DRM-free iTunes?
In my neighborhood Randy pointed out there's an open letter from Steve Jobs on apple.com about the future of the iTunes Store's DRM. It's probably of interest to Emusic customers.
The third alternative is to abolish DRMs entirely. Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat.
I have to admit that, if for some reason this came to pass, I would have to think hard about whether to continue with Emusic. The lack of DRM is a big draw for me.
Comments
Are they kidding? Packaging, manufacturing, and distribution is a huge portion of the cost. None are a factor in digital distribution. iTunes also ignores the fact that many older and less popular catalog artists probably should sell for less than the Beatles or Justin Timberlake. To me, these issues are just as crippling as DRM.
So the math says I should stay on Emusic as long as I keep finding 90 downloads a month (which I've been doing handily)!
But I look forward to the day when someone (Emusic or someone else) recognizes that there should be a bargain bin, just like there is a real record stores.