EMI music on Itunes...now DRM free.
 

http://www.engadget.com/2007/04/02/e...-now-drm-free/

this seems like a pretty big deal but I have to ask a stupid question. WHat is DRM?? What does this mean to me now that the music is DRM free?

Digital rights management.

The short version is that you can do whatever you want with it -- share it, copy it, edit it, burn it -- without any restrictions whatsoever.

What needs to be added, though, is that these DRM free tracks will be about $.30 more than their protected counterparts. However, you'll be getting a track with a much higher bitrate (256 AAC).

List of artists on the EMI label:

http://www.emigroup.com/About/Music/Default.htm

Remember that, for now at least, this deal only applies to EMI artists on iTunes.

You will be able to "upgrade" any iTunes purchases that you have already made from any EMI artist for 30 cents per track, giving you twice the bitrate quality and removal of DRM restrictions.

If I buy an album off ituned now (one that still has DRM), can I burn it to a CD?

yes

OK, as long as I can do that, I don't care if the music is DRM or not. All I use are CD's and my ipod.

Well, I think there is a limit or like 6 or 8 times. Of course you can copy the CD you just made, so that never made much sense to me.

According to reports, the Beatles catalog is excluded.

Never understood the big deal either. I buy/download the odd song by an artist and then make a cd-r of a cd I have by an artist with the odd song(s) just tacked on. Ex: Buy a greatest hits cd and then download the 2-3 really good songs they left off and then make a new cd combining the two. No DRM. I usually throw away the cds I burn from iTunes.

I always figured Apple made it that simple on purpose. They have always said that DRM is a thing the record companies want, not Apple.

While it sucks that the tracks cost more, I think the full albums are still 9.99, and that's pretty much all I ever buy anyway. Jobs thinks that half of the 5 million tracks on iTunes will be DRM free by the end of the year, which is awesome.

I don't get why you say they're more expensive than a CD, since most albums on iTunes are $9.99.

Beatles catalog isn't even on there yet.

That's all well and good if most of the stuff you buy is $10. However, it doesn't mean a thing if it isn't the case. For example, some of the more recent albums I've been looking at buying around in the $30 range (import) through Amazon, but instead iTunes offers them for $9. Would I perfer the CD? You bet. Would I perfer the CD for an extra $20? Likely not. However, there is also the other end of the spectrum. Recent album was $6 on iTunes, but Amazon wanted $20. I'll take iTunes thanks. Then there are other occassions where iTunes may be a few dollars more, but you get bonus tracks that you can't get on the hard copy.

Unfortunately it's not as clear cut as the pricing would have us believe at first glance. I'll be interested to see if they put a DRM-free section on iTunes. I'll definitely take a stroll through anything they highlight.

Wow, so all the musical theater albums I've been buying on iTunes for 9.99 with almost instant gratification are a ripoff compared to $15-18 + shipping from Amazon and waiting a week?

Thanks for clearing it up for me!

Well, most any CD I buy costs between $12-$18, plus either shipping or sales tax.

Anecdotal evidence batles rock!

Who wants to go to the store when they can just turn on their computer and have the CD in minutes?
I don't even use CD's anymore. Throw it all on ther ipod, atach it to my car setup and I'm good to go

This is good news. DRM, like most copy protection schemes, hurts the legitimate customer while having minimal impact on the pirates.

Wow!! Do you buy your CDs at the mall?

rotfl Whatever dude. I'd call your golden ears a curse, not a blessing.