Friday, June 1, 2007
DRM-free music 30% more expensive
In a bold move, EMI and Apple are making music by some EMI artists — including Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones and Coldplay — available on the iTunes music store free of DRM (Digital Rights Management) controls and at a higher quality of audio encoding (256kbps, AAC).
While this looks and sounds like a move in the right direction, there is a cost increase of 102% 30% over the normal iTunes per-song charge.
Update: I mistakenly applied the DRM-free video price as the DRM-free music price — hence the earlier miscalculation of a 102% increase in price. The correct increase is 30%. I have corrected the body and title of this post. Thanks, Marc, for catching that.
June 1st, 2007 at 5:01 pm
This is the real reason behind the elimination of DRM. DRM is meaningless to the labels and the listeners so removing it and charging more was a no-brainer.
Check your math though - I think the increase is more like 30%. Check out the Ad-Supported Music Central blog at: http://ad-supported-music.blogspot
June 1st, 2007 at 5:20 pm
It is meaningless to listeners? You say that until you buy content and then it can only play on one players. That, to me, is pretty damned meaningful.
A higher quality song plus DRM free, hell that is worth the 30 percent increase.
I’ll listen to ad supported music on my own player the day Toronto wins a Stanley Cup….
June 1st, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Ooops… I confused the DRM-free video price ($1.99) as the DRM-free music price ($1.29). So my calculation of 102% is quite incorrect. It is indeed 30% more for the DRM-free music.
Note that I am completely in favour of this move. It is *one small step for mankind, one giant leap for the music industry*. I question the need for a greater charge to have unresricted access to one’s purchase.