Posted by abuse on 02/09/07 01:19

Music content owners consider dropping DRM technology
Feb 8, 2007 8:00 AM

Some major record labels are now considering the release of
commercial music on the Internet with no copy protection.

Executives of several technology companies have told the "New
York Times" that at least one of the four major record companies
could move toward the sale of unrestricted digital files in the
MP3 format within a matter of months.

Independent record labels already sell tracks digitally compressed
in the MP3 format. These files, which include no digital rights
management (DRM) technology, can be downloaded, e-mailed or copied
to CD. They can also be played on virtually any music player,
including Apple's iPod.

For major recording companies, which have been weary of easily
shared MP3 files, however, providing music in that format is not
an option. Until last year, the industry was counting on online
purchases of music using DRM, led by Apple's iTunes music store,
to make up the difference in the declining sales of compact discs.

CD sales continue to decline, however, and file downloads of copy-
protected music have not made up the difference. In desperation,
the music companies are rethinking the positions.

Unrestricted copies could be sold as singles or through subscription
services or made freely available on Internet sites that support
advertising.

Another factor is a growing frustration with proprietary formats.
In some European countries, especially France, consumer frustration
has led to government proposals to legislate interoperability.

http://broadcastengineering.com/storage_networking/music-content-owners-dropping-drm-0208/

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