Let’s say I want to buy the new “She Wants Revenge” album, so I decide to do a comparison between iTunes and the Amazon MP3 store. On iTunes the tracks are only available in DRM form at a cost of $7.99 for the album, which is a great value for a 13 tracks. On Amazon, I can get the same 13 tracks for $8.99 in a higher bit rate and no DRM.
I hate DRM enough that $1.00 premium is worth it to me for the higher quality and no DRM. Given I like to access my music collection from multiple computers, I’ve already maxed out my 5 authorized systems on iTunes. That means if I buy the album from Apple, I’ve got to listen to it on the five machines that have been authorized. If I am heading out the door with my MacBook, I can’t bring this album as it isn’t authorized on my iTunes account.
This is a no brainer for me and as a shareholder of Apple, I hope they accelerate the iTunes Plus program so that I can continue to give them my business. Tonight, my $8.99 goes to Amazon.
