Apple's Jobs calls on music industry to drop DRM

APPLE'S JOBS CALLS ON MUSIC INDUSTRY TO DROP DRM
[SOURCE: Reuters, AUTHOR: Yinka Adegoke and Duncan Martell]
Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs on Tuesday called on the four major record companies to start selling songs online without copy protection software known as digital rights management (DRM). Jobs said there appeared to be no benefit to the record companies to continue to sell more than 90 percent of their music without DRM on compact discs while selling the remaining small percentage of their music encumbered with a DRM system. "If such requirements were removed, the music industry might experience an influx of new companies willing to invest in innovative new stores and players. This can only be seen as a positive by the music companies," he said in a statement. Apple has been under pressure in Europe to make iTunes music compatible with players other than the iPod. On January 25 Norway's consumer ombudsman said Apple must open access to iTunes by October 1 or face legal action. "Perhaps those unhappy with the current situation should redirect their energies toward persuading the music companies to sell their music DRM-free," said Jobs about the European action. Apple's iTunes Music Store is currently the world's largest digital music outlet, having sold around 2 billion songs since its launch in 2003. It has more than 70 percent market share of all digital music sales in the United States.
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