EMI Owes Me Big Time

Wherein I Toot My Own Horn.

Greg Scoblete, Feb. 7:

If the music industry were smart, they could do some clever price tiering. Music without DRM could be sold at a premium - say $1.49 a song versus $.99 for a DRM-protected version. Justify the premium by saying that this music can be taken anywhere and played on any platform. That way, the music industry can continue to overcharge for Brittany Spears and test the market to see if DRM really is inhibiting growth.

The New York Times, April 3:

EMI Group, the British music giant, broke ranks with the music industry’s biggest corporations yesterday by announcing a deal to sell songs online through Apple’s music service without copy protection….

…The unprotected music will come at a higher price, $1.29 a song, though Apple said the songs would have better sound quality. Standard-quality versions of the same songs, with copy protection, will still be available for 99 cents. But to entice more consumers to buy full albums, Apple will sell albums from EMI artists — without the antipiracy software and in the higher quality — for the regular price, which is generally $9.99.

I think one percent of gross profits is fair, don’t you?