Play.com goes 100 per cent DRM-free

Play.com wants to take a bite out of Apple (as shown quite literally here)
Play.com wants to take a bite out of Apple (as shown quite literally here)

Online retailer Play.com has announced its intention to take on the might of Apple, by making its online music store 100 per cent DRM-free.

PlayDigital was announced back in February, but the only major label on board at the time was EMI. The website did have support from myriad independent labels, however.

Now Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal Music have signed up, bringing the songs available to download over the 3 million mark.

"Appealing price"

Speaking about the news, Wendy Snowdon, Head of PlayDigital said: "It was only a matter of time before the other three major labels came onboard and we now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price.

"PlayDigital has been a phenomenal success since launch and now armed with the full back catalogue and current releases from all the majors, we are fantastically placed to take a bigger bite of the apple."

Play.com now joins 7digital, as a music store which offers content that is completely DRM-free from all the majors.

Play.com is currently offering its top 100 tracks for 65 pence, and albums for £4.99 – which works out at 10p cheaper per track and one pound cheaper per album than iTunes.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.

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