DRM Free Music available on iTunes - Goodbye CD Stores
Back in January I said that this year we will see music from major labels sold on the web without DRM. I thought it might take a while and I am glad to see that it did not and already now Apple offers DRM free music.
This is is a great step forward, especially when considering the fact that the premium for a DRM free song (which according to Apple will also be in a higher quality) is just 30 cents. DRM free albums will sell for the same price of $9.99, as DRM protected ones (why even bother offering DRM protected albums?).
Looks like the industry is on track to offer music from all the four major labels without DRM by the end of the year. This hypothesis is based on the fact that in the past, once Apple signed one studio or one label the rest came knocking on Apple's door. Of-course we, the consumers, will first need to make DRM free music a big success or else the other labels won't follow EMI. I personally do not think there is any reason for concern here, I am very confident that DRM free music will allow digital music sales to grow exponentially.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Jobs feels half of the songs on iTunes will be DRM free by year end:
Mr. Jobs, however, was unequivocal in his prediction that the industry would eventually reduce its use of copy protection. He said that he expected more than half of the songs on iTunes would be available in unprotected versions by year’s end.
The one concern I do have is for all the CD stores that are still out there, everyone should go visit one soon and say goodbye, adios, hasta la vista... The one thing we cannot say to them is farewell because they won't.
This is is a great step forward, especially when considering the fact that the premium for a DRM free song (which according to Apple will also be in a higher quality) is just 30 cents. DRM free albums will sell for the same price of $9.99, as DRM protected ones (why even bother offering DRM protected albums?).
Looks like the industry is on track to offer music from all the four major labels without DRM by the end of the year. This hypothesis is based on the fact that in the past, once Apple signed one studio or one label the rest came knocking on Apple's door. Of-course we, the consumers, will first need to make DRM free music a big success or else the other labels won't follow EMI. I personally do not think there is any reason for concern here, I am very confident that DRM free music will allow digital music sales to grow exponentially.
According to the New York Times, Mr. Jobs feels half of the songs on iTunes will be DRM free by year end:
Mr. Jobs, however, was unequivocal in his prediction that the industry would eventually reduce its use of copy protection. He said that he expected more than half of the songs on iTunes would be available in unprotected versions by year’s end.
The one concern I do have is for all the CD stores that are still out there, everyone should go visit one soon and say goodbye, adios, hasta la vista... The one thing we cannot say to them is farewell because they won't.
Didn't emusic.com already provide more music than this in a DRM free format that far more devices already support? I'm not all that excited about drm free aac content that costs more. I want to buy it encoded in the format I want at the bitrate I want.
Granted this is a nice start, but I'd prefer to pick the format and bitrate and be charged according to the bandwidth of my download. If I want a lossless file format and don't mind paying for it, give me that. If I want a 128 vbr rip, give me a discount of some sort.
I'm really not enamored with the whole Itunes model. I prefer the subscription model and there's no getting away from drm there.
I do think any purchases should be in the format you want and DRM free.
Posted by
Chris |
12:59 PM