Apple updates iTunes for DRM-free music sales
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(InfoWorld) - Apple has taken another step toward selling DRM-free tracks from EMI and other labels through its new iTunes Plus service. The company released an update to iTunes (version 7.2) Wednesday that introduced support for new DRM-free music sales, a move first promised by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and EMI CEO Eric Nicoli in early April 2007. "With iTunes 7.2, preview and purchase iTunes Plus music -- new, higher-quality, DRM-free music downloads from participating music labels," Apple urges in notes accompanying the software. The company explains, "The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (when available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store." However, it's not yet clear where users can find the new DRM-free songs within iTunes. When it comes to introducing new DRM-free music, Nicoli said in April, "Our goal is to give consumers the best possible digital music experience. By providing DRM-free downloads, we aim to address the lack of interoperability that is frustrating for many music fans. The updated iTunes is available for Mac and for Windows systems. A 29.6MB download, it is available through Software Update or for direct download from Apple's support website.
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Today Apple launched the &#147;Summer of Music&#148; in Japan with free music from iTunes (Japan&#146;s favorite online music store), collectible iTunes Cards and exclusive live performances at Apple Stores.
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Ticketmaster.com and Apple's iTunes Music Store will offer ticket buyers one free song for each ticket purchased.
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Apple's iTunes Store to offer music fans a free song with every concert ticket purchased through Ticketmaster.
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Apple declines to explain why its new DRM-free music files are watermarked with users' names and e-mail addresses.
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DRM-free tracks can be traced to original owner Apple's much touted DRM-free music download service launched yesterday under the moniker iTunes Plus.â¦
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By Clint Swett, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.  May 31--In a move aimed at simplifying usage of digital music, Apple's iTunes store on Wednesday began selling hundreds of thousands of songs from recording giant EMI Group that can be copied freely.
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In the latest proof that the label is at least testing DRM-free music sales, consumers can buy gift cards from physical stores and redeem digital albums online. The bad news is that the music is also "anonymously watermarked."
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Apple made good on its promise to offer DRM-free tracks on Wednesday, launching iTunes Plus with AAC tracks from label EMI.
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Amazon.com has added songs from Warner Music Group to the range it sells as MP3 files without DRM (digital rights management), the companies said Friday.The online retailer&#160;launched its music download service&#160;in September and now offers 2.9 million songs without copy prevention technology, including tracks from Warner, EMI, Universal, and 33,000 independent record labels -- although it has still not won over Sony BMG, the only one of the music majors still insisting on the use of DRM.Warner said it also planned to offer album bundles including exclusive tracks through the Amazon service.The move is a blow to Apple&#39;s iTunes Store, which has only persuaded EMI and a handful of independent labels to let it offer their tracks in the&#160;DRM-free iTunes Plus format it launched in May. The rest of the songs available through iTunes come with digital limitations on where they can be played, or how many times they can be burned to a CD.Three formats dominate the market for online music sales: MP3 and AAC, which are both open formats, and WMA, a proprietary format owned by Microsoft.MP3 files do not include provision for DRM: music recorded in that format will play on most digital music players, many mobile phones, and in software readily available for all the major operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, opening up a huge potential market to Amazon and to other online music stores such as eMusic dealing in unprotected MP3 files.AAC is the format Apple chose for its iTunes Store. Most of the 6 million tracks in its catalog come wrapped in a proprietary DRM layer called FairPlay, although EMI and independents such as Sub Pop, Nettwerk, IODA and The Orchard also allow it to offer higher quality AAC recordings without DRM. The DRM-encumbered tracks will play on authorized iPods, iPhones, PCs, and Macs -- but won&#39;t play on digital music players from other vendors. Unprotected AAC files will also play on many mobile phones, PCs running Linux with the appropriate software, and even Microsoft&#39;s Zune digital music player.WMA files without DRM will play on PC or Macs using Windows Media Player, and some phones and digital music players -- although typically not on the same ones that play AAC files. Microsoft has also introduced a range of DRM systems enabling online stores to sell locked WMA files -- and later abandoned some of them, leaving a certain amount of confusion and doubt about whether devices and songs branded &quot;PlaysForSure&quot; really will play for sure.Industry executives expect initiatives such as iTunes Plus and Amazon MP3, which remove the DRM locks placed on music downloads by an earlier generation of music services, will encourage consumers to buy more music.Warner believes that giving consumers the assurance that the music they purchase can be played on any device they own will only encourage more sales of music, it said Friday.It may also persuade music-buyers to look at other brands of digital music player such as the Zune range from Microsoft, ending Apple&#39;s dominance of that market segment.With the locks off the music, Apple also faces the prospect of a price war with Amazon, which offers 1 million of its MP3 tracks for just $0.89, compared to the $0.99 Apple charges for all its tracks. Before the launch of Amazon MP3, Apple also charged a $0.30 premium for tracks in the iTunes Plus format, which is recorded at a higher quality than the DRM-encumbered versions. Other Amazon tracks sell for $0.99.
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The new price of 99 cents per song sold online without copy protection puts Appleâs iTunes store closer in line with its rivals.
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- Apple Inc.  said it launched iTunes  Plus, a digital rights management-free music download service,  for $1.29 per song.
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Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs  on Tuesday called on the four major record companies to start  selling songs online without copy protection software known as  digital rights management (DRM).
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Apple has updated software on its iPod Photo digital music player to prevent users from playing music bought from RealNetworks&#39; online music store.
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Apple updated iTunes, shipping version 7.4 for Mac and Windows systems.
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Apple today launched iTunes Plus. The new option for iTunes customers features DRM-free music tracks that offer â for just $1.29 per song â high-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality indistinguishable from the original recordings. iTunes Plus debuts with singles and albums from EMIâs digital catalog of outstanding recordings from artists such as Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, John Coltrane, and Paul McCartney, a dozen of whose classic albums are now available on iTunes for the first time.
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The world's largest music company will sell restriction-free music downloads at Amazon.com and other online vendors. But not at Apple's iTunes store.