iTunes without anti-piracy software

Rudolph Muller

Rudolph Muller is the editor at MyBroadband and covers telecoms and broadband news. Rudolph comes from an academic background, but left the University of...

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The announcement came at a Macworld Expo keynote presentation at which Apple marketing vice president Phil Schiller unveiled a new top-end MacBook Pro model and snazzy upgrades to Macintosh computer software.

"We worked with all major music companies and, starting today, iTunes will offer eight million songs DRM free and by the end of this quarter all 10 million will be DRM free," Schiller said.

"All songs will be DRM free in iTunes at iTunes Plus."

Recording studios have long insisted on digital rights management (DRM) software that prevents music from being copied.

In what may have been a concession that led to the studios backing off DRM demands, iTunes in April will break from its six-year tradition of selling songs at 99 cents each.

Songs will sell for 69 cents, 99 cents or 1.29 cents with studios deciding pricing, according to Schiller. Music studios have long lobbied Apple to charge more for songs at iTunes.

"We know already that more songs will be offered at 69 cents than at a dollar twenty-nine."

Schiller took to the keynote stage in place of Apple’s iconic chief executive Steve Jobs, who revealed on Monday that he is suffering from a hormone imbalance that has caused him to lose a disturbing amount of weight.

iTunes DRM discussion