Universal Music Group to Offer DRM-Free Music

EMI tested the idea of DRM (Digital Rights Management software) free music by offering their DRM-free music to Apple's iTunes Plus store and Microsoft's Zune store a few months ago. Finally, other music groups are following suit. Industry giant Universal Music Group is planning to offer an unknown amount of their vast library to Real's Rhapsody, Wal-Mart, Amazon, and even Google. However, they are not offering any DRM-free music to Apple's iTunes Plus store at this point. We will start seeing these restriction-free tracks in January 2008, if all goes well. In January, Universal will closely monitor sales, increases in piracy, and other factors before "going all in".