DRM Doom
Apple continues to be a leader in the music business by offering DRM-less songs on their new version of iTunes, out today.
Apple released iTunes 7.2 updated in the Mac OS X Software Update tonight, which offers support for “iTunes Plus”, Apple’s new DRM-free $1.29 offerings announced in April.
With iTunes 7.2, preview and purchase iTunes Plus music—new higher-quality, DRM-free music downloads from participating music labels.
Despite the software update, the Apple iTunes Store itself does not show any DRM-Free music currently available for purchase. The DRM-Free launch will likely occur later this morning (Wed, May 30th).
I predict this will be the beginning of the end for DRM, whose time has passed.
Incidentally, while I was at the iTunes store this evening I checked out the new EPs from teh American Idol finalists. I bought two Blake Lewis tracks and one from Jordin Sparks. “Wishing on a Star” is one of my favorite songs and she does it justice (though not as good as the original) but Blake really does a great job with all his tunes. I picked “You Give Love a Bad Name” for his excellent beat-boxing in it and “You Should Be Dancing” which he really rocks out.
These are not the versions from TV. They are rerecorded in the studio and they changed the arrangements somewhat. The Blake Bon Jovi cover goes from a slow tempo it it’s drum/beatbox finale. It’s pretty cool.
I commend Apple and Steve Jobs for being the first major distributor to drop DRM from their downloads. Of course, it won’t be on all the tracks right now. But give it time.
Now, if they could just get more songs.
UPDATE: iTunes now lets you update your previous tracks to DRM free versions (which are also higher quality) for a nominal fee. So I just did.
DRM free tracks (iTunes plus) are slightly more expensive, but I will support something like this because it needs to be the standard, not the exception. About 1/5 of my purchased songs were translated to the plus versions. Yay!
I downloaded my first DRM-Free song last night: “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” by Paul McCartney & Wings. I wasn’t about to buy the whole album just for one song…
Posted by Macker on 05/31 at 07:41 AMToo bad. The album that song comes from is my favorite of his. I have listened to Band on the Run a zillion times. Every song is good.
Posted by James Hudnall on 05/31 at 10:15 AMSo have I, and I agree that it’s one of Rock’s greatest. But that tune just resonates with me on a musical and a personal level.
Posted by Macker on 05/31 at 11:12 AM
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