Amazon to Open Music Store Entirely DRM-Free
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Written By Kate Zimmermann | May 16, 2007 | Share This
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Well it’s about time - Today Amazon announced that it will sell MP3 downloads DRM-free. EMI and about 12,000 other independent labels will supply Amazon’s initial catalog of unprotected music. From the news release,
” “Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on […]
Well it’s about time - Today Amazon announced that it will sell MP3 downloads DRM-free. EMI and about 12,000 other independent labels will supply Amazon’s initial catalog of unprotected music. From the news release,
” “Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on any device,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO. “We’re excited to have EMI joining us in this effort and look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing artists like Coldplay, Norah Jones and Joss Stone.”"
Though analysts have long suspected that Amazon would get into the music download business, their choice to sell songs without DRM encryption delivers a one-two punch against iTunes. As the New York Times reports,
“Amazon’s store will immediately position Amazon as a serious rival to Apple and its popular iTunes service. ‘We’ve been waiting for Amazon to be a serious player in digital music for some time,” he said. “They know how to sell music and this is a powerful endorsement of the MP3 strategy.’”
There’s no word on how much the DRM-free downloads will cost. Last month, Apple and EMI’s announcement that would sell DRM-free music for $1.30 per song got mixed reviews - though people are eager to enjoy music without DRM, not many seem willing to pay a 30% price hike.
Topics: Technology |