The End of DRM?

Recording giant EMI has announced that beginning in May, it will offer its entire music catalog in digital form free of any DRM restrictions. The songs will cost 30 cents more than your standard 99-cent iTunes cut, but users can update previously purchased EMI-owned songs only for the extra 30 cents. The songs will come in 256 kbps, making them indistinguishable from CDS, and playable on high-fidelity speakers. They'll also be playable on MP3 devices other than iPods.

This is a huge development, and a decided victory for music consumers. It also makes Steve Jobs look like a hero. Maybe the mass and once-inevitable anti-Apple backlash won't come after all.

Hat tip:  Tim Lee.