Speaking at the Macworld Expo keynote presentation in San Francisco, CA yesterday afternoon, Apple marketing vice president Phil Schiller (who was standing in for Apple president Steve Jobs who was unable to give the keynote address to do health problems) announced that all songs available on iTunes will be offered without digital rights management copy protection by April 2009 with 8 million songs available DRM-free starting today. Oh yeah, he also announced the release of a new Macbook Pro laptop computer that promises up to 8-hours of battery life and a drop in iTunes music pricing but I think the big news is the end of copy protection coding on iTunes music:

Apple on Tuesday said every song in its iTunes library will be available without anti-piracy software by April. The announcement came at a Macworld Expo keynote presentation at which Apple marketing vice president Phil Schiller unveiled a new top-end MacBook Pro laptop computer model and snazzy upgrades to Macintosh computer software. “We worked with all major music companies and, starting today, iTunes will offer eight million songs DRM free and by the end of this quarter all 10 million will be DRM free,” Schiller said. “All songs will be DRM free in iTunes at iTunes Plus.” Recording studios have long insisted on digital rights management (DRM) software that prevents music from being copied. In what may have been a concession that led to the studios backing off DRM demands, iTunes in April will break from its six-year tradition of selling songs at 99 cents each. Songs will sell for 69 cents, 99 cents or 1.29 dollars with studios deciding pricing, according to Schiller. Music studios have long lobbied Apple to charge more for songs at iTunes. “We know already that more songs will be offered at 69 cents than at a dollar twenty-nine.” … Schiller said iTunes has sold more than six billion songs since it began offering them at 99 cents each six years ago. Schiller took to the keynote stage in place of Apple’s iconic chief executive Steve Jobs, who revealed on Monday that he is suffering from a hormone imbalance that has caused him to lose a disturbing amount of weight. The keynote was used to spotlight an elite MacBook Pro laptop with a 17-inch screen and a starting price of 2,799 dollars. Schiller boasted that the new MacBook is slightly less than an inch thick and weighs 6.6 pounds (three kilos) making it the lightest, thinnest laptop. “It’s simply stunning,” Schiller said. The MacBooks can be jazzed up with more powerful processors and hard drives for various prices. The laptops also feature built-in batteries that promise as much as eight hours running time and 1,000 recharges, meaning typical use could result in a battery lasting five years before needing replacement. The new offering comes in the wake of Apple reporting that it sold 9.7 million Macintosh computers in 2008, setting a new record for the company … Unlike at Jobs’ keynotes past, there were empty seats in the Macworld audience and the reception area lacked the crowds typically found when Apple’s consummate pitchman was the star attraction. Schiller appeared nervous at times and dressed in a blue button-down shirt as compared to the black mock turtleneck that is a Jobs trademark. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of you for showing up,” Schiller told the audience. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much.”

This is great news for iTunes users … but it must be noted that the Amazon MP3 Store has been offering DRM-free high quality songs for quite some time now. It’s about time that Apple got on the bandwagon … tho, I suspect it’s the record companies that took their time to get on board. It really feels like the consumer is winning the war with the recording industry … just a few weeks ago we learned that the recording industry will no longer be suing individuals who share music and now we’re hearing the death knell of copy protected music. It remains to be seen if any of this will help get the recording industry back on track but at least they will be perceived in a more positive light by the consumer which can only be good for their business.

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