It seems EMI has heard the call as they have recently announced their decision to drop copy protection from all their CD releases. Even more surprising is last week’s announcement that they will be offering better quality unprotected music from iTunes. The existing 192 Kbps DRM-afflicted tracks will still be available for 99¢ each while the entire EMI catalogue will soon be also be available as unprotected 256 Kbps AAS downloads for $1.29 each. Here’s hoping this is just the start of a big change.

On a related note, I also find interesting the way some outlets have reported this news. In particular, a headline from PC Magazine’s breaking news feed caught my attention. It reads, “EMI and Apple agreed to a new contract Monday that will see EMI releasing all of its music catalogue without DRM restrictions, for a slight premium.” Granted 30¢ won’t break the bank, but a retailer applies a 30¢ premium to a 99¢ price, the increase is a whopping 30.3%. Despite the lack of DRM being worth the premium, I wouldn’t call a 30% increase “slight” even if it’s just 30¢.