Is a Microsoft/EMI deal on the horizon?

LOL its not EMI looking to take a hit for the people to show they dont want to pay even if its not drm'd its just there tired of taking critisism for DRM... knowing full well that DRM can be stripped in a matter of time. I mean whats the sense of the world hating you for holding on to something only to have to find out that there just stripping the protections off anyway, or finding a way to bypass it. Personally i say its about damn time... but i still see services like zunepass or atleast evolutions of it being the final endall.

Chris | http://www.nextechnews.com

I'm a cynic.. and I don't think DRM-free music tracks are going to do anything but hurt the industry. I give Kudos to EMI for being the company with the balls to take the hit to prove that People don't want to pay for stuff. I mean look at the people already complaining on this forum. It's too expensive, it should be lossless (No thank you to 26+ MB downloads for little audible difference)...

Microsoft will need to offer the EMI titles with and without DRM.

I personally like DRM since I use the Zune marketplace with subscription. My EMI would have DRM.

Those who prefer to purchase would get their EMI DRM free.

Choice is good!

@mdc: this certainly make wma (especially DRM) more irrelevant, at least out side of the handful of subscription services. Microsoft pushes wma through their PlayForSure program, the list of stores that use it can be found here (http://www.playsforsure.com/).

They basically want wma (with or without DRM) to be a dominant format, in order to lock out others like AAC or open source formats, so that they have complete control. Just look at the abysmal official support of wma on OS X or linux.

This isn't an Apple/EMI deal. In the announcement EMI made it clear that the opportunity to sell non-DRM is available to all its retail partners. All Microsoft and other online retailers need to do is to change their systems to enable it.

The thing that I'm wondering is why, other than Microsoft, online stores will use .wma anymore? Why would they say "Our music doesn't play on the iPod" when they can use .aac and say that it does play on the iPod.

I wonder of .wma's days are numbered?

lets hope that this DRM crap just goes away.. i'm sick of it really. and yeah, if MS was first you know for sure they would have capitalized on it

Are you really saying what i hope you are saying!

VOB to iPod
http://www.vob-converter.com

If Microsoft had been first, you just know there would have been ads in the downloaded tracks.

The Zune adds DRM to ALL music files transfered using "squirting". Even if you transfer an unencrypted DRM free MP3 file it will still stop playing after 3 plays/days.