Apple potentially migrating away from DRM

[Venkman]

Wasn't sure where to post this, but thought it noteworthy:

It's limited to the EMI collections right now, but the Press Release implies potential 100% rollout in time.

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html

The short form-

• DRM free for distribution and use on other players
• Only from EMI Music currently, but with the expectation of extension to the rest of the library in time
• $1.29 per song
• Any EMI song ever purchased can be upgraded to DRM free at $0.30 per song (probably will be for other collections as well in time.

The full release:

CUPERTINO, California—April 2, 2007—Apple® today announced that EMI Music’s entire digital catalog of music will be available for purchase DRM-free (without digital rights management) from the iTunes® Store (www.itunes.com) worldwide in May. DRM-free tracks from EMI will be offered at higher quality 256 kbps AAC encoding, resulting in audio quality indistinguishable from the original recording, for just $1.29 per song. In addition, iTunes customers will be able to easily upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free versions for just 30 cents a song. iTunes will continue to offer its entire catalog, currently over five million songs, in the same versions as today—128 kbps AAC encoding with DRM—at the same price of 99 cents per song, alongside DRM-free higher quality versions when available.

“We are going to give iTunes customers a choice—the current versions of our songs for the same 99 cent price, or new DRM-free versions of the same songs with even higher audio quality and the security of interoperability for just 30 cents more,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think our customers are going to love this, and we expect to offer more than half of the songs on iTunes in DRM-free versions by the end of this year.”

“EMI and iTunes are once again teaming up to move the digital music industry forward by giving music fans higher quality audio that is virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings, with no usage restrictions on the music they love from their favorite artists,” said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group.

With DRM-free music from the EMI catalog, iTunes customers will have the ability to download tracks from their favorite EMI artists without any usage restrictions that limit the types of devices or number of computers that purchased songs can be played on. DRM-free songs purchased from the iTunes Store will be encoded in AAC at 256 kbps, twice the current bit rate of 128 kbps, and will play on all iPods, Mac® or Windows computers, Apple TVs and soon iPhones, as well as many other digital music players.

iTunes will also offer customers a simple, one-click option to easily upgrade their entire library of all previously purchased EMI content to the higher quality DRM-free format for 30 cents a song. All EMI music videos will also be available in DRM-free format with no change in price.

The iTunes Store features the world’s largest catalog with over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 400 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over two billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over 1.3 million movies, making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.

With Apple’s legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod® and the ability to turn previously purchased songs into completed albums at a reduced price, the iTunes Store is the best way for PC and Mac users to legally discover, purchase and download music and video online.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and will enter the mobile phone market this year with its revolutionary iPhone.

[HaemishM]

As much as I loathe Itunes, I'm actually happy with the idea of paying an extra fee for DRM-free files. At first, I thought "What a bunch of douchebags." But the more I think on it, the more I can get behind the idea. Here's your .30 cents a track, now fuck off and let me use my purchase the way I want. I'd certainly like some assurance that most of that .30 cents is going to the original artist/copyright holder instead of into Apple/EMI's pockets, but we can't have everything.

[bhodi]

I wonder if it'll be the normal price in France and other countries where they have DRM litigation?

This is a pretty sound move for them, at least from a business perspective. All the money points to no DRM, it's getting the recording industry to buy off on it that has been the stumbling block for years.

[Stormwaltz]

Now if only Apple will fix the iTunes store so that it believes I can legally have a U.S. credit card and a Canadian mailing address...

[Righ]

The music industry needs to sign off on it. There's virtually no fucking industry left. Apple probably has strong enough finances that if the record companies weren't already owned by larger parent companies, Apple could afford to buy them all. Thats how insignificant the market is compared with computers and consumer electronics these days.

In the future, the fidelity will be the equivalent of SACD-DSD, with lossless compression, no DRM with subscriber-unique 'watermarks' encoded in real-time. Old bastards like me like our tangible products, but most younger people see CDs as nothing more than an inefficient delivery mechanism that forces them to have to rip the songs before use. It's ironic that record companies have been trying to push digital sales of back catalogs (favored by old bastards) and CD sales of new teenage 'Pop Idol' bullshit, favored by you sprogs.

EMI are one of the pioneers of digital watermarking, so it'll be interesting to see what happens once people start 'sharing' these unlocked files.

[Samwise]

At $0.30 per song, it's still much cheaper (if less efficient) to burn each batch of songs to a CD and rip it back.  Even assuming you've got a shitty CD burner like mine and turn every other CD into a coaster.

[Sky]

AIFF please.

[Oban]

Now if only Apple will fix the iTunes store so that it believes I can legally have a U.S. credit card and a Canadian mailing address...

US funds credit card from a Canadian bank or a true US credit card? 

I used a US credit card with a US address for a couple of years, then when my card expired I tried to switch the iTunes account to a Canadian US funds card.  Long story short, no worky.

Now I just use a fake US address and buy gift cards on eBay.

USD98.50 for a USD100 credit.  /shrug