Typeface test-drive
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- johndiggity0
fonts have a lot in common with mp3's. maybe the type foundries should examine their business models of distribution. they might take a cue from apple, offering an affordable pay-per-download pricing strategy with drm built in.
- Typographica0
It's a nice concept, John, but the biggest diff between the two industries is money. Type suppliers don't have the fat buckets of bank that the big labels have, so they don't have the resources required to build such a system.
And that still requires a DRM format, which takes us back to the original problem.
- johndiggity0
true, but then you have foundries like linotype developing the actual font management software, and making it available for free (much like apple does with itunes). i have to think they are going to make a push for some proprietary drm format because they are not making money off the software and i don't think that their built in store can be generating that much revenue.
the internet and the new distribution models it has enabled has really made a lot of businesses need to rethink why their industry is structured in such a way and who is benfiting and why.
it's quite obvious that the anti-piracy laws fall way short of stopping anyone from stealing fonts or software. i think if the liscensors made it more affordable, more people would buy legitimate software.
- gramme0
I am intrigued.
- Typographica0
John - It's an interesting theory, and I'd love for it to be true, but I don't think Linotype will be selling DRMed fonts anytime in the next 5 years. Again, it would require a change in font format, and OT (at least 5 years old) is only now just catching on.
Believe me, I want it too. But it's going to take some time. Fonts are far more complex than MP3s.