Amazon launches DRM-free "Amazon MP3" music downloads

If you're into DRM-free music, you have a reason to get pretty excited today. As speculated, Amazon has launched the public beta of its new digital music portal called Amazon MP3, which will feature two million songs from 180,000 artists and 20,000 labels, all without the painful and annoying restrictions of DRM. The press release claims that the site, which will include EMI and Universal tracks (take that, Jobs), will make separate songs available for $.89 or $.99, and boasts that all of the "top 100" tracks will be priced at the former, lower amount. Albums will range in cost from $5.99 to $9.99, with the best selling albums coming in at $8.99. Of course, since there's no DRM, users are free to throw the 256Kbps MP3s on any player they like, as well as burn CDs, copy to MiniDisc, and dump to 8-track.

[Rylan @ Sep 25th 2007 9:19AM]

A step in the right direction. Now if they'd only sell it in lossless format...

[John B @ Sep 25th 2007 10:10AM]

256Kbps is quite an acceptable rate for those of us who aren't audiophiles but still dislike the distortion of "standard" 128 Mbps.

One step at a time, dear boy. One step at a time. If you move too quickly you'll just scare them back into their hole.

I still wonder why they were they making such a bitch-and-moan session over Apple's $1.29 per DRM-free track yet they're supposedly happy with Amazon's 89 to 99 cent price. Huh? Wha--? I can't believe for a second that Universal is actually happy that the customer is getting a better price.

[Naris @ Sep 25th 2007 10:32AM]

256kbps is a lot higher than most stores these days. And it's very hard to notice non lossless songs while on the move. I have all my Zune stuff in 256kbps MP3 and it sounds fine. On my computer with peace and quiet FLAC does sound much better... but I can't imagine the bandwidth costs it would take to offer FLAC downloads. Not to mention the amount of bitching the music corporations would offer to have full CD quality...

[Jimmy @ Sep 25th 2007 11:11AM]

@John B.

quote--"I still wonder why they were they making such a bitch-and-moan session over Apple's $1.29 per DRM-free track yet they're supposedly happy with Amazon's 89 to 99 cent price. Huh? Wha--? I can't believe for a second that Universal is actually happy that the customer is getting a better price."--quote

Maybe it is Apple that wants the higher price for DRM Free iTunes? If the music they sell can be played on any MP3 player then people have no reason to purchase Apple's cash printing machine called the iPod.

[Scott @ Sep 25th 2007 12:22PM]

Except for the fact that the iPod is still (ok..arguably) the best MP3 player out there in terms of features, build, and cost.

[Quix @ Sep 25th 2007 12:21PM]

"If the music they sell can be played on any MP3 player then people have no reason to purchase Apple's cash printing machine called the iPod." - Jimmy

Oh please, it's the tired old argument that iPod success is due only to iTunes lock-in. Give me a break. There are many reasons to choose an iPod over competing players, price being one of them (160GB for $349 - hard to beat that).

Troll different.

[Chris @ Sep 25th 2007 12:48PM]

"I can't imagine the bandwidth costs it would take to offer FLAC downloads"

Amazon charges only 13 cents per GB for their S3 service so their costs are even lower. Assuming an average lossless CD is 250-500 MBs that's only 3.25-6.5 cents per full album. And that's the price Amazon currently charges to make a profit, so their actual cost would be even less.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html?node=16427261

[Larz @ Sep 25th 2007 12:50PM]

"Except for the fact that the iPod is still (ok..arguably) the best MP3 player out there in terms of features, build, and cost."

Don't try to pass off opinion as fact.

Fact: iPod is not a good value. There are smaller machines with more storage space and less propriety out there for cheaper cost (and there have always been).

Opinion: I think the iPod has a pretty slick interface. I've always liked jog controls (I know what you fanboys out there are thinking... "blasphemy! Apple didn't invent that interface?!?!" No, they didn't).

Have I or would I ever buy one? No. The cons outweigh the pros for me.

[BEE Bopp @ Sep 25th 2007 1:09PM]

Clearly Scot and Quix have not priced other models - Ipods lack the features of other players and cost much more!

[Quix @ Sep 25th 2007 2:24PM]

Perhaps Larz and BEE Bopp can send me a link for an iPod-equivalent DAP with *160 GB* of storage for less than $349?

I'll be waiting...

"Don't try to pass off opinion as fact." - Larz

"Fact: iPod is not a good value" - Larz

Larz, perhaps you should take a hard look at your first statement and then reevaluate your second.

[pam @ Sep 25th 2007 3:00PM]

Just because apple offers a 160gb ipod for $349 doesn't make them the best. Look at offerings in the $80 range - you can buy a 1gb ipod shuffle with no screen and very basic features or a 2gb Creative Zen with a 1.5" display and advanced features including AM/FM radio and the ability to view photos. Not everyone wants to spend $350 on a mp3 player.

