Apple today announced that EMI Music’s entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM-free (without digital rights management) from the iTunes Store worldwide in May. DRM-free tracks from EMI will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding, resulting in audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording, for just $1.29 per song. In addition, iTunes customers will be able to easily upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents a song.
BBC News reports, “EMI boss Eric Nicoli said the move did not diminish EMI’s fight against piracy. DRM has been hailed by some in the industry as the most effective way to stop illicit copying. ‘We have to trust our consumers,’ he said. ‘We have always argued that the best way to combat illegal traffic is to make legal content available at decent value and convenient.'”
The Beeb reports, “Apple boss Steve Jobs shared the platform with Mr Nicoli and said: ‘This is the next big step forward in the digital music revolution – the movement to completely interoperable DRM-free music.’ He added: ‘The right thing to do is to tear down walls that precluded interoperability by going DRM-free and that starts here today.'”
“Analyst Mark Mulligan, with Jupiter Research, said the announcement ‘changes not just the rules of the game, but the game itself.’ He said he expected the other record labels and online retailers to follow suit in due course. ‘Other retail partners have to come to the party because they can’t be seen to be offering an inferior product,'” The Beeb reports.
“Other record companies would soon follow EMI’s lead, predicted Mr Jobs,” The Beeb reports. “He said the more than half of all the tracks available in the iTunes store would be available DRM-free by the end of the year.”
Full article here.
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So much for the European/French lawsuit claiming that iTunes downloads don’t play on other music players. That issue is now DEAD, DEAD, DEAD. Bring on your Rio’s, Zunes, Jukeboxes, and the like; they can ALL play EMI music from iTunes!
Go Jobs
Go Jobs
It’s yo birthday
Thank you…
If I believe that you are putting trust in me…are putting my interests at the forefront…and are not trying to stick-it-to-me… I’m less likely to steal from you. In fact, I may become your advocate. I will tell other people about you. I will be a part of your marketing team without you even knowing about it.
Why don’t companies understand this?
A better idea would have been to put watermarks in the file. Some sort of code to track the files back to the person who shared it.
I would like to think that everyone is honest, but we know there are a few bad Apples out there.
who says they aren’t watermarking songs?? In the info section of each song file is the account that downloaded it. It would not be hard to include this marker in the coding. Of course, if they publicize this backdoor to fighting piracy they will lose it.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=238435844&play=1
Perfectly logical and obvious. It kind of reminds me
of the argument for the legalization of marijuana.
30 percent increase for DRM , YIKES.
I’ll keep the DRM it doesn’t effect me at all.
<a href =”http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/ENT04/70402020/1039″>Beatles not included in DRM free music from EMI</a>
But whoever cares about the Beatles already has their music anyway.
You are absolutely right, but don’t stop at digital downloads.
ALL consumer activity should be tracked to a worldwide database which is closely monitored by an international consortium of courts. In the event there are infractions, justice should be swiftly carried out by these courts and maximum penalties must be applied.
I am sick and tired of the pervasive lawlessness of an immoral few.
God bless.
Isn’t Jobs worried that other music players will be able to more effectively compete against the iPod, now that this has been opened up like this?
I have a certain sympathy with the record companies in terms of wanting to protect their material, after all it is very easy to just email an album to a friend or copy many albums or a whole collection from one person to another. That said, if they try to rip customers off whilst legitimately protecting themselves then that’s wrong. If you offer customers a genuinely easy to use, convenient and reasonably priced service (iTunes) then customers are likely to use it. EMI are cottoning on to this. I just hope they succeed.
Ok, so now I get higher quality, DRM free, music for $1.29 per song. What about the people who were happy with buying the $.99 song. DRM has never posed an issue and I’m happy with the quality now I have to pay $1.29. That’s a 29% increase in the price folks. Can we still buy the DRM version as save 29%? Kinda sucks.
@ Melan Parkstrider
The new format and pricing is an addition to the system, not a replacement. You’ll still be able to but .99 tracks with DRM.
no one else knows how to make music players worth a damn – so no, I’m NOT worried about it.
Now that convergence is happening – AppleTv = Mac, cellphone/ipod = Mac…. why should i worry… the other guys have had Windows CE now for nearly 10 years, and its STILL crap.
Whoever came up with the idea of a Mac ripoff mouse driven interface to be a “good idea” for a tiny screened portable device … with no mouse… is a tard, and the fact that they keep pimping it, and have done nothing to compe close to the iPhone’s interface is…well… typical.
First this is great news, and I don’t like to be the guy that just can never get pleased, but Here is a potential problem:
Scenario:
Imagine you download and pay for a DRM-free song. Someone goes to a party at your house and hears the song on your living room speakers playing through your $TV and asks you about it. You say that you really like the band and bought the song DRM-free on iTunes! The guest goes to your den, with out your permission, and copies the song.
Now, the song secretly has a watermark built in so that if it is found on a p2p site the record lables know exactly where it came from and sue you to tears. You can’t prove that it wasn’t you, and so you are forced to pay lots of money.
Is this situation unlikely, maybe. I’m just saying that there is always a catch.
note: to buy non-DRM albums at 256 is the same price as the DRM’d ones… so basically, we’ve pushed people back to buying albums.
let’s get it straight – there was no european or french lawsuit. all that happened was that a few nordic ombudsmen (who have v few actual legal powers) stated that they didn’t like FairPlay, and the french parliament tried, in vain, to pass a law that they said would aid cross-compatibility. In addition, some functionary at the competition commission shot her mouth off, despite the actual commissioner saying that FairPlay was fine. There was never any legislation or legal action against Apple in europe, just blowhards looking for headlines.
“What about the people who were happy with buying the $.99 song. DRM has never posed an issue and I’m happy with the quality now I have to pay $1.29. That’s a 29% increase in the price folks.”
Ummm you know, you could actually READ the press release. It clearly says that the 99 cent songs with DRM will still be available………
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$2 Billion in tunes sold on iTS. At $0.30 per song to upgrade to DRM free 256 kbps AAC files that is $600 million on the table for The Labels to split if they all join up under the same terms.
Apple just set the terms for the next contract with The Labels. Who controls the music industry?
The Middlebronfman is Steve’s bitch.
A shrewed move.
As Apple virtually own the MP3 player market with the iPod, and as iTunes offers the best and easyest user experience for buying tracks online, they’re now going after the other on-line stores with songs that any MP3 playing device can download.
I imagine that visiting the iTunes store, Zune users will be like rabbits caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck – stunned by how easy it all is to use.
@MacBill
The success of the iPod has never depended on the iTunes Store. iPod succeeds on its own merits of quality, user experience and style. ITS has always been gravy.
Once again, The Steve has done it!
Jobs is so attuned to the pulse of the market. I’m amazed no one at MafiaSoft, RealFake Networks, etc. are still so out of step. Kind of like how the Bush Administration is so far – just kidding. I won’t hijack this one.
Ah, Rock on Steve!
“A better idea would have been to put watermarks in the file. Some sort of code to track the files back to the person who shared it.”
I actually dont think this is that bad of an idea so long as yit cannot be made to be hacked to incriminate someone else.
The reluctance of the rest of the industry to adapt the better quality AAC has now instantly changed.
Few manufacturers will be dumb enough to come out with a new device that is mp3 compatible but NOT AAC compatible.
I’m guessing that there are many devices that were about to be released are now heading back to the drawing board as we speak!