Open Format Files Rate a 30% Premium

Filed in archive Apple , DRM , Major Labels , Marketing on April 5, 2007

Or you can get them free and unauthorized from P2P.

That's the lesson from the news that EMI is indeed pushing ahead with open format music. DRM-free tunes will be available on apple itunes in May. Apple is packaging the music as a premium service for $1.29 per song with no DRM and a higher quality (higher recorded bitrate).

The media can hardly contain its excitement, calling this news "groundbreaking." It is a baby step forward for the major labels and Apple's monopricing. However songs on indie sites have long contained every aspect of this offering, from differential pricing to higher bit rates.