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.