Thanks Uncle Steve

For a long time, I've complained about the lack of DRM free music that can be legally obtained in the US. I stood on my little soapbox about the ridiculousness of the RIAA and how they're losing money and pissing off customers by crippling their tracks. Finally Steve Jobs actually stood up and made the same comments. This was huge, since it was coming from a guy whose DRM he pioneered tied people to iTunes and the iPod forever, and now he's saying DRM just gets in the way?

He was right, of course, but you rarely (as in never) see a CEO of a major company speaking out against something that's making him money (in theory).

But DRM takes a lot of time and money to create and maintain, and it stops people like me from buying the music since I can't use it for everything I want to use it for.

But today Steve Jobs, along with EMI music, announced a huge win for anti-DRM guys like me... their music catalog will be available without DRM! This is a huge win for us, and a huge step forward by a major record label.

I hate that the unprotected tracks are $1.29 as opposed to the crippled $.99, but the CD prices remain unchanged at just $9.99. This is reasonable for an entire CD of DRM free music. It will definitely encourage me to look for music in iTunes next time I'm in the market to buy.

It's no wonder I love Steve Jobs and Apple so much.