Yahoo selling DRM-free album

Due to a deal with Hollywood Records, the Jesse McCartney album Right Where You Want Me will be sold as straight MP3 files for $9.99 (you can also buy WMA format, though I couldn’t figure out whether or not that was DRM-free). It doesn’t appear that you can buy the tracks individually, though, so you better want the full album.

In a post on the Yahoo Music blog, they explain their rationale:

But, a step in what direction? It has to do with this radical concept: Consumer choice.

Now, I caution anyone reading this to resist the urge to see the future of digital content as a war between DRM and an MP3 free-for-all. The prediction of some that all major labels will teeter and crumble is a bit premature – and probably not in anyone’s ultimate best interest. Some say all DRM is evil and a complete hindrance to any innovation. I happen to disagree. I believe that when executed well, rights management can open up a lot of doors that would be otherwise locked – portable all-you-can-eat subscriptions being one notable example. Nobody has all the answers yet. Some say revolution, but I see an evolution coming, and I like it.DRM may be a necessary evil at the moment, but kudos to Yahoo and Hollywood Records for at least giving the option of non-DRM-encoded tracks. It’s a step in the right direction.

[via Ars Technica ]