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Sony BMG will sell its music DRM-free on the AmazonMP3 store by the end of the month. This is the second move for Sony BMG in the DRM-free MP3 business. Last week, it announced that it would be selling DRM-free MP3s at retail stores (for largely the same price as CDs). More validation for that rumor, then.
There’s two winners here. The first is Amazon, whose music store is only three months old but already has the support of every music label. Consumers also win, as they now have more of a choice from where to download their music; iTunes is no longer the automatic, go-to choice. Maybe that Fast Company article urging caution to Apple wasn’t too far off the mark.
The labels are also embracing Amazon not only because the store loosens Apple’s stranglehold on the music download business, but because Amazon gives the labels more leeway to set prices than Apple. Don’t be surprised if Amazon starts selling new releases at a premium. Good thing new releases from the major labels are terrible for the most part.
Sony Joins Other Labels on Amazon MP3 Store [New York Times]