14 DAY TRIAL // The big hassle with the 4 major, RIAA, DRM, EMI, Apple, Jobs, the students, disabled people, little girls, radio webcast and all the related crap isn't by far over yet, as I am sure you are aware of that. Indeed it looks like EMI (one of the 4 major, remember?) has begun to like the taste of freedom once more as the joint with Apple Inc. celebrated yesterday in what DRM-free music downloads via iTunes is concerned seems to be quite a catchy thing.
As previously reported, London was in a complete stir yesterday as Jobs was on English ground and attended a conference with his new musical partners, the British records company EMI. Even if the Beatles fans haven't gotten what they all hoped for (no Beatles digital music available on iTunes so far, sorry), things look like beginning to move as EMI promised that the price will remain unchanged for regular tracks yet the new quality of the DRM-free music (yes, EMI and DRM-free in the same sentence and not as opposites) they'll be selling on iTunes will double and make you pay $1.29/EUR 1.29/GBP 0.79.
Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group (unnecessarily) added that one of EMI's main concerns is delivering music lovers "the opportunity to buy higher quality tracks and listen to them on the device or platform of their choice." Now, he couldn't have just said something like "sorry, I just know that we sucked big time for a very long time, we're really sorry to have teamed up with the bad boys. We want to make things right now", could he? Well, even so, the fact that EMI has finally made this very important step in the direction of DRM-free music is to be hailed (and we hail you)...
Another cool thing Apple and EMI will soon be offering on iTunes as a regular service will be the actual upgrade for the songs bought previously for $0.30/EUR 0.30/GBP 0.20 per track. Finally, the online music commerce looks closer and closer to how it should finally be: great service, no fuss.