Hi, does anybody know if using a programme like SWITCH to convert wma to mp3 will actually remove the drm - another issue I have is with getting licences, a few files wont play and the error message has to do with licences, is there a way to sort this please. Trish

I have heard of programs that can do that & one was spammed over this forum. I think there's still a copy of one thread. If you search the forum for drm or convert, etc. you may find it.

Hi and thanks for your reply - I have just managed to sort it using switch, I made a new folder and sent the converted ones to that, deleted originals and then moved them back - well, it worked on all but 8 of 24 and I found some of those were doubled up with an mp3 format beside them - I think the license issues are mainly around these wma files too so i have to put an intermediate file in place to sort them all before sending them into wmp - i think that may work better and get them sorted sooner rather than later - in fact as soon as they arrive in future - this is gonna take forever !!!

Ive just hit another bit of a conundrum which you may know the answer to - in the my music folder the files are listed in name then track but in wmp its the reverse - is there a way to change just one so it will work in both lists or am i in for the long haul with this - smiles

By the way, sorry if this is in the wrong forum bit, Ill get the hang of it all before too long and possibly be able to help others once Ive mastered this learning curve - thanks a million, Trish

You will be pleased to know that yesterday EMI announced that it is dropping DRM as from now.

Oh brilliant - lets hope the others follow suit then !!!! Its a crazy situation really - I sincerely hope that now people will begin to share again. The other day I wasnt doing much downloading or much else on the computer so set the monitor to let more uploads through - someone started to upload one of my favourites so I decided to browse that persons collection - no joy, so I started to look at lots of the uploaders as they came through and out of about 20 there were only 2 or so sharing more than 20 or so files.

I have lots of music on vinyl and cassette which I just cant find in the shops to replace and Im sure there are millions of people just like me - besides, they have brought this on themselves, if they didnt charge such exhorbitant prices for cd's there wouldnt be such a call for sharing - I reckon the greed of the record companies has caused all this. CD's were getting to a crazy price 3 or 4 yrs back - in fact, for somebody unfortunate enough to be on benefits it was representing about a third of their weekly income - that has me asking myself if music is a luxury or a necessity, for myself its the latter - as the saying goes, 'music calms the savage beast' - chuckles, no, Im not a savage beast really, but theres nothing better than a good tune or two for lifting me up when all else fails - am I saying I think of music as a basic human right? I dunno.

I cant understand why these people have been targeting people who have good collections of oldies cos no one actually makes any money out of it that way and I wonder if the people who have had hefty fines will be somehow reimbursed when the powers that be finally look into this with the spirit of altruism.

Im a bit on the fence when it comes to the people who do download for selling on and do realise that royalties are important to the artists but there I think is where the re-jigging needs to be done - after all everybody needs to make a living and if so much wasnt being creamed off constantly at the top end it may be a bit easier for the man in the street to be more honest.

Maybe this situation is a reflection of society as a whole - in fact, I dont think theres any maybe about it. I stood one evening at the far end of the checkouts in asda, it was peak shopping time and all the tills were queued up with people and trolleys piled high - I had just paid something like £60 for a few bits n pieces and estimated that most of those trolleys were gonna be costing more like £80 - £100 (at least) - I am still wondering where all that money goes. I live near a small town and there are three of those stores here, that lead me to think of how many stores and how much money disappears in the country as a whole - ok, there are wages, costs and overheads but the profits can be nothing short of gigantic. Oh happy indeed would I be to see some of that money being fed back in to the communities it is being leeched from.
oops - got a bit carried away there!!!
Trish