Sony bids goodbye to DRM
It was inevitable that Sony BMG Music Entertainment turns its back on the shackles of digital music called DRM (Digital Rights Management). Everybody has been predicting that 2008 will the year and after a long wait, it’s finally here. All other major labels – Warner, EMI, Vivendi – have dropped DRM and with Sony now in that list, DRM is officially (finally) dead.
DRM is copyright protection method that prevents illegal sharing of songs on P2P networks. But like all other anti-piracy campaigns, it annoyed customers more than it prevented theft.
Declaring DRM is officially dead maybe a bit of a stretch since music DRM is still present for several other services but they represent a small minority. You can expect the first few of DRM-free tracks appearing at the during the first quarter 2008.
Amazon’s DRM-free store is now at a good vantage point because offers variable pricing, as opposed to the iTunes store. On that line of thought, services tied with Social network sites like Facebook will also potentially hit it big as they can provide easy access outlets for the sale of DRM-free songs.
2008’s online music market is off to a great start.
Tags: internet
All I can say is, it’s about time! 😀
Yeah, I second that. It’s really interesting when you think about what services will crop up now that digital music is DRM-free