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Last week, IGM brought you the rumor that Sony BMG is on the verge of offering its content in iTunes Plus format—256K encoding with no DRM—via Apple's industry-leading digital download store. News.com is repeating the same rumor—citing two unnamed industry insiders—and has added that Warner and Universal have also held sporadic talks with Apple over the issue. The talks are still preliminary and no deals have been finalized, but one source said one of the major labels is close to a final agreement. Rumors have been swirling on the Internet for a week that Sony would soon be offering music without the controversial digital rights management software. [Continue Reading] To date, of the four major labels, only EMI offers its content via the iTunes Store in the 256K / DRM-free format. Thereupon, Douglas Merrill, worldwide president, digital, EMI, recently had this to say about his company's partnership with Apple: But what we did see is consumers loved the product. It was good for consumers, it’s good for artists. It gets people engaged with the art in a whole new way by getting rid of artificial rules-like we don’t trust you, so I’m not going to give you this content. It just sort of set the wrong tone with our customers. With EMI effusive about iTunes Plus and Sony BMG apparently ready to sign, one wonders how long the other two—Universal and Warner—will hold out...
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