Universal to remove anti-piracy technology
The Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music label, plans to sell a significant portion of its catalog without copy protection software for at least the next few months, according to the New York Times.
It’s one more sign that the industry’s united stance behind digital-rights management anti-piracy technology may be falling apart.
Universal will offer the rights-free music through retail services like RealNetworks, Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, Google, and other sites, the Times said, but won’t be offered through Apple’s iTunes — a possible sign that Universal wants to compete with iTunes, or at least shift momentum away from Apple which has become the largest, most powerful music service.
Previously, EMI Group moved away from digital-rights, and signed a deal with iTunes. Under that agreement, though, songs are sold at a higher price — $1.29 instead of 99 cents.
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Matt launched VentureBeat in September of 2006, with the realization that no one else was covering the entrepreneurial and tech innovation scene with the velocity or depth that he was. Prior to founding VentureBeat, he covered venture capital for the San Jose Mercury News from 2001 to 2006. In 2002, Matt was awarded "Journalist of the Year" by the Northern California Society of Professional Journalists. Prior to working at the Merc, he was a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal in Bonn, Germany from 1995 to 1998, and a writer for the Washington Post in 1994. Matt holds a PhD in Government and an MA in German and European Studies from Georgetown University. In addition to VentureBeat, Matt is also the Executive Producer of DEMO, the leading launchpad event for emerging technologies.
