Amazon advertises DRM-free ebooks that have restrictive DRM 🤦

DRM creates artificial scarcity

But does it?

That being said, the cause of the profit-boostig effect is the walled garden effect, not artificial scarcity.

Whether amazon sells DRM-free ebooks on their Kindles or not isn't the point. The point is the ease of use.

Most people will just stick with Amazon - even if they can migrate "legally". People don't like change. Of course, some always will.

If it gets expensive, the share of those jump-shippers increases - would you rather pay 25% less for your books if you switch to a competitors. Migrating your (hypothetical) DRM-free library is a bit of a process, but something most anyone could do.

^ This is what they're aftaid of. People being able to jump ship. Corporate not being in complete control. Customers not being fully dependant on their overlord.

This is why DRM is a thing. This is why EULAs state "you own a single, non-transferrable, by us voidable at any time, free (for now) licence to use this software". This is why most privacy policies ask way too many things.

It's pure greed. Why should I, as a bookseller, make it possible for you to hypothetically switch to someone else when I can do the exact opposite? Why should I not download all your contacts, just in case I need them? Why should I not use your IP/region for "tailored" pricing?

Scarcity has nothing to do with it. There are ways of obtaining books online. DRM-free or not. Free or not. If consumers were so efficient in their consuming, Amazon's book business would either sell books for pennies to today's price in dollars, or they'd shut it down for their more profitable ventures.

What they need as sick and greedy bastards is control.

Comments

FiveMacs @lemmy.ca 5d ago
cancel all your subscriptions to everything. let these companies die
- This is fine🔥🐶☕🔥 @lemmy.world 5d ago
  All these are side projects for Amazon. AWS is their money printer and that's not going anywhere soon.
  
  floofloof @lemmy.ca 5d ago
  Still, no reason to give them any more money.
- falseWhite @lemmy.world 5d ago
  🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️
- NOT_RICK @lemmy.world 5d ago
  Especially for something as easy to get as drm free ebooks. There are ways to support authors without giving Amazon money
vatlark @lemmy.world 5d ago
Cool peertube !
InternetCitizen2 @lemmy.world 5d ago
DRM creates artificial scarcity and as such boosts profits. Not sure why anyone expected otherwise from big tech.
- unwarlikeExtortion @lemmy.ml 5d ago
  DRM creates artificial scarcity
  But does it?
  That being said, the cause of the profit-boostig effect is the walled garden effect, not artificial scarcity.
  Whether amazon sells DRM-free ebooks on their Kindles or not isn't the point. The point is the ease of use.
  Most people will just stick with Amazon - even if they can migrate "legally". People don't like change. Of course, some always will.
  If it gets expensive, the share of those jump-shippers increases - would you rather pay 25% less for your books if you switch to a competitors. Migrating your (hypothetical) DRM-free library is a bit of a process, but something most anyone could do.
  ^ This is what they're aftaid of. People being able to jump ship. Corporate not being in complete control. Customers not being fully dependant on their overlord.
  This is why DRM is a thing. This is why EULAs state "you own a single, non-transferrable, by us voidable at any time, free (for now) licence to use this software". This is why most privacy policies ask way too many things.
  It's pure greed. Why should I, as a bookseller, make it possible for you to hypothetically switch to someone else when I can do the exact opposite? Why should I not download all your contacts, just in case I need them? Why should I not use your IP/region for "tailored" pricing?
  Scarcity has nothing to do with it. There are ways of obtaining books online. DRM-free or not. Free or not. If consumers were so efficient in their consuming, Amazon's book business would either sell books for pennies to today's price in dollars, or they'd shut it down for their more profitable ventures.
  What they need as sick and greedy bastards is control.
foggy @lemmy.world 5d ago
Buy them all. Screen grab every page.
Charge back for not getting what you paid for.
Keep the copied books.
- mesa @piefed.social 5d ago
  image + OCR like they used to back in the 90s :)

11 Comments