Warner Jumps into the MP3 Download Business

While most major music labels have been selling MP3 downloads of their catalogs, Warner Music has been holding out. Now, the compnay is joining the rest of the pack. Warner has teamed-up with Amazon.com to sell its music through the popular online store. And what's more, the songs will be free of any Digital Rights Management (the digital watermarks that try to prevent users from illegally sharing content.)

CNN Money says: "Included in the roster of Warner Music Group's record labels are Asylum, Atlantic, Bad Boy, East West, Elektra, Lava, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Sire, and Warner Bros."

U.S. News and World Report looks at this development in light of another new internet-based content deal: I-Tunes will begin renting movies online:

"Apple also needs video because it's beginning to lose its grip over music. The company's tight controls over music pricing have record labels looking for other outlets. But to join Amazon's fast-growing store, Warner had to agree to sell music without copy protection. Amazon already sells more than 2 million songs from other labels without the restrictions. As late as February, Warner execs had said they would maintain copy protections on downloadable music. But a continued slide in music sales has the industry willing to try new things, especially if they're outside iTunes."
Click here to read the rest of the US News article.