Looks like the rumblings about EMI ditching DRM were true.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html

In a nutshell:
- DRM free versions available in May
- DRM-free versions will cost $1.30/track, but the bitrate will be 256 kbps AAC
- Albums will still only cost $9.99 and will be the higher quality DRM-free version
- Any existing EMI stuff in your library can be upgraded by paying the extra $.30/track
- The option is now available for any major or independent label to provide their music in this way

Basically, it's fantastic news.

Apparently, they're also going to allow online stores other than iTunes sell the DRM-free versions too, in whatever format the store uses.

This just keeps getting better. If only they were offering the option of lossless versions, there'd be nothing else to ask for.

Heheh, "allow". It's in EMI's interest to have their music available through as many outlets as possible.

True, poorly phrased. I still have to get out of the mindset that the labels choose outlets based on who has an adequate protection scheme.

not that i need it for my ipod, but can aac convert to mp3?

and i agree, if this were lossless, i might start on the itunes purchase tip.

you can convert aac to mp3 in itunes, though i'm not sure how the quality of the track is affected.

this is fantastic news, i can only hope that it starts an avalanche. another interesting positive from this that i read on boing boing: now, online indie music distributors such as emusic have a 30 cent price advantage over itunes, something i imagine will only help them to grow and flourish.

$1.30 a track is still ridiculous. Make it 50 cents and I'm in.

At least they kept the album price the same.

The Free Culture people claim MP3s will be offered, but I don't know where they got that from.

Yes. Going from one lossy codec to a different lossy codec will cause quality degradation at a bit level. I would be surprised, though, if transcoding from AAC @ 256 to setting like LAME's -V0 (VBR ~245) would create any differences that are audible in a blind test.


Yeah, that's the ideal. Lossless would at least justify CD-like pricing, IMHO.