drm-free news

Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) announces the launch of "DRM-free" MP3 music downloads, now available online at http://www.walmart.com. At only 94 cents per track and $9.22 per album, the new MP3 digital format delivers value, convenience and the ability for customers to play music on nearly any device, including iPod(R), iPhone(R) and Zune(TM) portable media players. Wal-Mart is one of the first major retailers to offer MP3 digital tracks with music content from major record labels such as Universal and EMI Music.

RealNetworks®, Inc. (NASDAQ: RNWK), today announced that its award-winning Rhapsody® digital music service will soon begin offering for sale thousands of DRM-free albums and tracks from artists on Universal Music Group as part of a six-month test with UMG, the world's leading music company.

Apple® today launched iTunes® Plus DRM-free music tracks featuring high quality 256 kbps AAC encoding for audio quality virtually indistinguishable from the original recordings-for just $1.29 per song.

Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced it will launch a digital music store later this year offering millions of songs in the DRM-free MP3 format from more than 12,000 record labels. EMI Music's digital catalog is the latest addition to the store.