Trumblog

On Friday DRM took its last gasp and died as Sony, the last of the big four, announced that it would begin to sell it’s catalog on Amazon.com as mp3s. Who knew that it would all end so quickly?

DRM had been under fire for years when last February Steve Jobs posted his Thoughts on Music extolling the benefits of DRM-free online music sales and pointing his finger at the music companies for making Apple include digital rights management in the files sold on iTunes. Then in April EMI was the first recording company to offer it’s catalog DRM-free. Sure the tracks were $1.25 rather than $.99, but it was a start.

Four months later, on August 9, Universal announced that their music would be sold DRM free and specifically not on iTunes. So when Amazon.com opened their music download store on September 25 DRM-free tracks from EMI and Universal were available at $.89 and $.99 each.

In time for Christmas Warner Music announced on December 7 they they would make their catalog available DRM-free too. Then on Friday Sony joined it’s three sister companies in selling its music DRM-free. Less than a year from Steve Job’s “Mr. Gobachev, Tear Down This Wall” to this and only 9 months from the first brick to fall. Surprising. And iTunes is still selling songs with DRM for $.99 each, DRM-free for $1.25 and it will probably be that way until Apple renegotiates its contracts.

Update: as if on cue Music Industry, Souring on Apple, Embraces Amazon Service and Amazon.com and Pepsi Partner For Free Download Promo