Music Labels Kill Copy Protection
Digital Rights Management (DRM) Removed from Online Music Files
Purchasing music on the Internet just became a lot less complicated as most labels now are offering downloads of MP3 music files without DRM-based copy protection.
Digital rights management of audio files has been a point of controversy ever since purchasing legal copies of music tracks via the Internet became commonplace. The various methods used in the digital rights management and copy protection of such files has led to many problems where tracks purchased from one vendor may or may not play on media players affiliated with another.
Finally, after years of complaining it appears that the major distributors of legal online music files have seen the light and realized that consumers want to be able to listen to their music whenever and on whatever player or computer they choose. Online audio files have come full circle as distributors begin to strip the DRM from the songs they sell. It should come as no surprise that one of the first to adopt this new model is also one of the oldest, and once most controversial, online music sources.
DRM-Free Music Now on Sale at Many Internet Retailers
A few months ago Amazon came out with an online music library, selling for less than a dollar per track and all tracks were DRM-free. Now Napster, with its mammoth library of music, is also going to be released from its restrictions allowing purchased music to be downloaded in unrestricted MP3 format.
The idea and acceptance of converting tracks to DRM-free MP3 format is picking up speed across many vendors. In mid-2007 Apple was one of the first to begin offering tracks licensed by EMI to be purchased through iTunes without digital rights management (for 30 cents more per track). Around the same time the Amazon music store opened with DRM-free tracks for under $1 each from over 12,000 music labels.
Recently other more major labels have considered getting off the DRM bandwagon. The New York Times recently published that Sony has announced that it will be throwing its massive music library into the ring via the Amazon music store. This addition makes Amazon be the current leader in DRM-free music, having contracted with all 4 major music labels.
DRM-Free Does Not Mean Copyright Free
It appears the major music labels are banking on the idea that consumers will buy more tracks if they know that they can listen to them with no restrictions. Still, one has to wonder just how trustworthy the public will be when it comes to sharing these newly unchained bits of media.
Will consumers start burning CD's and giving copies of music tracks away to their friends? In truth, locking up music with DRM never stopped this practice. It is now up to each buyer's conscience to decide if being able to buy DRM-free tracks will make them more or less likely to make and distribute illegal copies. The labels are banking that this new strategy will loosen up the wallets and let the money come rolling in.
