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Internet DRM-Free iTunes Tracks Now $0.99
Wolfgang Hansson (Blog) - October 16, 2007 4:10 PM
Print E-mail del.icio.us 29 comment(s) - last by euclidean.. on Oct 17 at 12:21 PM
Apple drops prices on some DRM-free music tracks to $0.99

Over the last several months, several companies announced DRM-free music online. This move is met with great appreciation by music fans who are tired of DRM laden music that can’t play on all their devices.

DailyTech reported in August that Wal-Mart was adding DRM-free music to its online music store at $0.94 cents per track. Also in August LimeWire announced it would open an online store to sell DRM-free tracks as well. In an update to DailyTech LimeWire revealed that it would sell DRM-free tracks at $0.99 per track.

Today Apple unofficially announced it will lower the price of some of its DRM-free iTunes tracks to $0.99 per track as well. Wired’s Gadget Lab is reporting that some of the DRM-free tracks on iTunes are still priced above the $0.99 number.

Whether this reduction in the price of some DRM-free tunes on iTunes is a reflection of a larger change in price for all DRM-free music in the store, or simply a change in the price of certain tracks is unknown at this time. As Gadget Lab points out, Apple does love its one tier pricing so reducing all the music prices over time would make sense.

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how much for copying a non-drm track?
By mdogs444 on 10/16/2007 5:01:34 PM , Rating: 5
So i can pay $.99 for a drm free track, but to make a copy it will cost me roughly $9,000? at least according to RIAA lawsuit.




RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By corduroygt on 10/16/07, Rating: 0
By Oregonian2 on 10/16/2007 5:24:07 PM , Rating: 2
Don't even have to actually share it, just making it available for sharing is enough for the $9K/song bill. Nobody has to actually take a copy (as ruled by the judge in that case).


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By mdogs444 on 10/16/2007 5:29:40 PM , Rating: 2
Actually - it doesnt have to be P2P. They said it was also considered if you burned it to a cd.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By Tsuwamono on 10/16/2007 5:59:34 PM , Rating: 1
Well they are more then welcome to come by my house... they can take a look at my CD collection... 100 CD changer in my car and they are all burnt disc mix CDs..


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By walk2k on 10/16/2007 6:09:03 PM , Rating: 4
So I figure you owe the RIAA about $200 million dollars.

Pay up, or we'll break your legs.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By Spartan Niner on 10/16/2007 7:09:56 PM , Rating: 2
"Pay up, or we'll break your legs"

Sounds about right for what a large group of mafia-like racketeers would say. As one amusing song states:

"F*** the MP-double-AA. F*** the RI-double-A... and F*** 'em all for the DMCA"


By PrinceGaz on 10/17/2007 11:00:41 AM , Rating: 5
Well the RIAA and MPAA are collectively known by many as the MAFIAA (Music And Film Industry Association of America).


By euclidean on 10/17/2007 12:21:04 PM , Rating: 1
Along the same lines...All my CDs in my car are burned/copied discs...I don't want my originals in there where hot winter heat can destroy them and/or a thief can break in and steal them...fuck that. Also the same reason I don't lend my original movies out to people, they'll get a copied one to borrow so that in case it never comes back, or gets scratched/broke, I still have my original.

And with that, what happens to my CDs that were stolen out of my car say 2 years ago, that the Insurance company wouldn't cover because I didn't have receipts for them from the past 5-6 years? I already purchased them once, why should I have purchased them again...eh,

There's many ways to try to explain it, but I'd rather be safe than sorry and just keep all my originals on record and stored away and then download/rip a copy of it to actually use elsewhere.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By augiem on 10/16/2007 6:20:34 PM , Rating: 5
Hmm... How about:

Backing up your hard drive? Illegal.
Uploading it to your ipod? Illegal. (still on the HD!)
Virtual memory? Illegal.

Neat!


By Gul Westfale on 10/16/2007 7:19:42 PM , Rating: 2
and then they wonder why people get their music through file-sharing networks.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By walk2k on 10/16/2007 7:33:46 PM , Rating: 5
humming in the shower - illegal!


By encryptkeeper on 10/17/2007 12:08:29 PM , Rating: 2
Overhearing someone listening to music on a pair of headphones...ILLEGAL!


By SimonB on 10/17/2007 8:44:57 AM , Rating: 2
How did George Bush get Beatles tracks on his iPod? Will the RIAA sue him?


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By bravacentauri83 on 10/16/2007 7:55:37 PM , Rating: 2
Let alone, the purchased tracks are embedded with the purchaser's information. Why anyone would share iTunes music is a puzzling question.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By Gul Westfale on 10/16/2007 9:03:05 PM , Rating: 2
i recently read on a german site that the german equivalent of the RIAA was suing a bunch of mechanics for playing their music too loudly while repairing cars, presumably because that constitutes a public performance. i'm gonna go look for that link... that was hilarious, but unfortunately, true.