[Andy @ Sep 25th 2007 3:50PM]

@ Pam

Exactly, just because they are doing well at one pricepoint, the highest, does not mean they are doing well overall. Every other device in the lineup is beat by an equivalent with lower price, or more features for the same price.

Remember, the battle for the average Joe is not taking place at 350 dollars, but at the sub 200 range. And with a store like this with great high quality cheap music and no DRM, plus the ability to buy any player you want, its all about choice, of which Apple gives you little.

[Larz @ Sep 27th 2007 4:22PM]

Quix:
That statement was fact and I backed it up with the following: "There are smaller machines with more storage space and less propriety out there for cheaper cost"

It's stupid to ask me to make comparisons on 160GB models. 160GB DAP's are a brand-spankin-new thing. I admit Apple has a decent price for those and is one of the first out the gate with them... and they should be, since they've made butt-loads of cash off iDiots who bought earlier bulky iPods with low storage capacity for $400.

Asking me to compare 160GB models is like asking to compare all the Cell/BE products out there.

But if I must make some comparison: Archos does have a 160GB PMP coming out with a huge screen--a touch screen even, WiFi, TV out, web browser, PDF viewer, video recorder, audio recorder, more file type support for audio video and photo's, etc. For $399--a much better VALUE.

[tastybytes @ Sep 25th 2007 9:20AM]

wow... the ability to use something you pay for anyway you want.. won't this cause the downfall of society?

[Alan Partridge @ Sep 25th 2007 9:25AM]

Surely this encourages terrorism...right?

[Craig @ Sep 25th 2007 9:44AM]

no, but it does fund it...

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Sep 25th 2007 10:19AM]

I wont download it unless it transforms into a 50 foot giant robot with lasers AND that robot has to come in a jeweled, jewel case for .99 a song

[Jon @ Sep 25th 2007 9:21AM]

Needs to be lossless for me to consider. Or at least a higher bitrate at cheaper price.

[ramonan @ Sep 25th 2007 9:37AM]

Boy, theres no pleasing anyone!

[Michael @ Sep 25th 2007 9:43AM]

I agree, next someone will be saying "I don't buy any digital download unless they teleport the jewel case"

[Preston @ Sep 25th 2007 10:17AM]

I don't buy any digital download unless they teleport the jewel case

[Jon @ Sep 25th 2007 11:25AM]

So enjoy your 256Kbps music in an archaic format then.

[Barry @ Sep 25th 2007 1:42PM]

Ooh, don't forget to complain that they don't offer OGG Vorbis format!

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Sep 25th 2007 1:50PM]

256kbps DRM-less music is a good step in the right direction as with iTunes Plus.

Jon has the right idea. We SHOULD be able to choose between audio quality formats however, that doesn't mean we should give up because 256kbps is what's "hot" right now.

I want to bring up a website called Beatport. This is a music service that allows people to puchase mp3s either in 320kbps, VBR or in WAV (sent by mail only). I think Beatport serves as a great model because not only is the bandwidth fast, but they offer high quality music. Although the price is higher ($1.99 a track), it is understandable because the music is normally 6-8 minutes long anyway.

Like I said, 256kbps DRM-less music is a step in the right direction for now at least. Why couldn't they just go for 320kbps I do not know. But it is a little annnoying because the formats are nearly identical in size, but still, it's not 320 OR lossless (yet).

[Jake @ Sep 25th 2007 9:28AM]

Sweet... there is a fair amount of stuff here that iTunes doesn't carry...

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 25th 2007 9:29AM]

Finally, I can dump to 8-track! Nice, cya iTunes

[Whiplash @ Sep 25th 2007 10:53AM]

8-Track... retro baby! I still remember having Van Halen's first album on 8-Track and having to fast forward through the whole damn thing to listen to Eruption over and over again. Awesome.

I wonder how many people reading this blog are wondering what the hell an 8-track is?????

[Paul @ Sep 25th 2007 12:09PM]

@Whiplash
If it were not for my parents you would probably be correct.

[Constable Odo @ Sep 26th 2007 1:19AM]

I had an eight-track recorder back in the 70's. Darned if I remember who made it, though. It wasn't a well-known brand. You couldn't imagine how much wear the eight-track format put on tapes. The iron oxide would be flaking off in no time at all. That looping tape format was downright gruesome.

I'd record the late night Disco Jams or the latest vinyl tunes and play them in my MG sports car the next day. Pretty sweet for those times. That's why I can't quite tolerate how you guys bitch about how lousy some of these current devices are. You probably wouldn't even want to listen to music made before the 1980's unless it was played on some $5000 high-end audio system. Who the heck had those systems. I never met anyone that did. We just listened to what was available, turned up the bass and grooved to the beat. One nation under the scratchy vinyl.

