Curse

bilateralrope · Apr 03, 2007, 06:49 AM // 06:49

Link

Quote:

A Death Blow to DRM

Less than two months after Apple chief executive Steve Jobs challenged record labels to stop insisting on "digital rights management" copy restrictions, one of the major record labels took him up on the invitation.

This morning, EMI Music announced that it would allow customers to buy music off Apple's iTunes Store--and later, other music stores--without any "DRM" encumbrances, and in a higher-quality format than before. What EMI Group chief executive Eric Nicoli called "premium digital downloads" will be offered as an alternative to its existing, copy-controlled fare. "They will be free from digital rights management... secondly, they will have vastly improved sound quality," Nicoli said.

Nicoli cited earlier, successful experiments in selling high-quality, DRM-free downloads to justify this move. While EMI's new offerings won't be available at major online stores immediately, one of the label's major new artists--The Good, The Bad & The Queen--began selling its new album in MP3 format on its own Web site today.

Jobs predicted that EMI will have plenty of company in selling DRM-free music on iTunes. "Starting today, Apple will reach out to all the other major and independent labels to give them the same opportunity," Jobs said. "We estimate that well over half of the five million tracks offered on iTunes today will also be offered in DRM-free versions by the end of this calendar year."

So here's how it will all work on the iTunes Store: Starting in May, you'll be able to pay 99 cents for the same 128-kbps AAC, DRMed file as before, or you can pay $1.29 for an AAC file with twice the quality, at a 256-kbps bit rate, and none of the restrictions. Better yet, albums and music videos will cost the same with or without DRM. EMI must want this to succeed very, very badly.

You'll also be able to upgrade old EMI purchases for 30 cents each. Apple says it will provide a "one-click option" to identify EMI purchases in your iTunes library and swap them out for new, DRM-free, double-the-quality versions. (That should get around the problem of finding EMI purchases in the first place--iTunes doesn't provide a way to search or browse for music from a particular record label.)

More details are available in the press releases from Apple and EMI. You can also listen to a recording of the announcement online.

I think it's the right move by Apple and EMI--far, far better news for consumers than the news some had incorrectly forecast, the arrival of the Beatles' catalogue on iTunes--and I look forward to seeing how other record labels and other music-download stores react to it.

What do you think of this new deal? If you've bought EMI music off iTunes, will you upgrade it when you get the chance? Will this make you more likely to buy EMI music in the first place?

By Rob Pegoraro | April 2, 2007; 12:19 PM ET

No this is not an april fools prank that took a few days to get noticed. It looks like EMI have finally realized that DRM doesn't actually prevent piracy, especially if the same content is easily obtainable via a non-DRM means (such as any audio CD that you can play in a standard CD player). And once the other music companies see the increased sales on the DRM free files they will either abandon DRM themselves or be idiots and point to the increased quality as the reason people are buying these tracks.

Apples press release
EMI's press release

Bored Atheist · Apr 03, 2007, 04:22 PM // 16:22

gg microsoft on the zune and not following jobs and all his genius.

fallot · Apr 03, 2007, 06:42 PM // 18:42

I can't find words for how awesome this is.

lakatz · Apr 03, 2007, 10:45 PM // 22:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bored Atheist

gg microsoft on the zune and not following jobs and all his genius.

Huh? I think I missed something. This is about EMI's decision. Zune (in the category of 'other stores') WILL follow right behind iTunes... won't it? So... what am I missing?