The big news today, if you haven’t already noticed, is that Apple and EMI announced that you can now buy DRM free music for $1.29 per track. DRM stands for “Digital Rights Management” and is the software system built into iTunes and your iPod that keep you from playing your iTunes purchased music on other devices. Now you can buy EMI music that is higher quality and put it anywhere - burn it to CD, copy it to your phone, another hard drive, your iPod, whatever.
This is a refreshing change. Steve Jobs released an open letter to the record industry and consumers in Feb 2007 stating that Apple was completely open to DRM free music on iTunes and that they only implemented it to win over record labels who had huge piracy concerns. A lot of internet voices called Jobs’ letter a bluff and that he would never allow it as it is what locked in consumers to the iPod. This seems to prove that he meant what he said and he said what he meant.
In short the Average Joe consumer of iTunes tracks, like me, has a job and is willing to pay for their music legally. Some won’t and never will. They’ll decode and burn transcode and whatever to get their music where they want it. It’s nice that the majority of legal users will no longer be punished for the illegal activities of a few.
Of course there is a lot of music out there and EMI is just the first label to agree to DRM free, time will tell if more labels will jump on board. I hope so. I have 255 purchased iTunes tracks that I will gladly pay 30 cents each to upgrade to 256kb - no question. Traditional iTunes tracks are only 128 kilobytes - which is to say, compressed twice as much = less quality.
In short, a huge applause for Apple and Steve Jobs. Truly refreshing to see a company that isn’t afraid to roll the dice and do what’s best for the consumer. I believe the “Good Karma” from this move will be a real boon for Apple with consumers. It shows that Apple believes in the quality of the iPod, the Mac, iTunes and their ability to innovate.