Wal-Mart today announced the launch of DRM-free MP3 music downloads, now available online at www.walmart.com.
At 94-cents per track and $9.22 per album, the new MP3 digital format delivers value, convenience and the ability for customers to play music on nearly any device, including Apple iPod and iPhone portable media players. Wal-Mart is one of the first major retailers to offer MP3 digital tracks with music content from major record labels such as Universal and EMI Music.
“As we consistently strive to help our customers shop smart at Wal-Mart, our new ‘DRM-free’ MP3 digital tracks give them the ease and flexibility to play music on virtually any device at a great value,” said Kevin Swint, Wal-Mart’s senior director and divisional manager for digital media, in the press release. “Also, we’re excited to launch our MP3 catalog with major record labels such as Universal and EMI Music that includes music from popular artists like The Rolling Stones, Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Amy Winehouse, Maroon 5, George Strait and Nelly.”
Wal-Mart’s new MP3 music catalog includes hundreds of thousands of songs and albums, and will be continually expanded with additional mainstream and independent music content.
Wal-Mart will continue to offer its existing WMA-format music downloads. Customers may select the option of MP3-format downloads at 256 kbps for $0.94/track and/or WMA-format downloads at 128 kbps for $0.88/track.
We love it when a plan comes together! Steve Jobs has changed the world… again.
A side effect of this whole Steve Jobs-propelled DRM-free shift is that Microsoft’s WMA format and DRM will be sidelined even further than it is already and ultimately limited to the “cheap low-quality” format which is perfectly apt given its corporate parent.
@BustingTheSkullsOfIdiots
i will inform my wife, who is not a master of economics (she has a PhD in it actually) that her knowledge of the subject is lacking and that she should refund her employer the 375,000 a year.
or, as a different option, it is possible she knows what she is talking about, and you are the one who should STFU.
just keeping all the options open.
MW: “quality” is something walmart lacks
“”i would buy an iPod if they could play mp3s instead of that iTunes stuff…”
“yes, that is a really quote, spoken to me in real life, by a real idiot….”
That’s why the Darwin Awards will never run run out of material.
Friends Don’t Let Friends Shop At WalMart.
How can Wal-Mart afford to offer MP3’s for 94¢?
Wal-Mart’s MP3’s are made in sweatshops by 3-year old Chinese orphans who get 1 meal every 2 days. They also contain lead—both the orphans and the MP3s. The DRM extraction process is a volatile and hazardous one. Many of these kids have lost fingers.
Just say no. Be vocal about it too. Walmart is a greedy corporation that wants all the sales it can get.
“M@c..
.
Absolutely! Online music “shopping” will NEVER replace poking through CD bins and “trying” obscure or unknown stuff based solely on graphics and gut instinct.”
While I, too, do enjoy this process, a very low percentage of people 25 (approximately) and younger have the same connection. Online music distribution, in fact, increases the ability of former record store geeks such as us to find “obscure” music. There are many ways to search through music collections on the web, whether it be a virtual rummaging session (eg discogs.com) or sites that try to find similar artists to your tastes. Also, it is now much easier to find the “album” that was released on a small label on the other side of the ocean 10 years ago that was impossible to find on vinyl or CD because only 300 were printed. As long as that label has made their catalog on the internet on either a major store such as iTunes or a niche store like Bleep.com, then anyone can find it and own it. Sure, it does not stimulate the same senses as digging through a bin at Moby Disc, but you CAN do it from the comfort of your bed!
This could be serious competition for iTunes. I just bookmarked WalMart’s music page. That’s a first for me; previously, I’ve always totally ignored the also-rans.
WAL-MART IS AN EVIL CORPORATION THAT DESTROYS HUMAN BEINGS, DESTROYS COMMUNITIES, AND DESTROYS THE PLANET!
Rent the movie “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price”:
http://www.walmartmovie.com
DO NOT SUPPORT WAL-MART!!!
Oh, and speaking of Chinese stuff (lead in paint, etc)…
Check out the Boeing 737 that had a fuel line break ( http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20374228/ ). It burned darn near to the ground after landing in Okinaw. It was owned and operated by China Airlines.
GO WALMART!!!
The most successful anti-poverty program this country–or any country–has ever seen. It has done more for lower-income families than the federal government, not to mention anyone on this thread, will ever do.
BTW, I have no Walmart stock and I will not buy their from their anti-Mac online music store. But any sane, non-ideologue will otherwise wish them well.
As a predictably banal poster on MDN, I will never fail to drop by from time to time to regale everyone with the same old tired refrain on the typical Mac fanboy.
Wooo Hooo! Go Shoeman!!!
“GO WALMART!!!
The most successful anti-poverty program this country–or any country–has ever seen. It has done more for lower-income families than the federal government, not to mention anyone on this thread, will ever do.”
Just Say No to Drugs!
Doesn’t Wal*Mart only sell the “edited” (censored) versions of albums that contain adult language?
I hate Walmart. We will have a super WM soon that will put half or more of the privately owned small shops out of business.
Hence the “One stop shopping all under one roof” WM proposed as a positive to our Town Board. And they were stupid enough to see it as a positive. Small town idiots.
I tired to send Wal★Mart an online message about not supporting the Macintosh. After spending time composing the “letter” I found their form doesn’t work. It wouldn’t send.
Good luck Wal★Mart, your going to need it.
“The most successful anti-poverty program this country–or any country–has ever seen. It has done more for lower-income families than the federal government, not to mention anyone on this thread, will ever do.”
i believe you mean “has done more to CREATE lower-income families”
always double check your posts…..
@ DRM Sucks –
Completely agree with you. I’ve put together some great CD’s based on downloaded music, it definately is a great idea. I will continue to do so as well. Great for obscure stuff too, totally agree.
But when I have a choice to pick up any recent artist’s new album, I’m going to the record store and buying the CD, rather than just downloading it from my couch.
It makes listening to it that much more enjoyable. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, I guess this is for my own benefit.
And does anybody remember buying a new LP and puling it out of the jacket for the first time? No scratches, all shiney, smelled good…those were good days.
I tried to send WalMart an online message… I found their form doesn’t work. It wouldn’t send. —The Other Steve
I just visited the WalMart site and sent them an email message with no trouble at all.
AAC is superior to MP3 this is a fact!!!
If you’d done a little bit of homework, you’d know that China Airlines is based in Taiwan, not mainland China (despite what the mainland claims, Taiwan is a de facto independent country).
STFU you commie-terrorist lover!!!!!
Universal must really have it out for Apple. They conceded to (1) offering DRM-free tracks and (2) to sell them at LESS than $0.99!
I’d really like to see Apple conduct an “experiment” and drop Universal’s entire catalog. It’s not like Apple makes much from music sales anyway…
Simple solution to download the files from Wal-Mart.
Using the Camio Web Browser, simple change the browser mode to “Internet Explorer”. That will make Wal-Mart think that you are using windows and it will let you download the file. (granted the page might render weird, it will still work.)
“commie terrorist lover” based on what, that walmart is a bad company for people?
oh noes! caught out on the interweb! if you don’t support the bigboxmart you is the commie terrorist! we have to buy cheap chinese plastic crap so made over there so we don’t have to make it over here!
….i don’t know about you, but i wish stupidity was painful, so that people who (seriously) made arguments like that hurt every time they did so…..
dallas, or even with the debug menu in Safari.
….assuming it is just that they are too lazy to test with other browsers. as i imagine is the case.