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Yahoo testing DRM-free MP3s
Online giant's music store is no fan of DRM technology; rolls out an open-format MP3 sales test of Jessica Simpson's "A Public Affair."
Yahoo Music chief Dave Goldberg has made no secret of his disdain for DRM technology, which applies restrictions to legally downloaded music.
Jessica Simpson
In a speech in late February, he said selling music in an unrestricted MP3 format "would certainly be better than where we are today."
He also indicated he would love to conduct test sales to see if people would pay more than the industry standard of $0.99 per song for digital music without restrictions.
Five months later, Yahoo Music is doing just that and linking up with Daisy Duke herself, Jessica Simpson, to do so.
As previously reported, Yahoo Music is selling personalized versions of "A Public Affair," the first single off Simpson's upcoming album of the same name. Those downloads are in the open MP3 format, meaning that users can transfer the song to any portable audio player and can burn it onto CD as many times as they choose.
Yahoo is charging $1.99 per download, but in a post on Yahoo Music's official blog, company music guru Ian Rogers said the extra $1 per song is for the personalized version and that regular MP3 downloads would likely be priced closer to but higher than $0.99.
"The right price for MP3s is somewhere between $0.99 and there, IMHO," Rogers wrote.
Yahoo is also doing a survey around the download test, asking its users questions like, "Would you consider paying $1.09 for a single, unrestricted MP3 download that would have absolutely no limitations on its use and could be transferred to any portable audio player or computer?"
With indie download service eMusic continuing to gain market share by selling DRM-free MP3s, the industry will likely be paying close attention to the Simpson test run.
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