90% Crud

Apple's DRM Announcement

Eliminate DRM!
Originally uploaded by nim.

Apple announced that they'll be offering DRM-free music in the iTunes Music Store! I don't have much to add to the announcement, I'm just ecstatic that Apple is following up on Steve Job's open letter. Beyond just offering DRM-free music, Apple even addressed Cory Doctorow's lock-in argument by offering upgrades to existing downloads.

There were people who thought that the letter was a cynical attempt to avoid EU regulation by playing DRM off as a chain imposed by the record companies. I admit that I was leaning that way, it's not the first time I was wrong about Apple and probably not the last. Like other doubters, I'm glad I was wrong.

I don't really have much to add to the conversation, I'm just excited to download more music from iTunes in May (and this time I plan to keep it).