Electronista is reporting that “according to French sources familiar with negotiations for multiple online music stores,” Apple is set to drop EMI’s DRM-free catalog onto iTunes this week. Techs are entering the last stages of encoding and prepping the files to go live.
While previous statements seemed to indicate a gradual release starting this month, the kinda-but-not-really late release is in part due to a desire to dump the whole catalog at once.
Also partly to blame is EMI’s recent wheelings and dealings with Amazon, which may have kept Apple and EMI from finalizing their deal until last week. In sum, keep your eyes open but hopes only moderately skyward on Tuesday. They’ll get there eventually.
DRM-free iTunes set this week? [Electronista]
McbLt
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 9:16 AMGo DRM free! Will this filter down to the the Australian ITMS?
Michael
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 11:26 AMYeah, I believe SteveyJ said that DRM free EMI music would be available world-wide. Given that they promised us a May launch, and given that it’s 28 May, they really need to pull their finger out. I’m surprised it’s taken this long – even a room full of monkeys manually re-ripping EMI music at Apple headquarters would have finished the job by now. And if there’s been a shortage of monkeys for whatever reason, they could always just get the music from the trusty Russian sources (where ALL OF your MP3s can be found).
Seamus
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 11:31 AMI’ve heard numerous ‘worldwide’ launch announcements by Jobs which have been clarified by local PR as excluding Australia. Ordering photos directly through iPhoto is a classic example.
So until I see it launch, I won’t believe we’re getting it simultaneously. We’ve already seen local record companies stir enough shit that they delay download service launch timings.
Michael
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 12:06 PMSo true. Which is why it’s a great idea to pick up gift cards for the US iTunes store when travelling to the USofA. With a gift card, you don’t need a US credit card – just a separate email address. And iTunes allows you to have multiple music store accounts (be an iTunes dual citizen!). US$0.99 tracks (and US$9.99 albums) at the current exchange rate (0.82) is just sweeeeet.
Mind you, when I got my US$100 iTunes gift voucher at the Apple store on Fifth Avenue in New York, the checkout dude asked me sternly “You realise, Sir, that you can only use these in the US”. I replied “of course, now please charge this to my Australian MasterCard”
(Ok, maybe I just said “of course”).
Penguinister
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 1:16 PMSo let me get this right, your paying extra for a song that actually plays and slightly better quality that costs absolutely nothing to extra produce, WOW!! I better start selling sea water at the beach, things must be really looking up.
Michael
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 7:24 PMHa! Since when is there a relationship between retail prices and the cost of production – as far as Apple is concerned?
wernerwaimarana
Monday, May 28, 2007 at 7:36 PMmake that extra briney sea water, captain.