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Warner adds its catalogue to Amazon MP3 store

Warner has announced that it has signed a deal that will allow Amazon to sell its catalogue DRM-free through its online music store.

The new deal brings Amazon MP3's total number of DRM-free tracks to 2.9 million, more than any online music service by far. Warner joins EMI, Universal and dozens of independent labels who are offering their music DRM-free through Amazon.



Besides being DRM-free, Amazon MP3 offers all its tracks in MP3 format and at 256kbps Bitrate. Many of its tracks are also priced at 89 cents, 10 cents cheaper than its massive rival, Apple's iTunes.

"As DRM-free music, which does not come with all the annoying and ineffectual restrictions of copyright-protected tunes, becomes more popular, you can expect the labels to use their acquiescence as a bargaining chip with Apple," Erick Shonfeld wrote for TechCrunch.

Warner also added that they would be making exclusive "special bundles" available through the service but offered no pricing structure on the bundles.

Source:
betanews

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 27 Dec 2007 15:52

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• 5 comments

• nobrainer

  Story should read; Warner sees sales report from EMI and Universal and realises sony's (MPAA/RIAA) philosophy of screw everyone is not the way forward!
  
  Yep just SONY left, the DRM king still selling anti consumer, locked down content.
  
  This companies attitude, which is basically "bend over, and lube up consumers" really makes me want to own the DRM infested, propertarian, orwellian locked down blu-ray hardware, with added global price fixing region coding on the discs!
  
  just keep ripping us off sony i'm sure that's a good business model.
  
  http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/27/warner-to-sell-nodrm.html
  
  Originally posted by link: FTA:
  Warner Music has announced that it will begin to sell non-DRM'ed MP3 music files on Amazon, making it the third (of four) major labels to sign up for DRM-free distribution of their music, Universal and EMI being the other two. Only Sony BMG have held out -- and that's the same label that gave us the infamous Sony Rootkit, a dangerous hacker-tool that Sony infected millions of PCs with in a failed bid to prevent copying of its music.
  
  

  Tor: anonymity online HIDE your IP from the spies, post and browse anonymously! http://www.torproject.org/
  
  
  The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
  
  The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

  28.12.2007 07:13 #1

• emugamer

  Quote:Story should read; Warner sees sales report from EMI and Universal and realises sony's (MPAA/RIAA) philosophy of screw everyone is not the way forward!
  
  Yep just SONY left, the DRM king still selling anti consumer, locked down content.
  
  This companies attitude, which is basically "bend over, and lube up consumers" really makes me want to own the DRM infested, propertarian, orwellian locked down blu-ray hardware, with added global price fixing region coding on the discs!
  
  just keep ripping us off sony i'm sure that's a good business model.
  
  http://www.boingboing.net/2007/12/27/warner-to-sell-nodrm.html
  
  Originally posted by link: FTA:
  Warner Music has announced that it will begin to sell non-DRM'ed MP3 music files on Amazon, making it the third (of four) major labels to sign up for DRM-free distribution of their music, Universal and EMI being the other two. Only Sony BMG have held out -- and that's the same label that gave us the infamous Sony Rootkit, a dangerous hacker-tool that Sony infected millions of PCs with in a failed bid to prevent copying of its music.If all of Amazon MP3's are DRM free, why do they sell Coheed and Cambria MP3's? Just curious since their label is Sony. I was actually going to buy the song they have on Rock Band, because my friends and I can't pass the vocal track :-( I need to get to the next set list!!!!! But not if the song has DRM.

  28.12.2007 12:02 #2

• DVDdoug

  Quote:Warner has announced that it has signed a deal that will allow Amazon to sell its catalogue DRM-free through its online music store.
  Right on!
  
  Quote:... sony's (MPAA/RIAA) philosophy of screw everyone is not the way forward! This has nothing to do with the RIAA. Warner, EMI, and Universal are still members of the RIAA. DRM-free does not mean copyright-free. All of this music is still covered by copyright laws, and if you share it over P2P, they will still go after you!

  28.12.2007 14:19 #3

• borhan9

  this is a great counter strike to apples itunes. I like this fact that selling drm free mp3s give the power back to the consumers if they choose to do something that is not right with the file that is there choice and if they get caught well thats their own fault.

  29.12.2007 18:21 #4

• hermes_vb

  Quote:This has nothing to do with the RIAA. Warner, EMI, and Universal are still members of the RIAA. DRM-free does not mean copyright-free. All of this music is still covered by copyright laws, and if you share it over P2P, they will still go after you!That is so true. I mean. People who are never going to pay for music are gonna get it DRM or not. There's always a way. What DRM really does is alienate people who would otherwise buy music. I have bought a few songs from iTunes back then when you could still remove the DRM easily without degrading quality. After itunes 7 it's not currently possible. What did I do? I downloaded them for "free". I'd still rather pay for an "official" download. It's safer and it's the correct thing to do, but they forced me...

  31.12.2007 00:32 #5