The major record label has taken the first step towards further freeing up digital distribution, stripping its music of digital restrictions and making it available in higher-quality sound. While standard range of downloads already available from EMI will continue for the moment to feature digital rights management (DRM), the new �premium’ downloads will sport CD-quality sound without any restrictions on use – meaning the files be able to be shared freely across different devices and platforms.
It may seem like a risky move for an industry that is still seeking to battle piracy, but
Eric Nicoli
, CEO of EMI, claims the group has faith that consumers will do the right thing. “Our goal is to give consumers the best possible digital music experience,” he says. “By providing DRM-free downloads, we aim to address the lack of interoperability which is frustrating for many music fans. We believe that offering consumers the opportunity to buy higher quality tracks and listen to them on the device or platform of their choice will boost sales of digital music.”
Apple
will be selling the DRM-free music through its iTunes service, which is fitting since CEO
Steve Jobs
has been banging on for ages about how such restrictions should be removed. “Selling digital music DRM-free is the right step forward for the music industry,” he says. “EMI has been a great partner for iTunes and is once again leading the industry as the first major music company to offer its entire digital catalogue DRM-free.”
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