Blackmoor Vituperative

Apple and EMI have agreed to come out with a “premium” music service that permits downloads of songs without the intrusion of the Digital Rights Mafia. As part of the deal, the cost per song will increase by 30%.

So let me get this straight. The record distributor saves a ton of cash because they are no longer chasing the DRM windmill, Apple saves money because they no longer have to regularly patch their software to keep up with people who find ways around the obnoxious DRM entanglements… and they are going to charge more for it.

I suppose in the long run, it’s a good thing. Once DRM is dead and buried, the law of the market will kick in and competition will force prices down. At least in theory. Unfortunately, the American music industry is currently dominated by the Big Four cartel, so the market pressure will have a hard time pushing prices down.