“Apple is believed to be on the verge of an end-of-year push that would start by finally offering unprotected iTunes Store music from all major labels and would switch a special post-holiday campaign giving away music and videos to Europeans,” Aidan Malley reports for AppleInsider.
“A report from last week brought to AppleInsider’s attention by French technology site ElectronLibre asserts that it’s now “clear” Apple will spark new interest in its music store by removing DRM from tracks published by Sony, Universal and Warner on December 9th,” Malley reports.
“Talks between Apple and the remaining three labels may have been corroborated by a previous CNet story which also mentioned ongoing discussions that would let Apple switch to music without FairPlay restrictions,” Malley reports. “Shoppers themselves have also noticed songs briefly selling unprotected that weren’t either from EMI or independents.”
More in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “RadDoc” for the heads up.]
Wunderbar!
It’s to the point now where it would be too expensive to upgrade at .29 cents per song. I’ll keep Fairplay.
I hope to see many more songs on my iTunes Plus “Upgrade My Library” list. I don’t care about DRM so much, since it’s basically seamless for me, but I’d like the 256 kbps files for all the favorites I’ve already purchased.
1. The labels had the chance to have Apple sell their DMR Free/256 songs at a higher price (like they wanted Apple to do) but they blew it by trying to undercut Apple with Apple’s so called competitors. Now it’s too late.
2. So, what happens to my DRM songs that I already bought?
To clarify by question above, what happens to my DRM songs if the same songs are available DRM Free/256 at the same 99¢? I hope they don’t want me to pay to upgrade to the same tracks/Albums that are being sold at the same price.
Perhaps I will now feel better about spending the rest of the money from the iTunes gift cards. I really hate DRM, but I also dislike leaving money sitting in Apple’s account.
They do…
.29
drum free songs? Who the hell wants that?
Probably just a bunch of beatniks sittin around snappin their fingers….
I don’t believe this rumor. it’s huge. so itunes will add more DRM free music. but it won’t set up for entire free. rumor is just rumor.
Actually, it’s 30 cents (not 29).
All the music on my iPods is in ‘lossless’, and when Apple start selling music in this quality then they’ll have at least one new customer – but probably tens of thousands of new customers.
If this rumor turns out to be true, all the tech pundits will publish articles headlined: “Apple finally sees the light; removes DRM like other distributors.”
I wish Apple sold flac files.
aFLAC!
Once the entire store is upgraded, the new DRM-free (iTunes Plus) files will all cost $0.99. That would make old, Fair-Play wrapped files valued at around $0.69, so those who own original files would have to pay, you guessed it, $0.30 to get the new ones.
For now, we still don’t see any changes, at least not in the US iTunes store.
I wonder if this recession has something to do with the labels finally conceding to Apple. I bet they are seeing their revenue drop sharply and are desperate to improve their income.
Seems like it only takes a crisis for the labels to play ball.
I will believe it when I see it….. And not even then.
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FLAC? I have yet to see a commercial application of this format. Apple has its own Apple Lossless, which provides pretty much the same file compression level with the same, well, lossless audio quality.
I would like to hear the arguments why Apple should begin to support FLAC instead of their own lossless format?
“FLAC? I have yet to see a commercial application of this format. Apple has its own Apple Lossless, which provides pretty much the same file compression level with the same, well, lossless audio quality.
I would like to hear the arguments why Apple should begin to support FLAC instead of their own lossless format?”
My feelings exactly, Predrag!
MW: federal, as in Gov. Blagojevich has been arrested on federal charges of corruption, unlike any other Illinois governor ever.
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If Apple offered music that was both DRM-free AND in Apple Lossless, I’d actually buy a lot more than the occasional single or special iTunes exclusive track from the iTunes store.
“FLAC? I have yet to see a commercial application of this format.”
You are joking right? Get out from under the AppleRock
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FLAC has been in commercial hardware since before the iPod even existed…
http://flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html