Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Amazon to Open DRM-Free Music Store
Posted by Damion Chaplin in "CONTENT" @ 04:00 PM
"Amazon.com will open an online music store whose songs will not carry copy-protection technology, the Seattle e-tailer announced Wednesday, confirming a move that had recently been rumored. The company said it will launch the music store "later this year" without providing additional timetable details. But whenever it opens, it will enter a market currently dominated by Apple's iTunes. The Amazon.com store will sell songs without digital rights management (DRM) technology in MP3 format from EMI Music and about 12,000 other music labels, Amazon.com said. Buyers will be able to play the songs in a variety of devices, including Windows PCs, Mac OS computers, and iPod and Zune devices, Amazon.com said. They will also be able to burn songs to CDs. Amazon didn't provide any pricing details for the store's inventory of songs and albums."
This is great news, but ordering physical CDs from Amazon is so freakin' easy, I'm not sure I would ever buy the files instead. What would be cool is if they give you access to the digital files when you buy the CD. That way you can buy the physical CD and still have that instant gratification that comes with downloading music while waiting for the CD to arrive. Now if they'd only start offering DRM-free TV show downloads. :)
This is great news, but ordering physical CDs from Amazon is so freakin' easy, I'm not sure I would ever buy the files instead. What would be cool is if they give you access to the digital files when you buy the CD. That way you can buy the physical CD and still have that instant gratification that comes with downloading music while waiting for the CD to arrive. Now if they'd only start offering DRM-free TV show downloads. :)
