Sony BMG goes its own way dropping DRM on albums

Software & Apps Downloading & File Sharing (Archive)
#1

I just posted the article Sony BMG goes its own way dropping DRM on albums.

The last one of the four major record companies, Sony BMG, has finally decided to start selling music without DRM. Unlike the other big 3 record companies that sell DRM-free MP3s through online…

Read the full article here:  [http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/14049-Sony-BMG-goes-its-own-way-dropping-DRM-on-albums.html](http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/14049-Sony-BMG-goes-its-own-way-dropping-DRM-on-albums.html)

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#2

As if Sony is actually doing a favor to the consumer… Sony should just drop DRM completely…

#3

"To download an album, customers will first need to purchase album gift cards in retail stores such as Best Buy and Target, which will retail for $12.99. " Ok let me get this straight Sony, I can buy this $13 gift card and then download the lossy mp3 tracks off your website? Wow, lossy mp3 for $13, I cant wait to rush in and buy these cards!! If you are going to pay that much, why not just buy the darn CD right there? God, these record companies are really freaking stupid. I wonder what bitrate they will be also? Probably something inferior for what you are paying for. Here is an idea, how about selling lossless for a change? I.E. Flac and APE Sony. Now I might pay the $13 to download lossless tracks off the net since I can decompress them to the original state unlike mp3s.

#4

I suspect this is nothing more than an announcement to tide things over till the Amazon/Pepsi promotion launches at the Super Bowl with all four labels on board. With the other three labels already on board, I don’t see Sony BMG sitting on the sidelines; they just wanna wait till the Super Bowl to announce. Also, since the download cards seem senseless otherwise, I wonder if they were created just so that none of the download services can claim to be the “first” to get DRM-free downloads from Sony BMG. (IIRC, iTunes was officially first for EMI in the US, though 7 Digital in the UK can be used by Americans; Rhapsody was first for Universal; Amazon was first for Warner.)