The slow march towards universal DRM free music appears about to become a sprint to the finish line.
Recent developments pushing Sony BMG, WMG and other holdouts to reconsider their protectionist positions include:
- Initial sales and kudos from the media and consumers for Amazon’s all mp3 store
- Rumors that we’ve been hearing for weeks of a billion (yes that’s a b) track giveaway involving Pepsi and the Amazon mp3 store to be unveiled during the Super Bowl
- Rumors that WalMart.com is demanding that all labels deliver tracks as DRM free mp3’s or risk being booted off the site
- Solid digital sales increases at EMI since going DRM free
- Signs that the Universal “experiment” is now a permanent policy shift
- An increasing number of hold-out labels including most recently Hollywood experimenting with DRM free sales
- Rumors that Sony BMG is readying an mp3 experiment and that WMG is finally allowing the possibility to be be openly discussed
- A more rapid than expected decline in physical CD sales
- Increased popularity of The Zune and other players beyond the iPod
Just a week ago I asked “Has The March To DRM Free Stalled?” It appears that I should have trusted my own December ’06 prediction that 2007 would be the breakthrough year for DRM free music.
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