Bill Gates. DRM isn’t workable.

At a recent meeting in Redmond, some of the top tech bloggers were invited to take part in a discussion on the upcoming Mix Conference in Las Vegas. During and hour-long anything goes Q&A session with Bill Gates, Tech Crunch’s Michael Arrington asked Bill Gates his opinion of DRM and it’s long-term viability. Gates had some interesting viewpoints on the subject saying he felt DRM wasn’t workable and actively supported DRM-free music alternatives like eMusic and Amie Street.

Gates said that no one is satisfied with the current state of DRM, which “causes too much pain for legitimate buyers” while trying to distinguish between legal and illegal uses. He says no one has done it right, yet. There are “huge problems” with DRM, he says, and “we need more flexible models, such as the ability to “buy an artist out for life” (not sure what he means). He also criticized DRM schemes that try to install intelligence in each copy so that it is device specific.

His short term advice: “People should just buy a cd and rip it. You are legal then.”

That’s great advice coming from someone that’s actively crippling their newest operating system for what amounts to the same reasons as the existence of DRM. If he feels DRM isn’t where it should be then maybe he should use some of that Microsoft power and influence to effect a change on the industry.