windows XP to 7.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Windows-Media-Player-DRM-frequently-asked-questions

I guess the only way round this would be to get a copy of the licences from Napster. Failing that, you'll have to buy the music again... unless... well... I don't know what your legal rights are and whether you would be considered to have already had such music licensed to you (in law). If that's the case (and you can prove it to avoid legal charges), then perhaps you would be legally authorised to download the music that you have already purchased from a supplier that does not enforce copyright restrictions...? But I don't know how the law operates in this regard...

usignuolo

Yes that seems to be the case. It is however Microsoft who have imposed this not Napster. On their technical support page Microsoft says that the DRM protection is always reinstated when you change hardware or even update hardware within an existing PC config, because it is assumed that this could be an attempt to pirate tracks between different pc owners.

However MS does not ask you before it reinstates it, it does it by default. As soon as you try to use the WMP copy feature on your Win 7 PC, it tells you it will not work unless you activate the Win 7 upgrade. In the course of doing this it adds back the DRM protection to the songs you have already downloaded, even when, as in my case, you had already copied them from your old hard disk to your new one, on your new PC, quite legitimately.

I support trying to stop pirating tracks but this is a blunt instrument and is penalising legitimate song owners. MSs suggested solutions are also pointless - as for example restoring your original hardware configuration (hello?) or downloading the original licenses. I signed up to a generic license with Napster about usage of the tracks I bought, there is no individual license for each track, of if there is, then MS must be ignoring it.

If there is an embedded licence then it will be registered to me, as all my MS licences are, including my XP and windows 7 licenses. Why can't MS read the registration information if it wants to check if I am legit?. I really don't see why I have to keep buying the same songs over and again just because I own more than one device with more than one operating system, to play them on, when my license with the owners says I can copy them across.

Dave_C_2

Can you not simply drag and drop from the Zen directly to the new player using windows explorer, avoiding windows media player.

I know it's no help, but this is yet another example of how DRM punishes the legitimate owner and does absolutely nothing to prevent piracy. If the songs were pirated (or bought on a Russian music site), then they will be DRM free and could be easily copied.

It's only corporate greed that makes songs cost so much. After all there is no physical media to produce and distribute. Witness the disparity iTunes song prices in USA=$1.29 here at home =£1.56.

If songs were costed at 1/10 the price then most people would not bother with pirating music. DRM would not be required and die the natural death it so richly deserves.

Dave

patman99

You could try THIS. It strips the DRM from the files.

S0litaire

This is the main reason I HATE drm...

You're stuck hoping a 3rd party does not decide to change the rules or remove your right to play a file just because you upgraded your OS or equipment!

Hope you get it sorted...

also in the US Prices are always listed VAT/TAX free since the rates of tax are different in every state. in the UK they post the price with VAT added.
But I get your general meaning! why should digital item cost the same as a physical one (or more since you only get 1 digital track, but a CD single you usually get 2 or 3 tracks for the same price!!)

Im_just_careful

The Amazon tracks should be re-downloadable for free using their cloud player.

Did you keep a "clean" copy of your music (on a backup device or similar) ?

If you can retrieve your music then use a different "manager" program to put it on your new player.