drm - Internet Marketing News and Blogs

Not content with a huge windfall from the sale of filtering company SurfControl, Steve Purdham has linked up with former Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel to launch a new music downloading venture.

We7, as it is called, allows fans to download music for free, as long as they are prepared to listen to 10-second ads attached to each song. The tracks then become ad-free after four weeks.

We caught up with Steve to ask about his plans for the service, and what interest he has managed to generate from labels and advertisers.

Silicon Valley startup Lala.com has just gone live with an alternative plan to encourage music downloads. 

It is offering free, on-demand streamed music through its site in the hope that enough users will buy CDs and download tracks to make it profitable.

Amazon has confirmed plans to open a music download store later this year, offering all songs free of DRM copyright protection.

The much-anticipated move will see Amazon offering music from EMI, which recently cut a deal with Apple to sell its music DRM-free through the iTunes store.

Amazon looks to be taking on Apple's iTunes by opening its own music download store, with rumours suggesting the service will be DRM-free.

According to The Independent, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been in discussions with the four major labels to persuade them to allow their music to be sold without DRM protection.

EMI CEO Eric Nicoli and Apple CEO Steve Jobs have announced that music from EMI's back catalogue will soon be available to buy on iTunes without DRM copyright protections.

In a press conference held this afternoon, the pair announced the plans, in response to consumer demands for the ability to transfer music between different devices.

"The third alternative is to abolish DRMs entirely. Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players.

Premium TV, the company which manages the Premiership and Football League’s online services, has been forced into a security upgrade because of “increasing piracy”.