A DRM free World

Spotted on: Gizmodo

The way the major labels are adapting to the transforming music industry is strange. Somehow, the four largest music labels in the world seem to be the last ones to understand what people want. From the perspective of an onlooker, it seems like they wait till the last second to adapt to everything.

DRM is officially becoming a thing of the past. According to Business Week, it appears that Amazon’s DRM free service and billion MP3 Giveaway has brought the Big Four around to a DRM free world (at least for some albums). Sony BMG, the last of the big four labels to cling to DRM like a liferaft, has announced they will stop using it sometime early this year.

This is the magic moment when the major labels have all given up on the wildly unpopular copyright protection. Sony is using a gift card service, where listeners can buy cards at retail outlets (such as Best Buy and Target) and then redeem them for MP3 albums online.

Considering the 15% drop in CD sales last year, it’s refreshing to see that the major labels are adapting to the desires of their audiences, even if it is forced by pressure from iTunes and Amazon. DRM was instrumental in iTunes gaining dominance in the music download market, and now even they are beginning to offer DRM free tracks, and at the same 99 cent price tag.

Bottom Line: DRM will finally be relegated to where it belongs, on subscription services.