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May 16, 2007

music

Putting the ‘DRM’ in ‘drama’: Amazon swings its way into DRM-free music downloads

Posted May. 16, ’07, 9:05 AM PT by Dan Moren
Category | Music

Amazon Music“Ka-blooey” was the sound of brains exploding this morning when Amazon announced its intentions to open a DRM-free music download store later this year. The less onomatopoeic (seriously: why is that word not spelled like it sounds?) among us opted for a more judicious “Huh.” Rumors of Amazon entering the music download have been floated for some time, with hints of DRM-free tracks surfacing in recent months.

First, the facts: Amazon plans to make available “millions” of songs, with no DRM, in the DRM-free MP3 format. Now, EMI is already onboard, with what sounds like pretty much the same deal that they made with Apple. The other major labels have yet to commit and, as we know, are still in talks with Steve Jobs about the future of their deals with iTunes. Meanwhile, Amazon says they plan to offer music from over 12,000 record labels, which is approximately 11,500 more than I would have ever guessed existed. This also marks a big move for Amazon, who previously had embraced Microsoft’s Windows Media DRM for their Unbox online video service.

You might think I would immediately decry Amazon for copying Apple, but I assure you: nothing could be further from the truth. The great thing about DRM-free music is that you, the consumer, will be able to choose where you want to buy your tunes: online with iTunes, Amazon, and eMusic, or from your traditional brick-and-mortar resellers in archaic CD format (I kid!). This is a huge step forward for digital music, and hopefully the other labels will realize that there’s some major benefits to DRM-free tracks. Rock on, Amazon. Rock on.

[via Playlist]


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