[Daniel D @ Sep 25th 2007 9:33AM]

a step in the right direction, higher quality MP3s will be great for most people and should keep itunes on it's toes

[Cesar Cardoso @ Sep 25th 2007 9:37AM]

MP3 without DRM, yay! Now I can buy music without being treated as a criminal :)

[John B @ Sep 25th 2007 10:20AM]

Who do you think you're kidding? You know very well they're still going to *view* us as criminals even if we're not being treated that way. I'm sure that you can expect watermarking of some kind to be taking place. That's certainly thousands of times better than DRM, so I'm most definitely not complaining about that.

But don't kid yourself. They're doing this because of extremely loud customer demand, not because of being good corporate citizens who want to make a better experience out of the goodness of their hearts. You can be damned sure that they still view us not as "potential customers" but as "potential pirates", but hopefully now with less incentive to pirate.

Once I see Universal making calls to Congress to make changes to the DMCA to allow legal decryption of DVDs for backup purposes, THEN I'll be less skeptical of their opinions of us as consumers.

[dudeInAmerica @ Sep 25th 2007 9:38AM]

I'm in.

[Michael @ Sep 25th 2007 9:39AM]

How do you get to the store?
Amazon has become one of those sites that is so cluttered.

[D @ Sep 25th 2007 9:42AM]

Ditto. I can't seem to find a link to the store,anywhere on the site (and I'm normally familiar with amazon.com) or find it on a Google search. They haven't launched it yet maybe?

[Michael @ Sep 25th 2007 9:46AM]

Ok I found it, but I had to do an amazon search for "MP3" and then click the banner up top of the results page.
I really want to believe this will be a good thing, but if no one can find it... well

[Bob @ Sep 25th 2007 9:47AM]

I just tried www.amazonmp3.com and got there just fine.

[squeak @ Sep 25th 2007 11:02AM]

Another way to find it is to go to the music section on Amazon, then scroll down and you'll find a blue bit that reads 'Amazon Earworm' and click on the 'Amazon MP3 Open for Public Beta' news. There you'll find a letter announcing the beta and there's a link.

[John @ Sep 25th 2007 11:23AM]

Here is the link:

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sa_menu_dmusic2/102-0572457-7145764?ie=UTF8&node=163856011&tag=opensounds-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325

[Nick Catalano @ Sep 25th 2007 12:11PM]

www.amazonmp3.com

[Avi Greengart @ Sep 25th 2007 1:31PM]

You can actually discover it quite well by accident - whenever you look at any music that is available in the MP3 format "Download as MP3" appears as a purchase option. I personally found out that the service was live when I went to buy an album today (before reading about it here or getting the press release from Amazon PR). Worked perfectly in my case.

-avi

[J @ Sep 25th 2007 9:45AM]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/163856011

[DBX00 @ Sep 25th 2007 9:46AM]

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sd_allcatpop_dmusic/103-6194276-7403843?%5Fencoding=UTF8&node=163856011

Look under see all categories...

[syadasti @ Sep 25th 2007 9:46AM]

I got the link from their blog:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK1GR94T4PJ38D6/103-7095691-4488607?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-7&pf_rd_r=12NB7203FD11ARCTW0S0&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=249703901&pf_rd_i=5174

Amazon MP3:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html/ref=cm_plog_item_link/103-7095691-4488607?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fexec%2Fobidos%2Ftg%2Fbrowse%2F-%2F163856011&token=1C06402C23405B5C68800660F71427E69D58852C

[Dhanik @ Sep 25th 2007 9:48AM]

w00t!

[Dann Bohn @ Sep 25th 2007 9:48AM]

now who will be first to embed lyrics?? thats what i really want to know.

[Chocolate Rain @ Sep 25th 2007 9:49AM]

Amazon will get my money, their catalogue is unmatched.

[PK @ Sep 25th 2007 3:51PM]

Though their CD catalog is incredible, it's gonna take a long time for their MP3 catalog to be at the same level. For instance, their new MP3 listings include tons of great jazz, but no U2? And a bunch of older albums and singles from some groups, but not those same groups' newer releases.

I understand that their selection will grow as more labels sign on and more tracks are converted to this format, but their MP3 catalog won't be at the level of the CD catalog for quite some time.

[Richard @ Sep 25th 2007 9:54AM]

For those of you looking for it. Look under the "See all 42 Product Categories"

[shaliron @ Sep 25th 2007 9:58AM]

Just gotta say, wow, just wow. 'Bout time as well.