“groovy mother...”

Amazon’s un-DRMed 256kbps MP3 store launches. It’s got the full EMI and indie catalogues that iTunes has DRM-free, plus the Universal catalogue.

There’s an optional downloader for Windows and Mac that allows you to queue up entire albums and import them into iTunes automagically, but you can also download individual tracks without any software.

My only problem with it? The first track I tried buying — “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond — turned out to be a live recording without being marked as such. So now? I get to test Amazon’s refund policy!

This was my read too. Universal’s DRM-free experiment is mostly an attack on Apple’s success with the iTunes Music Store.

Sums up how I feel about the whole fucking stupid “email addresses stored in iTunesPlus files” storm in a teacup. I’m ashamed to be an EFF supporter sometimes.

Apple will be selling DRM-free music from EMI next month. Pitched as “higher-quality” (256kbps AAC) to justify the price increase. The interesting statistic once this launches is going to be the number of people who choose the lower-cost DRMed version.

Steve Jobs publicly calls for the record companies to drop their requirement for DRM on online music sales: “Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. […] This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat.”

And now the keys for Blu-ray discs are getting released, even though there isn’t any software to extract the video yet! Outstanding.

The keys for use with BackupHDDVD are now starting to be extracted and shared, enabling your to back up your HD-DVD discs. I doff my cap to the community that made this happen so quickly.

It appears that someone has found a way to extract the encryption keys for HD-DVD discs, then rip them. This doesn’t render the whole of AACS broken (it was designed to work around broken software), but until the movie industry makes its move, all HD-DVD discs out there today can be ripped.

Could be interesting — DVDJon reverse engineered Apple’s DRM, and is looking to license it to other companies wanting to sell DRMed tracks. Of course, Apple can break it again with a firmware update, so who knows where this is going.

“The greatest trick Apple pulled was to build a market where lock-in is mandated, but convince the world that this was something they did reluctantly, at the behest of the villainous recording industry.”

There’s an instant discount of $1.99 on your first purchase, so you can kick the tyres and download a TV show episode for free. And yes, the DRM they use is strippable using FairPlay4WM.

I’ve finally had a chance to test this with files downloaded from Napster and Rhapsody’s subscription services, and it does what it says on the tin. The question of interest: If this could be chained to a transcoder that automagically converted downloads to MP3s that can be played on an iPod, would it cause more customers to sign up for PlaysForSure providers, and damage sales at the iTunes Music Store?

“Our position is simple: DRM doesn?t add any value for the artist, label (who are selling DRM-free music every day ? the Compact Disc), or consumer, the only people it adds value to are the technology companies who are interested in locking consumers to a particular technology platform.” Hells yeah!

A beautifully illustrated storybook fable explaining to ver kiddiewinkies why DRM is bad. Lollipop Jones!

“The industry’s idea of a “perfect” DRM scheme is one that is not controlled by either Apple or Microsoft, and which gives only them (the record industry) complete control over what users can do with their downloads. Such a scheme does not exist, and it does not exist because it isn’t possible.”

Head of Real/Rhapsody opens mouth, shite dribbles out.

BusinessWeek article on the troubles facing early adopters of HD-DVD & Blu-Ray. I reckon Comcast & DirecTv are going to win the battle to bring High Def movies into peoples’ homes. The days of shiny discs are drawing to a close.

Well, it’s the law. Apple either have to open up their DRM to other devices and music stores, or shutdown the iTunes Music Store in France. I’ll put $50 on the latter. (Update: OK, it’s not the law yet: It has to pass France’s Senate yet. Stupid multi-house parliamentary systems)

Yahoo exec plants idea in record labels’ heads that DRM’d music is useless. Hope he can make it take root. The only people benefitting from DRM currently are Apple (getting iPod lock-in) and Microsoft (selling their technology to everyone else). Everyone else loses.

‘DRM-protected files exclusively released through iTunes … appear in unprotected form on P2P networks 180 seconds later’. Well, that makes screwing your honest customers worthwhile.