Katie MarsalThe iTunes Store is lending an ear to smaller labels, hoping to muster support for its anti-DRM movement by cutting indies treatment similar to that given to EMI.
Though short on details, the communication made it clear that music agencies will receive the same DRM-free privileges negotiated between Apple and major publisher EMI.
"Many of you have reached out to iTunes to find out how you can make your songs available higher quality and DRM-free," Apple wrote in the communication. "Starting next month, iTunes will begin offering higher-quality, DRM-free music and DRM-free music videos to all customers."
The declaration serves as a gateway to indie record producers looking to drop safeguards from their music. Many publishing houses beyond the four majors already sell music and other media from artists without the software restriction in place, whether through smaller stores such as Beatport and eMusic or self-managed outlets.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
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And according to MacRumors, Apple has also extended the battery warranty on all MacBooks/MBPRos to 2 years, to cover issues that software can't resolve.
Ah nevermind. Battery topic has moved.
Nice move, Steve! Keep giving 'em what they want, even before they know they want it!
Ah nevermind. Battery topic has moved.
Sorry -- the story turned out to be much bigger than initially thought. Since it may affect a large number of readers, we broke it out into its own article.
-K
Conspicuously absent in the e-mail were mentions of different pricing systems for indie labels.
Conspicuously absent?
Olive branch? I don't think its "absent" and I don't think its "war".
Very weird framing to put this in, AI. They already SAID they were offering to everyone (including Indies) in the speech with EMI. You guys posted a transcript! They were EXPLICITLY ASKED afterwards if the 1/2 of iTunes being DRM-free included just the other majors, or the independents, and Steve said YES, that this figure included the independents they would expect to be on-board. The $1.29 product is THE new/additional product, as much as the $.99 per track product is the only CURRENT product. Why is anything "conspicuously absent".
I can appreciate adding a certain sense of "drama" and politics to things to spice them up, but I'd actually started to expect more "reporterly" and *informed* reports from Apple Insider... and not "we don't really remember what was said, and we've been reading too much Engadget to voice a reasonably rational report." \
Meh.
Hey, in other news... here's a fresh new idea. With the NEW AAC's being DRM-free, how can Apple continue to support a feature distinction that let's you take your "purchased music" and back it up, from your iPod? How will they be able to distinguish a normal AAC track from a "purchased" one? I think a tool highly sought after, will be one that modifies unpurchased tracks (or the iPod index system) to assume that ANY aac you want, is an AAC that can be "backed up" off the iPod FROM iTunes. It's still a silly limitation Apple seems hamstrung into perpetuating (intended to insure iPod isn't a wholesale pirated music carrier/spreader), but this might make it less painful for non-thieves.