EMI To Remove Copyright Protection From Online Songs
Published: Thursday - April 5, 2007
Words by Tim Boswell
EMI (Photo: EMI)
Record company, EMI, announced Monday (April 2) that they will ditch anti-piracy software on its digital music, becoming the first music major to do so and taking big risks to do so.
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is the anti-piracy software major labels have utilized to fight against illegal downloading for years -- some say it has too many restrictions on consumers.
According to the Associated Press, EMI said it would put out improved quality versions of its music online without copyright protection, but an industry source says that EMI has struggled in garnering hits as of late, so any immediate potential benefit would be reduced.
However, others feel that the removal of the anti-piracy software would change the entire game, resulting in the other majors following suit.
"This is something that all the labels are having to consider ... because of the state of the overall market. But EMI has been hit harder than anyone else," Jupiter analyst Mark Mulligan told the AP. "It doesn't have the benefit of a big parent company and it doesn't have a strong footprint in the U.S.. It has to be innovative. It wants to be ahead of the curve."
Analysts say EMI's decision of the removal of DRM could boost their online sales -- which currently account for around 10 percent of global music sales -- because now the consumer has options with the music they buy and aren't hindered in where they choose to play that music.
DRM prevents users from making multiple copies of music, but the different formats have also resulted in interoperability issues -- for example, tracks bought on Apple's iTunes online store can only be played on Apple's iPod.
"Doing the right thing for the customer going forward is to tear down the walls that impede interoperability," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said during a London news conference.
Critics of copy-protection technology feel these restrictions have hindered the growth of legal downloading, which is crucial to music groups as the sales of physical CDs have declined drastically.
Under the new format, iTunes customers will able to buy songs by the Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Coldplay and other top-selling artists for $1.29, or 30 cents more than the copy-protected version.
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