Universal to trial DRM-free music

Universal will follow EMI's successful experiment with DRM-less music, but it will not be sold in iTunes Plus (which sort of defeats the purpose, but I digress). This comes as no surprise, as it seems like EMI is very happy with its DRM-free sales. Amazon has also invested in AmieStreet, a website that sells unprotected music at tiered pricing.

I may be gloating here, but the story of TPMs is a chronicle of a death foretold. You cannot lock away content using technologies that restrict users' abilities to play their purchased material as they wish, and then expect that they will sit around and not try to tinker with the technology. Smart business models that offer choice and empower the consumer will always prevail.