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Amazon Finalizes DRM-Free Deal With Warner Music Group

Warner Music Group has signed a crucial deal with Amazon's DRM-free MP3 service, leaving Sony BMG as the only major label to not embrace the possibilities of selling tracks without copy protection technology. "Consumers want flexibility with respect to what they can do with music once they purchase it, and we want them to have that flexibility, which is why we're pleased to offer our artists' music on Amazon MP3," said Michael Nash, senior vice president of digital strategy at Warner Music Group, in a statement.

The removal of Digital Rights Management from Warner's family of diverse record labels (the heavy-metal haven of Roadrunner, the deluxe reissue department of Rhino, and many, many others) allows users to trade and burn songs freely, as well as play their purchases on any MP3 device.

Or as chief Warner executive Edgar Bronfman explained in a company E-mail, "By removing a barrier to the sale and enjoyment of audio downloads, we bring an energy-sapping debate to a close."

Now that Amazon has added such artists as Led Zeppelin, Sean Paul and Aretha Franklin, the store can boast a bigger DRM-selection than iTunes: more than 2.9 million a la carte cuts, priced between 89 and 99 cents, with albums running anywhere from $5.99 to $9.99.

—The ARTISTdirect Staff
12.28.07