DRM-Free Tunes on Sale at Wal-Mart

Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:43AM EDT

See Comments (214)

The retail giant just began selling digital music free from copy protection today, at just 94 cents per song, versus $1.29/song on iTunes. Let the DRM-free price wars begin!

Reuters is reporting that Wal-Mart's DRM-free music store is selling thousands of songs from labels such as EMI (which signed a DRM-free pact with Apple last April) and Universal Music (which recently announced that it was entering the DRM-free music fray, although not on iTunes). Even better, the copy protection-free tracks will go for just 94 cents a song, compared to the $1.29 premium that Apple is charging for its DRM-free music on iTunes.

Wal-Mart's new DRM-free music store will include tracks by artists such as the Rolling Stones, Amy Winehouse, and Maroon 5, according to Reuters, and you'll be able to snap up entire albums for $9.22 in addition to the 94 cents/song pricing scheme.

While I'm not exactly a huge Wal-Mart fan, I'd be more than happy to see retail behemoth force Apple to lower its own DRM-free music prices. While Apple and EMI deserve credit for opening the door to legit sales of copy protection-free music, the decision to raise DRM-free prices on iTunes to $1.29/song (compared to the standard 99-cents-a-song price for copy-protected tunes) seems wrong-headed, at best.

Update: In even more DRM-free news, Engadget is reporting that Universal has launched its "test" with Rhapsody, offering a limited selection of DRM-free songs from its catalog for 99 cents a song (or 89 cents/song for Rhapsody subscribers).

Related:
Wal-Mart selling digital music free of copy curbs [Yahoo! News/Reuters]

Comments on DRM-Free Tunes on Sale at Wal-Mart

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  • 6 Posted by tirpider on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:11PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wow! Now you can buy a re-sampled lower quality version of an album for as much or more than the price of the CD. How.... exciting?

  • 7 Posted by ksdancer1993 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:54PM EDT Report Abuse

    I sure hope Apple lowers the DRM-free price. That'd be great.

  • 8 Posted by trmaze70 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    maybe itunes will have to drop prices with wally world doing it

  • 9 Posted by nataliexoxo on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    now if only we can get the prices of ipods lowered too. i'm planning to purchase an archos 404 from walmart and their insurance plan too to replace my ipod that burned out in 7 months. apple never told me there was an extended insurance plan available and now i'm with out an ipod.

  • 11 Posted by paul120000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why in the world does everyone not like Wal-Mart? It's always out there challenging other businesses to lower their prices by putting out low prices, and then everyone complains about the low prices offered by Wal-Mart, while complaining about how their favorite retailer is way to high. Is this some sort of double standard going on, or someone confused of what they really want in business?

  • 14 Posted by sidburn1999 on Mon Aug 27, 2007 6:02PM EDT Report Abuse

    With wal-mart being a high holder in the business community there prices will eventually go up, or either I-tunes will notice this and lower there prices. Turning it into another business war.

  • 16 Posted by dsolano_07 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:49PM EDT Report Abuse

    I don't understand why he keeps saying that songs on Itunes are 1.29? They are .99!

  • 17 Posted by sherylyuhere on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    Glad to see that someone is bringing me lower prices for music.

  • 18 Posted by mystguy on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    Is every photo posted by Yahoo now required to feature an Asian person in it?

  • 19 Posted by drmckittrick on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    .99 cent songs have DRM on them. There are certain non DRM for $1.29. That is what they are referring to.

  • 20 Posted by hinow18 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:19PM EDT Report Abuse

    :-p Why pay when you can pirate?

  • 21 Posted by missiz10 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:21PM EDT Report Abuse

    Itunes songs only cost $00.99 per song, this article has the prices wrong

  • 22 Posted by dominicmcintire on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:46PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yes, regular songs cost .99, but DRM-free songs cost 1.29. These are songs that have no copy protection on them, and they DO cost more. Maybe do some research before posting. :eye-roll:

  • 24 Posted by jostruhs90 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    Normal songs are 99 cents, DRM-Free are $1.29 (check out iTunes Plus).

  • 25 Posted by bharbrath on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:06PM EDT Report Abuse

    Overpriced? darn, you can't afford $1.29? Stop working at Walmart and get a real job

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