iTunes Plus: Everything you need to know
Apple's iTunes Store is almost completely DRM-free, and will be entirely DRM-free from spring. This means files downloaded from iTunes work on heaps of devices that aren't from Apple. What better way to celebrate the final bullet to the living corpse …
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple introduced iTunes Plus as a DRM-free tier in 2007, then broadened it while cutting its price to 99 cents in the first major iTunes Plus expansion. Reports in late 2008 and early 2009 had already pointed to label negotiations and a wider shift in Apple’s music terms.
The move takes that limited-tier experiment toward a store-wide policy: Apple says copying restrictions will be removed from songs, with varied pricing introduced alongside the change. By spring, the remaining protected catalog is expected to be eliminated.
First-order effects
- iTunes buyers can play newly downloaded songs on non-Apple devices rather than being constrained by iTunes copy protection.
- Apple and participating music labels exchange uniform restriction-based distribution for DRM-free files and varied song prices.
Second-order effects
- Non-Apple device makers gain a lower compatibility barrier for customers with iTunes music libraries, while Apple’s store becomes less dependent on device lock-in.
- Music labels must make song-level pricing, rather than copy protection alone, a more visible tool for differentiating digital releases.
Third-order effects
- The expansion points to digital music competition shifting from controlled playback ecosystems toward portable libraries, with catalog terms and pricing carrying more of the commercial leverage.
- If other stores follow Apple’s approach, DRM becomes less useful as a retailer’s switching barrier and more of a legacy migration issue for existing libraries.
The trend: Digital music is moving from DRM-bound downloads toward portable libraries, forcing stores and labels to compete more directly on catalog access and price.