Apple Inc. and EMI Music announced April 2nd that the music company's entire catalog will be available in May for purchase on iTunes without Digital Rights Management (DRM) restrictions for a $.30 premium.
The announcement comes after an open letter from Steve Jobs in February in which the Apple CEO called for the end of DRM on music.
Starting in May non-DRM protected content from EMI including the company’s music videos will be available for $1.29. Previously DRM-protected music will be "upgradeable" for an additional $.30. In addition, DRM-protected music from EMI will still be available on the iTunes marketplace for $.99.
"We think our customers are going to love this," Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a prepared statement," and we expect to offer more than half of the songs on iTunes in DRM-free versions by the end of this year."
It is unclear what the companies move towards DRM-free music will mean for its movie and television business. Besides being the number one marketplace for online music, Apple also has sold over 50 million TV shows. Calls to Apple have not yet been returned.
