Another Loose Brick in the DRM Wall?
The Wall Street Journal (subs. req.) reported today that music giant EMI is putting out a few feelers to gauge interest in selling their music collection–get this–without copy protection. This report comes in the wake of an open letter by Steve Jobs earlier this week about abandoning DRM altogether, and a subsequent denouncement yesterday by Warner Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr. during an address to investors.
Wow! What a sequence of events! The lines are quickly being drawn, EMI on one side, Warner on the other, Jobs presumably on the EMI side (although is this a case of an industry player calling his bluff?). Where do the other players sit–Microsoft, Amazon, Sony BMG, Universal? This is shaping up to be a battle royale and we have a front row seat.
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[...] CD sales are down for the seventh consecutive year, inciting panic among industry giants. While still profitable, their once-healthy margins are eroding rapidly, as they haven’t taken the time to innovate around a new business model that would capitalize on digital music. Instead, they are clinging to a faulty DRM system amid recent counterstrikes such as Steve Jobs’ appeal to eliminate the faulty system, and fellow industry giant EMI’s alleged move to offer its collection DRM-free. [...]
[...] seeing the Beatles on iTunes this week, but what you will see is EMI artists (not including the Walrus, et. al.) offering their music DRM-free. Check out the webcast on EMI’s site. Wow,we should have seen this coming, but I guess I’m surprised that it happened so quickly. Stay tuned for more discussion on the ramifications of thisannouncement. [...]