Apple takes DRM off the menu.

Digital market on level playing field as iTunes ditches DRM and introduces variable pricing

By Ben Cardew

The debate over the a-la-carte download market can finally move onto customer service, online lockers and recommendation engines, after Apple iTunes killed off DRM in a move that will revolutionise - and inevitably boost - the digital market.

The bombshell means music from Universal, Sony Music, Warner and EMI as well as thousands of independent labels is now available for sale as DRM-free iTunes Plus 256kbps AAC files.

Apple also confirmed plans at last week's Macworld conference in San Francisco to introduce a variable pricing model. From April, songs on iTunes.co.uk will be available at one of three price points: 59p, 79p and 99p - depending on what labels charge Apple - with most albums still priced at #7.99.

The decision effectively kills off debate over copy protection on a-la- carte downloads in the UK. iTunes was the last major digital music operator to sell DRM-protected files, following the conversion to MP3 of operators such as 7 Digital, Tesco and HMV, as well as the entry into the market of Amazon MP3.

The move, which follows Apple's deal with EMI in 2007 to sell DRM-free music from the major, was warmly welcomed throughout the industry as a means of giving a major boost to the download market, which iTunes dominates.