Perhaps keen that history show that they too went DRM-free in 2007, the Warner Music Group announced on 27 Dec that they were making music available in the DRM-free MP3 format via Amazon's MP3 download platform which, as much previously reported, launched in the US last year.
In a joint statement, Amazon and Warner Music told reporters in the US: "Beginning today, songs from WMG's digital audio catalogue will be available for purchase and download from Amazon MP3. In addition, Amazon and WMG will make available to consumers digital music products such as album bundles containing exclusive tracks".
Confirming the arrangement, Amazon's VP Of Digital Music, Bill Carr, told reporters: "Our customers are delighted with our DRM-free MP3 service. We have received thousands of emails from our customers since our September launch thanking us for offering the biggest selection of high-quality, MP3 audio downloads which play on virtually any music device they own today or will own in the future. With the addition of great Warner Music Group content, our customers will discover even more of the music they love on Amazon MP3".
Warner's Senior VP of Digital Strategy & Business Development, Michael Nash, added: "Consumers want flexibility with respect to what they can do with music once they purchase it, and we want them to have that flexibility, which is why we're pleased to offer our artists' music on Amazon MP3. We believe that giving consumers the assurance that the music they purchase can be played on any device they own will only encourage more sales of music. Amazon shares our vision with respect to offering feature-rich music based digital products, and we look forward to making available an array of exciting new digital products over time that will transform the relationship between and among consumers, labels and artists".
In an internal memo quoted by various news media last week, Warner chief Edgar Bronfman Jr explained his late-in-the-day support for going DRM-free - he having been a recent advocate for the continued use of the technology. The memo reads: "Back in February, I said that music should not be the one content category without some form of protection and that there was no logical reason to abandon DRM because, with the cooperation of industry players, interoperability and DRM can co-exist. Over the last 11 months, however, little progress has been made towards achieving that co-existence". He adds that he hopes the major's move away from DRM can "bring an energy-sapping debate to a close".
Warner follow EMI and Universal Music by adopting a new digital music strategy to allow their music to be sold without DRM. However, unlike EMI, which launched its DRM-free catalogue with Apple iTunes, Warner's motivation to go DRM-free is probably more akin to that of Universal - to provide Amazon, generally considered a credible competitor to the iTunes Music Store, with competitive advantage over the market leader, the record industry having become increasingly tetchy at Apple's dominance in the last year.
How far and how quickly Warner will expand the distribution of its DRM-free catalogue remains to be seen. Geographically, many expect the major to only officially launch its DRM-free catalogue in each territory as Amazon launch their download service there.