This would only apply to record labels or artists covered by SoundExchange.

Basically it's part of the RIAA so you have the Big 4. Sony EMI, Universal, and Warner.

There may be some others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SoundExchange#Business_structure_and_oversight

What are smaller broadcasters required to pay now? $2100 per month doesn't seem like a terrible amount. I guess if you are a super small station you are going to be in trouble. What about SomaFM?

It may be a lame april fools joke, but in the long term I wouldn't be surprised if stuff like this starts to happen. There are already a lot of news organizations that put out updates via Twitter. 140 characters a little hard to fit an entire news story in, but people are giving less and less attention to the news these days anyway.

Ok, I get this, but how does what is described here do that? The user already has all of their music on their hard drive. This just seems to keep them from using another piece of software from connecting to the iPod.

I guess it does lock the user into iTunes, which probably generates a lot more money than the iPod sales.

Maybe they are finally getting around to busting you for making copies of Leisure Suit Larry and giving them to your friends.

Why are companies so intent on trying to lock people out of their hardware? I have stayed out of the portable MP3 market for years, but recently got a used 5th gen IPOD off of craigslist. Luckily it works fine with Amarok, and other Linux apps.

I just don't understand what they gain by locking out a certain group of users from their Ipods.

The main reason I got an iPod was because I knew I could use it in linux.

It won't happen. Well maybe it will, because they are already talking about it, but Obama isn't just going to bring the boys home in Feb.

That will most certainly happen. If they let Bush's Tax cuts expire a lot of people are going to get caught up in it.

Amen Brother