Amazon is announcing the launch of a digital music store. The big news: it’s DRM-free (no Digital Rights Management). That means you can download your music and use it without restriction, play it on any device or burn it. However, EMI is the only major record company that allows the sale of its music free of DRM. The other big 3 (Warner, Universal, Sony BMG) are not, so you will not find their music at Amazon, but they’re bound to feel some pressure to comply.
Last month Apple announced DRM-free music for sale at the Itunes store, for $1.29 a track instead of $.99 for the restricted versions. Amazon haven’t made public their pricing structure but they should be good competition for Apple seeing as so many people already have accounts with Amazon for books and CD’s.
Shares of Amazon rose $2.64, or more than 4 percent, today. The digital store opens late 2007.
On a side note, kind of funny that a bookseller would name themselves Amazon. I guess books do require paper.
DRM free - You pay for it, it’s yours. Should have been this way since day one. Why so much control? Why so much greed?
Talk about flame bait verrati. how would you like it if i sold you DRM free!?