I know that it galls many of us to cheer anything that the Beast of Bentonville does, but with Wal-mart being the prototypical 800-lb gorilla of the retail marketplace, what they choose to support tends to have some momentum behind it.
TWICE: Wal-Mart Launches DRM-Free Music
TWICE: Wal-Mart Launches DRM-Free Music
Wal-Mart officially added music without digital rights
management (DRM) software to its download service, joining a growing movement to
provide digital “unprotected” music that can be downloaded to almost any
portable digital device.
Wal-Mart will sell DRM-free songs from record
labels including Universal Music Group and EMI for 94 cents each or $9.22 per
album at www.walmart.com. The songs can be
played back on devices including the iPod, iPhone and Zune.
...
The current Wal-Mart DRM-free catalog includes a few
hundred thousand songs out of a total of more than 2 million songs (including
DRM-protected songs) on the site.
The DRM-Free option keeps gaining ground in the marketplace. I would characterize Wal-mart's participation not so much as the Last Nail in DRM's coffin, but more like a Stake through DRM's heart.
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2 comments:
Well? Are you really that surprised? I'm not. Like it or not, the MP3 was the first shot in the war that changed the music industry.
It's not about the musicians not being paid. It's about the record labels, excecs, and other infrastructure not being paid.
They didn't change quickly enough. Not agile or fast enough to adapt. They sat their, all fat cat and flat footed, and are now getting fisted.
I only ever bought one CD that has DRM - Fountains of Wayne's single of Stacey's Mom. Great tune, and they have more but I don't own any of it 'cause it's just a big pain.
Can't put it easily on my MP3 player? Don't want it.
'Nuff said!
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