Yahoo! Offers DRM-Free Jessica Simpson Song

For the first time Yahoo! is offering a popular song, Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair", for sale for $2.00 – unprotected by DRM. While it's a one-time deal with record label Epic, Yahoo! wants to eventually make all music available DRM-free. Ian Rogers, of Yahoo! Music wrote the following in a blog yesterday:

"As you know, we've been publicly trying to convince record labels that they should be selling MP3s for a while now. Our position is simple: DRM doesn't add any value for the artist, label (who are selling DRM-free music every day — the compact disc) or consumer, the only people it adds value to are the technology companies who are interested in locking consumers to a particular technology platform."

Sources: Wired | CNet | ZDNet | CD Freaks | iLounge | EFF Deep Links

Dale's Comment: Let's hope this is the first step toward Yahoo's convincing the music industry to eventually sell all digital music without anti-copy restrictions. Out of principle alone, I will purchase this song (site unheard) from Yahoo! if they make it available for sale in Canada.

Update: So much for my first attempt to legally purchase a DRM-free song on the Internet. After taking my credit card number and particulars and after having selected the personalized version of the song I wanted, I was presented with this perfunctory message "There was a problem processing your purchase. Your credit card has not been charged – error code: 8". Well, error code: 8 prevented a most enthusiastic customer from attempting to purchase the song. If you wish to give it a whirl, here's the site where the song is supposed to be available.

Related Posts:

• Steve Jobs Calls for the End of DRM for Online Music Sales (February 7, 2007)
• Wired Article: Signs Music Industry May be Abandoning DRM (January 8, 2007)
• EMusic Sells 100 Millionth Song without DRM (December 15, 2006)
• EMI's Blue Note & Yahoo! Music Sell a Few More Songs DRM Free (December 6, 2006)
• ifpi Board Member Quoted as Saying Major Labels About to Abandon DRM (November 27, 2006)
• First a Song, Now a DRM-Free Album – Yahoo! (September 19, 2006)
• Weird Al Yankovic's New Single: Don't Download this Song (August 23, 2006)
• Yahoo! Offers DRM-Free Jessica Simpson Song (July 20, 2006)
• Yahoo! Exec Says Labels Should Sell Music Without DRM (February 24, 2006)

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