Remember how Universal Music decided that it no longer wanted to be locked into a long-term contract with Apple’s iTunes? Now comes another piece of the puzzle to Universal Music’s online strategy. Universal has announced that it will start to sell DRM-free music for the next few months (into January for now) as it studies how the move affects consumer demand and effects on online piracy. Prices for songs will start at US$0.99.
Universal will sell its DRM-free music through services such as RealNetworks, Wal-Mart, Google and some artists’ web sites. Notably absent from that list is iTunes where Universal Music will continue to be offered with DRM protection.
Among Universal Music’s artists, you will find Peter Gabriel, The Killers, Rammstein, and the Black Eyed Peas.
EMI, which was the first major label to offer DRM-free music, has reported early success with this strategy.