Amazon.com Launches iTunes Killer: DRM-Free Music Á La Carte
Author: Nick
Category: Money
Topics: entertainment
For all you foes of Apple and restricted digital music out there, you’ll want to give Amazon’s new MP3 download service a try right away. With single tracks running about 89 cents and most full albums at $8.99 or below, it definitely looks like Amazon is trying to break into the digital music market Apple has had cornered for a couple of years now.
The selection at the moment is a little more sparse than what iTunes has to offer. I randomly selected a dozen tunes from my own MP3 library and could only find six of them in the Amazon library. The reason for the smaller initial selection may be the fact that the music you download from Amazon has no digitial rights management (DRM) software embedded to prevent you from burning it to CDs, loading it on your favorite MP3 player, or sharing it with a friend. A lot of people have been asking for a music download service like this, and it seems Amazon is more than eager to meet the demands of the market.
From the Amazon MP3 FAQ, here are some of the features you’ll get with the music you download from them:
- Variable bit rate, averaging 256 kbps
- All downloads are in MP3 format only
- Over 2 million songs to choose from
- Also includes music catalogs from many independent record labels
- Amy Winehouse not included with your download of her songs
Give Amazon a few months to work out the DRM issues with the major record companies, and I’m sure their library will balloon to a size similar to that of iTunes (currently over 6 million songs versus just 2 million at Amazon). You heard it here first, folks: Amazon will take a big bite out of the music download market from Apple, possibly even surpassing them by 2009.
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3 Responses »
1.
BC
September 25th, 2007 at 3:21 pm
I don’t know. I think that most of the people that REALLY complain about the DRM of iTunes are the people who don’t have iPods. Considering how the iPhone is selling (for now) and the new iPod products released (who doesn’t want an iTouch), I think a lot more people will begin to be able to appreciate and use iTunes without being concerned about the DRM. I own an iPod and don’t have a problem with the DRM. I don’t think it’s necessary though considering you could burn/share a regular CD if you bought one. I think they should lock the iPod to iTunes, but let the music be unlocked.
(PS: I’m here everyday. Just never commented before. I was linked here from the first buffet eating tips and have been hooked ever since. Great blog!)
2.
Nick
September 25th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Good points, BC, and welcome. You can count me among the few who don’t have or even want an iSomething. I guess that’s mostly because I don’t have a lot of time I’m away from a computer and can’t access the music stored on it. So while I’d get by the same with the restrictions that currently accompany music sold through iTunes, I like the idea of doing away with DRM altogether.
3.
Technology Guide
September 20th, 2008 at 9:35 am
I’ve been waiting for this day for so long I’m still in shock at this press release. Somebody wake me up because the music labels have finally made the first great choice in a decade that is best for the consumer and also for the labels and artists.
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