Revenue-Sharing as Alternative to DRM

While users relentlessly crack DRM in any medium where it rears its ugly head, The Economist touts automated content identification and revenue-sharing as a viable alternative.

The beauty of such schemes is that they don’t actually prevent anyone from making copies of original content. Their purpose is simply to collect royalties when a breach of copyright has occurred. By being reactive rather than pre-emptive, normal law-abiding consumers are then left in peace to enjoy their music and video collections in any way they choose.

As EMI has already realized, giving your customers freedom is profitable. Anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t know how to make freedom pay.