Seattle-based online mega-store Amazon.com has announced the launch of a digital music store offering DRM-free music MP3s culled from over 12,000 record labels, scheduled to go live later this year. The move to ditch digital rights management (DRM) embedded content, a copyright protection which has recently been a hot topic of debate, will allow consumers to openly share music across numerous platforms, from PC to Mac, iPod to Zune, and most everything in between. And the latest label to jump aboard Amazon.com’s bandwagon is EMI, an industry heavyweight and firm supporter of DRM’s abolishment.
“We’re excited to have EMI joining us in this effort and look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing artists like Coldplay, Norah Jones, and Joss Stone,” Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO, said in a press release. EMI CEO Eric Nicoli added, “We think having a trusted destination like Amazon.com offer a high-quality digital music product that will play across a number of devices gives consumers more options and will be a significant boost for the overall digital music market.”
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Talk: Who will be next to shed the chains of DRM-protected tunes?
