Amazon to Offer DRM-Free MP3 Music
May 16, 2007 | by Geoff Duncan
Amazon.com has announced it plans to offer songs from EMI Music and more than 12,000 other labels for sale in DRM-free, MP3 format later this year.
Amazon.com has announced it plans to launch a digital music store later this year offering music from EMI Music and over 12,000 other music labels for sale in DRM-free, MP3 format. The move follows EMI's announcement last month that it would be offering its entire music catalog via Apple's iTunes service in a DRM-free AAC format—at a premium price, although at twice the resolution of FairPlay-protected downloads.
Amazon.com hasn't offered any details on the resolution of the MP3 files it plans to offer for sale or what pricing strategy might be. Offering music in MP3 format means the song will be playable on essentially any portable media player or computer. While the AAC format used by iTunes is widely supported in computers and personal media players, MP3 support is nearly universal.
"Our MP3-only strategy means all the music that customers buy on Amazon is always DRM-free and plays on any device," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com founder and CEO, in a statement. "We're excited to have EMI joining us in this effort and look forward to offering our customers MP3s from amazing artists like Coldplay, Norah Jones, and Joss Stone."
Although Amazon.com hasn't yet offered any details, the "more than 12,000" labels on board with Amazon.com's new store in addition to EMI are likely smaller independent, perhaps working through clearinghouses or other distributors. One can be certain they don't include any of the other major music distributors (Universal Music, Sony BMG, and Warner Music), although they will certainly be watching the results of EMI's experiment with DRM-free music very closely.
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ref on Jun 5th, 2007 at 2:48 AM:
Iomoio.com is my favorite MP3 music download site - it's extremely fast, reliable, easy to use, and great value for money. While on the face of it 15¢ is slightly more than you would pay at LegalSounds.com (see below), almost every file is of a higher "bitrate", giving you a better Value
Little review:
Incentives
If you top up your account with $30 or more, you will get the same value again, free! For example, add $50 to your account and get they will give you another $50 to spend on the site, completely free!
Unlimited downloads
Every week a user with $100 or more in their account will be randomly selected and awarded with an unlimited account, with which they can download as much as they want for absolutely nothing!
Daily bonuses
Every day your account will be credited with 0.01% of the sum of your deposits. This might not sound much, but by my calculations this means if you have added $150 to your account, you will receive $0.15 back every day! That's enough for 1 free song a day!
Quality/Price
Most of the MP3 files on the site are provided in a bitrate of at least 192 kbps, with many being as high as 320 kbps, meaning you get a lot better quality for your money (and each song is only 15¢!).
Website
While the other websites reviewed on this site look visually amazing with their custom graphics, Iomoio have placed the emphasis on website usability, which is why it is very easy to find what you are looking for in no time at all.
Music Archive
Have you ever heard of "Sten Nilsson & Joybells" or the "Flying Burrito Brothers"? No, me neither! But if you had, and were looking for MP3s of their work, you'll find it in the extensive Iomoio MP3 archive.