Amazon To Launch DRM-Free Music Store?
Lots to talk about in the world of Apple/Music/Television/Digital Distribution/DRM/good tofu recipes. The NY Post is reporting that Amazon will launch a Music store with non-restricted MP3s available.
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The store will offer songs in the iPod-friendly MP3 format and give consumers who use the popular music player an alternative source for major label music besides Apple’s iTunes.
The current thinking on a launch date for the Amazon MP3 store is the week of Sept. 17. However, industry insiders aware of Amazon’s plan caution that it remains a moving target. Amazon has already pushed the timetable on the service’s introduction multiple times.
It’s expected to launch around September 17th with about 1 million tracks from Universal Music Group, EMI and independent labels excluding Sony BMG and Warner Music group. Albums are reportedly going to cost $7.99 and $9.99. It looks like the once invincible iTunes is seriously getting some competition.
This is ridiculous and stupid…”Universal is shutting out Apple’s iTunes Store from its trial run. Why? Because it wants to use iTunes as a control group against which to compare its sale of DRM-free downloads elsewhere”. (forbes.com)
Dear Universal, good luck with that and don’t burn the bridge with apple. If you leave, you will be back and hopefully apple will let you back with the same price-per-song as before.
Dear Apple, Restrict song imports if they contain a universal tag (ie:comment) from amazon. It can be bypassed or changed but still a process. Also demand that they don’t use the name iPod when they talk about MP3 as a universal format.
chris