[Album] Music Industry "Dumps" DRM - Heads to Amazon

Remember when the music industry was all like "raise the prices on music, Apple, and keep DRM on that mofo!" last winter?

Well, prepare yourself for a laugh riot...

Quote:

Like Amazon's DRM-Free Music Downloads? Thank Apple

Along with thousands of independent labels, major music producers Universal Music Group and EMI have signed on to sell songs on Amazon's new service, representing half of the "Big Four" music publishers. True, both Universal and EMI had already experimented with DRM-free downloads, but there are signs that the rest of the industry will soon follow.

Edgar Bronfman, Jr., the Warner Music Group chairman, told Goldman Sachs investors in New York last week he was considering removing DRM from Warner's music downloads -- this just months after suggesting Warner would never abandon DRM. He blamed Apple for the apparent change of heart.

"We need some online competition" for Apple's iTunes Music Store, Bronfman said. He conceded the iPod is "the default device" and iTunes the "download model."

Even if DRM's days are numbered, that doesn't mean the music industry is abandoning technological weapons in combating piracy. Amazon confirmed Tuesday that some of its music downloads contain digital watermarks identifying Amazon as the source of the music.

Watermarking allows companies to silently brand music files with identifying information, such as customer- and vendor-identification numbers, digitally woven into the fabric of the song. Those hidden patterns allow music companies to track the origins of music that show up on peer-to-peer sharing sites.

Unlike DRM, watermarks don't restrict listeners' legal rights to make backup copies or lend music to friends, as do DRM schemes. But watermarks can raise privacy and liability concerns, because a person could be charged for copyright violations if the music appears on file-sharing networks, even if the consumer did not put it there.

Check out Amazon's MP3 Download Store and see it for yourself.
Some cool things I've noticed:

• Not all albums are $9.99 or $11.99, some are $8.99 or even *gasp* $7.99!
• No more bitchy "128kbps is too low no matter what format" people - MP3s are typically 256kbps
• No need to use iTunes when you want to listen to online purchases

So yeah, how about that turn of events?
Industry doesn't want to sell music online.
Apples convinces them to do it, with DRM to avoid pirating.
Music sells well.
Industry starts to want more money, wants prices raised.
Apple says no.
Apple later says getting rid of DRM will bring more customers.
Industry says it will never abandon DRM.
Industry abandons DRM, branches out to sell their new untethered music on Amazon, and even at a discount.

Thoughts?

Jam it back in, in the dark.

The industry is either going to have to evolve or die. People will never stop making music, nor stop listening to it, but the "suits" might find their gravy train has left the station if they don't change their tune. I think there has been a dry spell of truly good music (a variety of it, I mean) because of all this nonsense, which is unfortunate.

There's nowhere I can't reach.