iTunes' DRM and pricing decision will give digital market more freedom.

Editorial Paul Williams

ANNUAL UK SINGLES SALES BREAKING THROUGH the 100m barrier for the first time in 2008 demonstrates all too clearly how buoyant the business for single-track downloads already is, but the announcement last week by Apple about copy protection and variable pricing suggests this market could be heading for even better times in the coming year.

This column has long called for the end of digital rights management (DRM), a system that did little in the ongoing fight against illegal copying but achieved much in frustrating customers by preventing them from shopping freely online. So the move by Apple to make all tracks on iTunes available without copy protection is an extremely positive one, at long last allowing consumers with non-iPod players the choice of buying from the full range from the store, just as iPod owners have been able to do the same from the increasing number of sites selling MP3s.

It means music fans will no longer be tied to one service and will now be able to make a decision on purchasing based on where they want to buy from rather than where they have to buy from. This can only encourage those already purchasing music digitally to buy more, while removing a clear obstacle in front of those who have yet to start feeding their portable music players in this way.

Similarly, Apple's abandonment of a single-pricing model for individual downloads is also a very welcome move. Given other digital music stores have long offered flexible pricing, it made no sense for the runaway market leader to stubbornly stick to its one-price policy, while it was plainly illogical to be charging exactly the same price for everything.

With this ...