Sony BMG to Drop DRM

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

According to a report, Sony BMG is about to become the last of the top four music labels - or should we say, the last holdout - to drop DRM. The first signs of this will come in the form of the Amazon/Pepsi 1 Billion Song giveaway, according to Business Week.

Justin Timberlake, a Sony artist, will participate, and since Amazon MP3 is a DRM-free service, you can see the obvious.

This move makes sense for many reasons, not the least of which is the fact that EMI, Universal Music Group, and Warner Music Group have all moved into the DRM-free space. Additionally, the fiasco over the Sony rootkit-like DRM certainly didn’t help.

Note that there is no official announcement, just the normal “sources,” but the participation in the Amazon MP3 promotion is pretty clear.

At any rate, 2008 just might be the start of a DRM-free future. Someone get me a nail for DRM’s coffin.