"Label leads way with DRM-free music" article from Guardian Unlimited

http://technology.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,2049769,00.html

• EMI's announcement this week that it was going to offer downloads without Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• death of copy protection
• the record label can sell to customers without worrying about interoperability; iPod owners can buy from new outlets; Apple can sell to non-iPod users; other retailers can offer downloads from a big label. And, crucially, customers can (hopefully) stop worrying about interoperability.
• first step to vindicating the long-held views of anti-DRM campaigners
• "Apple has dropped the proprietary DRM but still have the customer lock-in due to AAC."
• There were other, less travelled aspects of the announcement that could have positive impacts in the long term.
• For example, if entire catalogues from big labels begin to go DRM-free, some of the hidden costs of restricting rights could also disappear
• EMI's motivations for the move were more than simply benevolence - business has been tough for the company, despite a roster of high-profile artists
• The deal also covers music videos, which will be opened up in the same way, showing how video and audio are coming closer together.
• it puts a premium on albums, too, offering bulk purchases at a lower wholesale price.
• it is likely to take some time for all the wrinkles to shake themselves out. Not every record company is going to simply fall behind the idea, and not every customer is going to get exactly what they want.
• However, nearly all observers agree it is a step in the right direction.