Warner Music Group Strike Deal With Amazon

Warner Music Group (WMG), who are one of the big four record labels, have finally jumped on the increasingly popular DRM-free bandwagon and signed a deal with Amazon to provide their music catalog in MP3 format. This is a significant step for WMG who have until now resisted dropping DRM watermarking of digital music. This development not only strengthens the DRM-free trend, but leaves Sony BMG out in the cold as the only member of the big four who has not gone the DRM-free route.

Amazon who operates the Amazon MP3 Store get a huge boost in taking on Apple’s iTunes Store and strengthens their position in the digital music downloads market. AmazonMP3 is a digital music service that is not only cheaper than the king of digital music downloads (iTunes) but also offer all their music as MP3 files - playable on virtually any MP3 capable device.

Will 2008 be a year where we see the continuing shift to DRM-free music? Let’s hope so. Consumers demand the freedom to playback their purchased music without restrictions and not have to use DRM removal software such as Tunebite 5 to remove DRM for every track. Why not read the great DRM debate for more information on the pros and cons of digital rights management.