iTunes Drops DRM for EMI
Tracks
April
2nd, 2007

Breaking news... This is not an April Fools joke: iTunes will release
significant portions of EMI's catalog on iTunes without DRM. It hasn't been
announced live, but their website has been updated:

EMI Music launches DRM-free superior sound quality downloads across its
entire digital repertoire

EMI Group CEO Eric Nicoli today hosted a press conference at EMI's
headquarters in London where he announced that EMI Music is launching
DRM-free superior quality downloads across its entire digital repertoire and
that Apple's iTunes Store will be the first online music store to sell EMI's
new downloads. Nicoli was joined by Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The event also
featured a musical performance by The Good, The Bad & The Queen.

On this page you can find an audio webcast of the press conference which
will be available for live streaming at 1pm London time with on demand
archived streaming and MP3 download available shortly afterwards, the press
release and a copy of the presentation slides.

Click hereto
listen to the audio webcast from today's announcement.
Click
hereto
download the pdf presentation.

Other juicy tidbits from the press release:

- EMI tracks with no DRM (Mp3) will cost $1.29 from iTunes and will
also be available in other formats (AAC and WMA).
- All EMI music videos will also be available on the iTunes Store
DRM-free with no change in price.
- iTunes will continue to offer consumers the ability to pay
$0.99/EUR0.99/£0.79 for standard sound quality tracks with DRM still applied.
- Complete albums from EMI Music artists purchased on the iTunes Store
will automatically be sold at the higher sound quality and DRM-free, with no
change in the price.