We can’t count the number of times we’ve heard from one random source or another that Apple was about to pull the trigger on a subscription-based / 100% DRM-free music service, and given how those have worked out in the past, we’d highly recommend taking this one with a huge dose of salt. French site ElectronLibre has it that Apple will finally offer up all of its music in DRM-free form starting as early as tomorrow, specifically calling out Sony, Universal and Warner as outfits who would join the protection-free cause. Should this happen, it would obviously be a dream come true for ole Steve, but we’re still left to wonder what would happen to bitrates, prices and (potentially most important) all other iTMS content. Something tells us Hollywood isn’t quite as ready to release its death grip.
Josh’s Verdict: Hmm. Seems like another false rumor, right? Well, read this from this AppleInsider post :
Meanwhile, a couple of readers this weekend noted some strange happenings on iTunes Store. Specifically, they claim that a handful of tracks from record labels Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner appeared briefly as tracks upgradable to iTunes Plus format.
Josh’s Verdict: Hmm. Seems like another false rumor, right? Well, read this from this AppleInsider post :
Meanwhile, a couple of readers this weekend noted some strange happenings on iTunes Store. Specifically, they claim that a handful of tracks from record labels Universal, Sony BMG, and Warner appeared briefly as tracks upgradable to iTunes Plus format.
Of the four major record labels, only EMI has announced support for the DRM-free iTunes format. However,
recent reports have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with the remaining three labels over offering their catalogs through iTunes Plus in the near future.
In particular, readers claim that tracks from 3 Doors Down, Nine Inch Nails, and Neil Young were briefly available for upgrade to iTunes Plus. AlthoughAppleInsider could not reproduce the majority of those findings on Monday morning, it did discover that a handful of Neil Young tracks (Warner) show up as iTunes Plus tracks through the iTunes search function (but not on their respective album pages).
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$50 says that it’s just a rumor. I see them reducing the prices on iTunes long before they go with an unlimited music service.
Seth