DRM to get the boot within the next two years

Wow. Do you really think that PlaysForSure and FairPlay are actually going to disappear without putting up a fight? According to the New York Times of all sources, the concept of DRM could very well be completely dead within the next two years or so. This means that when you (legally) download content from your favorite online store — eMusic already sells DRM-free MP3s, but will Napster, Rhapsody, and iTunes follow suit? — you can play it on any device you like, moving them around and burning them to your heart’s content.

DRM may be designed to protect the entertainment industry from pirates, but it still hasn’t stopped the interweb from becoming a huge haven for stolen tunes. At the same time, DRM has become a rather large hurdle for those who want to stay legitimate, as the digital rights management can prevent you from burning the music onto a CD or plopping it into multiple players (some of us have more than one MP3 player, y’know).