…Hopefully. So much has been happening in a single year since the age of digital anarchy came along. People are scrambling left and right for answers, and new ways to reform a symbiotic relationship with the record industry. Music Industry Optimists everywhere are blogging about the DRM-free news with high acclaim. Is this it? Will EMI’s removal of digital rights management (DRM) from songs bear good omens? It’s a small step, but a bold step. EMI has a lot of gusto for being the first of the Big labels to step up and change, despite the fact that Warner also verbalized for several years that it did not believe in DRM. Apple’s iTunes store will be the first to feature these DRM free downloads, but Beatles fans need not apply, since the greatest rock n’ roll band has yet to be included in EMI’s catalogue. That is still a sign of hesitation for EMI, since The Beatles catalogue is a huge truckload of money and liability for the label, not to mention a prized possession.
But the freedom to burn comes with a heftier price tag…DRM free downloads must be purchased to the tune of $1.29 per song, rather than plain old $0.99. Along with this, DRM-free files are available in all sorts of formats, including AAC, WMA and MP3. Personally, there are probably 10-20 songs that I would use over and over again in my CD mixes, therefore making it hard to say how consumers will have the burning need to shell out $1.29 for DRM-free music too.
On a jollier note, EMI’s website had this to say:
“EMI Music will continue to employ DRM as appropriate to enable innovative digital models such as subscription services (where users pay a monthly fee for unlimited access to music), super-distribution (allowing fans to share music with their friends) and time-limited downloads (such as those offered by ad-supported services).”
The section about subscription services and super-distribution is entertaining, considering the fact that these two business models offered through labels are quite new. Although these models still feature DRM, they offer windows to how we might get our music from the future. Hopefully subscription services with low monthly fees become a reality for everyone, incorporating the use of super-distribution and the execution of DRM. We hoped to be DRM-free, its only a matter of time until the rest follow suit.
Gizmodo article: http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/official-emi-to-release-music-drm+free-248836.php
EMI Press Release: http://www.emigroup.com/Press/2007/press18.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment