Warner Music Group Drops DRM for Amazon

SirLurksAlot sends us to Ars Technica for an article about the Warner Music Group's decision to allow DRM-free music downloads through Amazon. This reversal of Warner's former position has been underway for some time, and it boosts the number of DRM-free songs available from Amazon to 2.9 million. Quoting: "Warner's announcement says nothing about offering its content through other services such as iTunes, and represents the music industry's attempt to make life a bit more difficult for Apple after all the years in which the company held the keys to music's digital kingdom.

Can't argue with Amazon

[RickRussellTX]

I've downloaded several albums and I'm very happy with it. Odd mix of bit rates (some are about 224 kbit VBR, others are 256 kbit fixed rate), but no complaints with the music. I just wish their library was larger.

Only real complaint is that the album downloader (that allows you to get the album discount) only runs on Windows & MacOS. Write a Java client and get with the program, Amazon!

Re:Call me when it's lossless

[cibyr]

I made a new word!

No you didn't.
Google says: Results 1 - 10 of about 120,000 for losslessly.

Re:Excellent

[snib]

I find iTunes' browsing interface to be very nice and the simple search to be faster and easier than every other music store I've tried. As for DRM, try QTFairUse - it very quickly strips DRM from protected tracks. It scans your iTunes library for protected tracks, backs them up, decodes them, and replaces them in your library and all playlists with the unprotected ones. 10-20 seconds per track and it's lossless. It also transfers the ID3 info to the new tracks, as well as album artwork. Of course there's already a lot of tracks in iTunes Plus (DRM-free mp3) which saves you the small trouble.

Re:Excellent

[snib]

Oops... I guess i should put a link for those who haven't heard of it:

QTFairUse download & discussion [hymn-project.org]

Re:Prediction

[Dirtside]

Not to nitpick terminology, but watermarking is a form of DRM. I understand that by "DRM" you mean "encrypted content" but the terms are not synonymous -- locking content with encryption is only one form of DRM.

Re:Can't argue with Amazon

[Anonymous Coward]

Only real complaint is that the album downloader (that allows you to get the album discount) only runs on Windows & MacOS. Write a Java client and get with the program, Amazon!

A Linux version is under development (Check below system requirements). [amazon.com]

Erm.. did they say 'globe' ?

[LesFerg]

The first/last time I tried to purchase an online album from Amazon (just last week) I was informed that the service is only available within the US. So altho Warner may have recognized the "anti-DRM winds sweeping the globe" it seems that the DRM-free zone has distinct limitations.

Re:Not about DRM

[TooMuchToDo]

When I download music from the Amazon store, it updates my iTunes library as well.

Re:Not about DRM

[HistoricPrizm]

The downloader already does that. You buy, the downloader adds the music to your iTunes library. It's very simple and easy to use, but browsing/finding music is not very much fun on Amazon, and their recommendations are way off base compared to what I'm used to with iTunes. I usually get recommendations and/or search on iTunes then go look for the specific item(s) on Amazon. If not available there, then I go back to iTunes. With this announcement, it appears I won't have to go back as much.

Perhaps, perhaps not...

[SuperKendall]

But, since Apple haven't had the industry-crushing success they had with music in the video market thus far,

I can't find a good link, but have you seen the new NPD figures for online video sales?

Apple is crushing all takers. The share of TV shows was around 80-90% of the entire market - the share of movies lower, but still I think about 60% with the rest split into many smaller pieces. Apple also just inked that deal with Fox to include iPod compatible video files, that I assume are DRM'ed using Fiarplay, on Fox DVDs. That's a lot of people using more and more of Apple's DRm for portable video devices, which is the same path music took for them...

Re:Prediction

[Jeremi]

I fail to see why the police, who are reasonably competent at catching criminals with only a vague physical description, should not be able to track down a car based on a similar description.

It may have something to do with the fact that cars are mass-produced, with millions of them exactly alike, whereas people (identical twins excepted) are all genetically and phenotypically unique.

Re:Can't argue with Amazon

[dhavleak]

Google "Steve Jobs 2003 RollingStone" or read the links I provided

So I re-read the rolling stone interview. Not one anti-DRM stance in the entire article.

I'm sure you find it more convenient to repeat what you think you know.

I'm sure you find it more convenient to invent an anti-DRM stance on Job's behalf where one didn't exist.

Apple didn't owe Real's shitty DRM any handout.

Real didn't ask for one. They tried to license FairPlay (licensing = pay money for IP. handout = alms for beggar). Apple was not interested in interoperability because they had (and still have) the market by the balls. Does this behavior remind you of a particular company you love to despise?

Had Apple supported Real or WMA...

Real did not want support. They reverse engineered FairPlay. Apple did not decline support. They willfully made modifications to break Real. Does this behavior remind you of a particular company you love to despise?

..., there wouldn't be any market for MP3 commercial music from the big labels, there'd only be worse DRM with more restrictions than Apple's, not less.

That's fairly non-sequitor. Real was merely trying to open the market (to keep themselves from being locked out). How does an open market translate to more DRM? The labels would not have cared about Real's reverse-engineering, because Real did not strip the DRM from the track.

Chew on that until you get it.

I can always count on you to keep it friendly.

Daniel Lyons Cries Wolf...

Unfortunately, that's all you ever do. The world (and Apple and Microsoft) are simply not as black and white as you seem to think. Chew on that until you get it.

CDs are NOT proprietary

[Anonymous Coward]

A proprietary format is one that only works on devices by a certain manufacturer. Such as Itunes working on your Ipod, but not on other mp3 players.

Everyone has a CD player because there are hundreds if not thousands of companies that make them.

Anonymous because I'm lazy