[rivercat]

If you upgrade computers, how much pain are you willing to suffer through to get your content back?

Well, I can speak to this, since I just recently upgraded my computer and needed to copy my iTunes songs from one system to the other. On my old computer, I deauthorized the old computer, then on the new computer I authorized the new computer, copied the files, and shazam it worked!

[zeugma]

and shazam it worked!

THere is a first time for everything. Personally, I won't let any of that crap on my PC. It's my data not theirs.

[the anti-liberal]

You were able to deauthorize- I've had my machine's built-in video card wink out, requiring the whole motherboard be replaced. I was fortunate in that I was able to copy the HDD onto DVD, but recovering the music was a pain (MusicMatch Jukebox).

An interesting thing about purchasing through MusicMatch, I can only make three copies of a song or cd. Now I haven't lost a cd yet, but I can see where that could become a pain.

In any case, I've simply stopped purchasing music, in any format- it's not worth it and I don't need it. (I can conceive of a parallel to cigarette addiction and music addiction- in a strictly limited sense.)