DRM Free MP3s for $2
The online music industry is setting the rate of a DRM-less MP3 at $2 dollars a song. Yahoo Music and Sony BMG have got the ball rolling on the $2 songs that have no DRM encoded, with Jessica Simpson. The first MP3 is Jessica Simpson's - A Public Affair from a yet to be released recording. So, those with incredibly poor taste can pay $2 for the track.
Some are telling you it's "the first time in legal music download history" that a DRM-free song has been sold. This simply isn't true, and is a rumor perpetuated by the MAN who wants to keep that DRM yoke on your back. You can currently download DRM free from www.allofMP3.com, but it's a Russian website that is pissing off the recording industry because of its cheap downloads and availability to North America. It also lets you download in the format and bit rate you like; you can even download in lossless FLAC codec if you choose.
The purpose of the DRM-free MP3 is that you can play it back in any device. iPods only play back Apple's DRM, known as FairPlay, and the host of other MP3 players can only play back the DRM by Microsoft called PlaysForSure.
The move on the part of Sony BMG and Yahoo to release a $2 MP3 is really just an experiment. They want to know if people will pay extra for an MP3 that is free of the shackles of a DRM. But the real experiment is seeing who will pay extra for a DRM-free Jessica Simpson recording. If taste is not accounted for then it should be a big seller. How many Jessica Simpson fans care about the DRM? Chances are they already have a player that is compatible with the DRM they're using.
The experiment isn't likely to last or turn into the form. Even at the higher prices it's unlikely that the DRM-free status of a Jessica Simpson recording will be meaningful enough to keep customers coming back. And it's unlikely the recording industry wants to let DRM-free music become the norm.
