iTunes Selling DRM Free Music, Other Music Digital Store Now Open

I know this was in the news a few weeks ago, but EMI music is now selling 256kbps AAC encoded non-DRM music on iTunes for $1.29 per song. Also, any EMI tunes you’ve previously purchased from the iTunes store can be upgraded to the new, higher-quality versions for just 30 cents apiece. If you ask me, this whole iTunes non-DRM thing is still a bit of sham, the music is AAC encoded which means for the average user it is still an iPod only format, which means Jobs and Co. gets to maintain his de facto monopoly in the downloadable music market.

In other digital music news, the Other Music Digital Store is now open. All of the tracks at Other Music are sold as premium-quality 320kbps DRM-free mp3s and priced at $1.11 each (as far as I can tell). Standard length albums seem to range from $7.99 to $11.99, with most coming in at $9.99.

- via Engadget and ProductShopNYC

• The Napster mp3 Store Is Now Open for Business
• The Amazon mp3 Store Has Launched
• Other Music, Your Other iTunes
• Ticketmaster + iTunes: Two Great Tastes That Taste Like Bleeech!
• Apple Dumps NBC | NBC & News Corp. Announce Hulu.com