RE: how much for copying a non-drm track?
By Gul Westfale on 10/16/2007 9:11:41 PM , Rating: 3
apologies, i read the story originally on a german site but now found out that the "offending" mechanics are actually scottish. here is a link to the BBC story on that:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinbu...

from the article:
"The PRS claimed that Kwik-Fit mechanics routinely use personal radios while working at service centres across the UK and that music, protected by copyright, could be heard by colleagues and customers.

It is maintained that amounts to the "playing" or "performance" of the music in public and renders the firm guilty of infringing copyright."

now isn't that retarded?
-------

[on a completely unrelated note, i also found this version of linux that looks like vista. not sure what to make of it, but it seems interesting. interfaces and compatibility are the only two areas where linux is behind windows, maybe stuff like this can help linux in the long run:
http://www.winfuture.de/news,34956.html
the thing is called vixta, which is funny because "wichsen" -pronounced vixen- means jacking off in german. tissues are not included, i think.]


By jtemplin on 10/16/2007 9:40:38 PM , Rating: 2
Very retarded. I have seen that very idea thrown around in the comments on this site before as a joke. Woooow, I guess it had to happen. Good find!


Where's my Apple store rebate check?
By peritusONE on 10/16/2007 5:19:43 PM , Rating: 5
I just paid $1.29 for a track 2 months ago, and now they drop the price 23%!!! I want my money back in the form an Apple store credit dammit!!!

/apple sarcasm




RE: Where's my Apple store rebate check?
By creathir on 10/16/2007 6:08:08 PM , Rating: 2
Thats the price of being an early adopter...

:-/

- Creathir


By TomZ on 10/16/2007 6:45:38 PM , Rating: 2
Lawsuit! Lawsuit!


By Polynikes on 10/16/2007 6:47:15 PM , Rating: 2
In the past Apple has shown themselves to be generous towards early adopters, but I don't see them refunding anyone the difference here. It would be a logistical nightmare.

I knew it was only a matter of time before they dropped the DRM-free tracks' price.


Yeah, everyone hates Walmart, but....
By MonkeyPaw on 10/16/2007 5:32:35 PM , Rating: 3
Walmart has been selling DRM-less MP3s for $.94 for some time now. iTunes is not required.




RE: Yeah, everyone hates Walmart, but....
By psychobriggsy on 10/16/2007 6:51:44 PM , Rating: 2
Don't Walmart sanitize the music they sell? That's what I've read anyway, they make the producers create a sanitized version of the CD for sale in their stores. Quite often that means that all the CDs are sanitized as a result, because Walmart is so powerful.


By smilingcrow on 10/16/2007 9:43:03 PM , Rating: 3
“Don't Walmart sanitize the music they sell? That's what I've read anyway, they make the producers create a sanitized version of the CD for sale in their stores.”

They make the musicians go into rehab and take drug tests after every recording session to make sure they are clean. It’s turned out really well so far with Motley Crue re-recording their ‘greatest hits’ and turning them into wholesome songs that stand up well against the best of John Denver and The Osmonds.

It hasn’t turned out so well for some with Axl Rose spending over a decade trying to pluck up the courage to open his mouth in the studio whilst sober. Some might be tempted to sigh in relief and suggest that an instrumental version of Use your Illusion might be no bad thing; relatively speaking that is. Knockin' On Heaven's Door is tentatively going to be renamed as No Longer Screeching at Heaven’s Door.

There are currently no plans for the canon of work sung by Mr Ozzie Osborne to be re-recorded due to advice taken from medical experts and the British Bat Conservation Society.


By kmmatney on 10/16/2007 7:42:53 PM , Rating: 2
Just checked out the walmart site. By far, most of the music is still WMA format (DRM, and not compatible with iPod or Zune - wtf!). Also, I didn't see any way of filtering out the music so only MP3's were shown.


Great!
By Ammohunt on 10/16/2007 5:21:35 PM , Rating: 3
So once the big record labels pull out of iTunes the end of the year we will be able to chose from 5 DRM free songs!




Love this thread
By pauldovi on 10/16/2007 7:51:58 PM , Rating: 2
The comment in this thread crack me up!




Good Ol' Competition
By kelmon on 10/17/2007 3:58:14 AM , Rating: 2
I've been a user of the iTunes Store for about 2-years and I'm really glad to see that Amazon's arrival on the scene is finally bringing some serious competition to the table that's made an impact on Apple. Not sure if the changes are going to be hitting the UK iTunes Store but today when I try to access the iTunes Plus section I get an error message that I don't get elsewhere in the store so I presume something is happening. Fingers crossed.

Certainly it will be interesting to see what happens when Amazon starts selling tracks outside of the US.




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