Want to Copy iTunes Music? Go Ahead, Apple Says

Apple said it would begin selling song downloads without anticopying measures and change its pricing structure. The New York Times reports.

Beginning this week, three of the four major music labels — Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — will begin selling music through iTunes without digital rights management software, or D.R.M., which controls the copying and use of digital files. The fourth, EMI, was already doing so.

In return, Apple, whose dominance in online music sales gives it powerful leverage, agreed to a longstanding demand of the music labels and said it would move away from its insistence on pricing all individual song downloads on iTunes at 99 cents.

Instead, the majority of songs will drop to 69 cents beginning in April, while the biggest hits and newest songs will go for $1.29. Others that are moderately popular will remain at 99 cents.

Read full article.

Previously: - Apple Makes DRM Deal with Big Three Music Labels, Plus 3G Downloads Coming?

emily | 9:06 AM | News, Buzz |
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