News - EMI dumping DRM?

[matgb]

EMI dumps DRM on iTunes. Is the glacier moving?

Only on iTunes, but DRM free is good regardless.

ETA: Not just on iTunes. EMI Press Release:

From today, EMI's retailers will be offered downloads of tracks and albums in the DRM-free audio format of their choice in a variety of bit rates up to CD quality. EMI is releasing the premium downloads in response to consumer demand for high fidelity digital music for use on home music systems, mobile phones and digital music players. EMI's new DRM-free products will enable full interoperability of digital music across all devices and platforms.

Comments

[0ct0pus.livejournal.com]

Slowly. When something like eMusic (http://www.emusic.com/about/index.html) is the norm, that's when the digital floodgates will open (to mix a metaphor.)

[matgb]

Essentially, we're looking at a completely new marketplace, and the big boys are trying to lock it down, but yes, sites like eMusic and more recent innovations very good.

They're releasing stuff at up to CD quality. Yeah baby.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Hurrah!

Wow, and it was EMI too? THAT was unexpected!

[matgb]

Agreed, of all the big boys, EMI is unexpected. But then, maybe they just noted how the market is moving and finally decided being the first to break would be good publicity.

I'm happy to oblige them in this case.

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Maiden are on EMI, and they've been doing download singles on their own website for a bit now. I am willing to bet, epecially given what was said in the interview with Steve Harris that came with the Different World download, that Maiden and or their management had a hand in this.

'Arry has been talking about this for a good few months.

You know, not that I pay more attention to what men say when I have a crush on them or anything... O:-)

[dainul.livejournal.com]

What gets me about this is the blatant bullshit PR-speech that Apple was giving at the same conference. But certaily, a reduction of DRM is a good thing.

[matgb]

PR is PR. I liked the bit from EMI that said they'd "always argued" that increased availability was the only way to defeat piracy. yeah, right...

[mapp.livejournal.com]

I find it more believable that EMI pressured Apple into supporting no-DRM on their MP3s (the whole "it's more profitable for Apple to have DRM than not thing...")

[mooism.livejournal.com]

Will Apple let independent music companies’ music be sold free of DRM through iTunes? They’ve been refusing so far.

99p per track is overpriced in comparison to CDs.

Still, it’s a major move forwards.

[matgb]

Agree on all points, I don't plan on using iTunes any time soon, but if EMI is going to allow DRM free stuff on lots of different retail sites, then the other labels will follow, and we can see a genuine market.

Don't know anything about Apple and independents, but if they want to limit their product range then more fool them.

[mooism.livejournal.com]

Until today it has been a condition of selling your music through iTunes that it have Apple’s DRM on it. It’s not clear to me whether this rule is history, or whether EMI is a special case.

This is why Apple’s open letter about DRM the other week stank of hypocrisy.

[paulatpingu.livejournal.com]

Well it's obviously a move in the right direction, though how much difference it will make is yet to be seen.

Way I see, people who care about DRM aren't using iTunes and wont until they make all of their music DRM-free (and maybe not even then). People who are using iTunes probably aren't bothered, unless they've directly ran up against it when copying music. So I'm not sure how people are celebrating because they're directly effected.

But regardless, information should be as free as possible, so yes, a good move.

[matgb]

Well, there are some who cre about DRM, but were given iPods, or similar, and others are beginning to care who have been, etc.

I'm happy because it's a sign that the industry is prepared to catch up with the market, that's it, really.