Amazon ads Warner Music Group to DRM free offerings

In the latest move by Amazon.com to compete with iTunes in the digital music market, they have made a deal with Warner Music Group to offer its music on Amazon's DRM free music store. Warner music group is joining EMI, Universal Music Group and about 33,000 independent music producers in selling its music without DRM on Amazon. Groups like Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Greenday will now be offered on Amazon's DRM-free music service.

With iTunes dominating the digital music market, record labels are joining with Amazon in an attempt to regain power lost to Apple. While iTunes offers fixed prices on its songs, Amazon allows for variable pricing although most songs sell for $.89, $.10 cheaper than Apple's iTunes.

I think this is the latest attack on those that support DRM technologies, especially Apple. While I still believe many record companies are in favor of DRM, I believe this is a message being sent to Apple that iTunes isn't the only way to distribute music digitally.

I believe record labels see that if they want to have more power in their relationship with Apple, they must have the consumer on their side. While I certainly believe moves like this are better for the consumer, as long as entertainment industry groups like the RIAA continue its' push to lock content down and treat the consumer as a criminal, I will remain highly suspect of the record companies end game.

-Jeremy "pcnerd37" Bray