I think you are right about the DRM.
It will prove to be a waste of time. Audio is too easy. Seriously.
Heck, I can make something to just write the stream to a file, and doing that is not hard. Costs less than a CD.
Not so easy if the analog signal only emerges at the earpiece ...
This analog hole is a ridiculously easy hack job with a soldering iron.
"Ridiculously Easy"? - I wouldn't go that far, but very much within the realms of possibility for a determined attacker I'd say.
But down the line .. as actual physical countermeasures become more sophisticated maybe not so.
That's pretty much a policy. If I pay for it, fine. But I have it in generally useful form. No lock-in. Or I don't buy it.
And I don't mind hacking to get it in general useful form. Easy peasy.
To me, a bit of work, perhaps gain a new skill?
Not only easy, but fun, cheap, all that.
What is hard is having to spend or do work just because of a business model. I really dislike all of that. It is visceral.
Outside some niche uses, digital video really does make general sense. I hear and often agree with analog arguments. I keep analog gear, and in my own hardware projects will stay analog, perhaps also having digital, depending.
But, overall? People largely benefit more from digital video, and with the loss of the CRT, adoption makes sense. Digital only gear makes sense. I have no concerns and can easily use an analog adapter in a pinch.
With audio, it is inverted! A few niche uses benefit, most do not. They are equal or very modest gain at best.
Video gear seems to age out more quickly too. Increases in resolution drive all that, and analog limits do too. Above HDTV 1920x1080, analog has real issues.
Analog audio does not have those dynamics. There is no analog cliff to drive digital gear. Great stuff from the 70's remains entirely relevant. It always will. Ears are just not like eyes.
I will never, ever buy something that only delivers audio digitally.