Play.com now offer MP3s from all labels
Play.com has followed rivals 7Digital to become the second UK download store offering DRM-free music from all four major record companies as well as the independents.
As previously reported, while Amazon in the US got to capitalise quite quickly on Universal, Sony and Warner's late-in-the-day revelation that their use of digital rights management was a form of corporate self harming, launching their all-labels-included MP3 download store early in the year, here in the UK it took longer for those three record companies to get their DRM-free music to market.
7Digital confirmed they were now selling MP3s from all four major record companies last month, and Play.com followed yesterday. Their MP3 offer is especially interesting because they are selling tracks at 70 pence a time, and Top 100 tracks at just 65 pence, both undercutting market leader iTunes. Given that MP3s are compatible with the iPod, of course, that means it is now cheaper to fill your Apple music device via Play.com rather than using the IT firm's own download store.
Arguably Apple's offer is already weaker without the price difference because they are not currently offering DRM-free tracks from all record companies, and even where they are the DRM-free music is supplied as less compatible AAC files rather than MP3.
Confirming the expansion of their MP3 offer, Wendy Snowdown, Head of PlayDigital, told reporters: "It was only a matter of time before the other three major labels came on board and we now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price. Artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Snow Patrol and Razorlight are all now available through PlayDigital and our pricing strategy ensures that we can start to steal even more market share".
Many insiders have suspected that as more and more a la carte download services go the MP3 route, so that compatibility ceases to be an issue, that digital music firms will begin a price war in order to gain competitive advantage. Given the small margins the retailers make from downloads already, it will be interesting to see if they try to force the wholesale price they pay the labels down in order to do this. The labels aren't going to be too happy with that.
-- From today's CMU Daily, www.cmudaily.co.uk
