Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home

Apple Launches DRM-Free iTunes Plus

By

Apple today launched iTunes Plus, a new addition to its existing iTunes service which offers AAC music tracks from major label EMI at 256 Kbps encoding (twice the rate of standard iTunes purchases) at $1.29 per track—and without Apple’s FairPlay digital rights management (DRM) technology. That means users can play iTunes Plus tracks on any music player (or using any application) which supports AAC encoding, rather than the tracks being restricted to playback using iTunes or Apple iPods.

“This is a tremendous milestone for digital music,” said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group. “Consumers are going to love listening to higher quality iTunes Plus tracks from their favorite EMI artists with no usage restrictions.”

Recommended Videos

iTunes Plus is available via a new version 7.2 of Apple’s iTunes application for Mac OS X and Windows, available as a free download from Apple. Right now, iTunes Plus features only tracks from EMI (including popular artists like Coldplay, Joss Stone, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and many more), although plainly Apple expects other music distributes to get on board with offering DRM-free downloads via iTunes:

“Our customers are very excited about the freedom and amazing sound quality of iTunes Plus,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year.”

The complete iTunes catalog—including the EMI tracks available via iTunes Plus—is also still available at $.99 per track at 128 Kbps encoding with FairPlay DRM, so users can continue to pay the same old price (and live with the same old restrictions) if they like.

iTunes will offer to let customers upgrade tracks they’ve already purchased to non-DRM 256 Kbpx AAC versions by paying just the $.30 price difference between the two versions, rather than re-purchasing the track at full price.

EMI is the first record label to offer its catalog in a DRM-free format (making the announcement with Steve Jobs in London in early April), and is hoping that removing cumbersome digital rights management technologies will increase digital music sales and boost EMI’s bottom line: something the company is very concerned about, especially since it’s now set to be acquired by Maltby Limited, an acquisition firm set up by private equity firm Terra Firma in a deal worth about $4.7 billion. The remaining record labels are no doubt watching EMI’s experiment carefully, but industry consensus seems to be that at least some of them will follow EMI into offering DRM-free digital music—particularly if it enables them to charge a premium for their tracks.

In an unrelated announcement, Apple has also launched an iTunes U area within the iTunes store offering free educational content such as course lectures, language lessons, sports highlights, and campus tours from leading U.S. colleges and universities.

Topics
Geoff Duncan
Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra vs. Narwal Freo X Ultra: Which is the best premium robot vacuum?
Narwal Freo X Ultra with dock in home

Few robot vacuums and mops are as well-rounded as the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Narwal Freo X Ultra. The two premium robots will vacuum and mop entirely on their own, before returning to their docks to automatically clean their mopheads and empty their dustbins. That sort of functionality doesn't come cheap, with both products carrying hefty price tags that'll put a big dent in your budget.

Because they're so expensive, you'll want to pay close attention to the differences between these two robot vacuums. Both are great additions to any household, but one might be a better fit for your needs than the other.

Read more
Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra vs. Roborock S8 Max Ultra: Which is the better robot vacuum?
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra placed in its dock.

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Roborock S8 Max Ultra are two of the newest additions to the Roborock family. Along with having almost identical names, these robot vacuums share much of the same spec sheet -- including the ability to mop and vacuum in a single cycle before automatically emptying their dustbin and cleaning their mops. They're impressive gadgets by all accounts, but since they're wildly expensive, you'll want to carefully compare the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and Roborock S8 Max Ultra before adding one to your home.

If you need help, here's a comprehensive look at these two premium robot vacuums, including a comparison of their vacuuming and mops skills, a look at their docking station perks, and a final determination of which is likely best for your needs. Keep in mind that you really can't go wrong with either product -- after all, they're two of the most expensive robots in the category -- but one might be a slightly better fit for your household than the other.
Pricing and availability

Read more
What to know before connecting the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra to your drainage system
The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra model that hooks up to plumbing.

One of the coolest features of the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is its ability to connect to your existing plumbing. This allows it to automatically refill its clean water supply and drain its dirty water after each cleaning cycle. In other words, it turns the robot vacuum into a highly automated floor cleaner that needs little to no manual input.

The most demanding portion of owning this version of the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is installing it. Unlike the traditional model, which comes with water reservoirs and plugs into an electrical outlet, this model needs to connect to both your water and drain lines. And depending on how your home is set up, it might be more of a hassle than it's worth.

Read more