Apple And EMI Group Unchain DRM Shackles

Apple and EMI Group both announced today that they will be offering Digital Rights Management (DRM) free downloads that are higher quality than those previously made available. Finally, music files you can copy, save, and backup as if they were your own. The upgrade in sound quality (from 128kbps to 256kbps AAC) without restrictions can be done at the click of a button in the iTunes store versions to come.

"We are going to give iTunes customers a choice - the current versions of our songs for the same 99 cent price, or new DRM-free versions of the same songs with even higher audio quality and the security of interoperability for just 30 cents more," said Steve Jobs. "We think our customers are going to love this, and we expect to offer more than half of the songs on iTunes in DRM-free versions by the end of this year." There is, of course, the third choice of buying a CD for the same price and getting a hardcopy with artwork that you can rip to whichever format you choose, completely DRM free.