iTunes/EMI to release tracks without DRM.... at a price

[AlexJ]

Apple and EMI record label have come to an agreement to allow tracks to be downloaded legally from Apple's iTunes service without the copy protection that prevents them being transferred onto other companies players.

Non-DRM tracks will cost 99p as opposed to the 79p for a regular track. Previous EMI tracks can be upgraded to the non-DRM version for 20p. Non-DRM tracks will be 'double the quality' of DRM tracks (I assume this means the bitrate).

Currently iTunes files are encoded as 128kbps. 256kbps therefore would be more acceptable. The big problem here is the cost. An album contains ~12 tracks (probably more, but we'll say 12). A 12 track album without DRM off iTunes therefore is £11.88. Tesco sell the same album for £9.99 also without DRM, at a much higher bitrate (1411kbps) on a CD with a booklet,case etc. Play.com, CDWOW might offer the product for as little as £7-£8. Therefore what incentive is there for the iTunes version? Great if you only want one or two tracks from an album but any more and the CD is still the way to go for legal music. I can't see this doing anything to turn the tide of illegal downloading.

[Harrison]

I completely agree. This will not tempt many to pay extra to download these tracks.

If I want to purchase music I want the original CD. I never pay to download audio tracks when for the same cost (or much less in most cases) I can have a CD with higher quality audio and supporting material.

[Stephen Coates]

I think that is only useful for a few tracks.

Although in the unlikely event that i wanted to download one track I would probably use P2P.

And iTunes would still be cheaper than buying the single on CD.

[Submeg]

EXACTLY! Just buy the thing But I noticed that, I have been putting music on my iPod and almost all the artists under the EMI label have the stupid CD protection...it caused quite a headache trying to put them on...

[Demon Cleaner]

I always purchase the CDs I want, the only thing I do, is d/l them to listen to them one time, and then, when I like'em, I just buy the album.

[Harrison]

That is exactly what I do too. I refuse to buy albums without having heard them first so download them just to know. But mainly I download music from p2p that I already own on Vinyl or Tape as I refuse to purchase music again that I already own.

[AlexJ]

But mainly I download music from p2p that I already own on Vinyl or Tape as I refuse to purchase music again that I already own.

Ditto. And I believe that it's now legal to format shift (in the UK), so if you own a record and download the equivalent MP3 then technically all you've done is format shifted it.

[Submeg]

Yea that is a bit cr@p, having it and having to buy it in another form. Imagine if they had enforced the now void law that you werent 'legally' allowed to put music on your iPod? ppl would have gone crazy and apple would have lost alot of profit.

[AlexJ]

Until very recently (a month or two ago) in the UK, it was illegal to rip a CD to MP3 format or record a vinyl record onto a cassette tape etc. unless you had the permission of the copyright holder. Needless to say I don't think anyone ever got prosecuted for it.

[Harrison]

I didn't realise it was illegal record a vinyl record you owned on to cassette tape. What did the industry and the government think the sale of so many blank audio cassettes in the 70's through to the 90's was for?