According to TechCrunch, Amie Street has licensed Nettwerk’s catalog. First to launch will be the new Barenaked Ladies album. Amie Street provides DRM-free MP3s with an escalating pricing scheme: Tracks are initially free and increase in price in relation to download numbers, capped at 98 cents a pop.
I wonder what Dale Dietrich’s take is? He’s much more opposed to DRM than I am, which I see as inevitable, and believes a DRM-free marketplace can thrive. We had quite the stimulating DRM conversation while I was in Toronto. We also speculated on the motivation behind Steve Jobs’ manifesto — Dale believes it was written in response to the European nations clamoring for Apple to open up; I believe it’s a tactic to help keep tracks at a flat rate in response to studio push-back. Both? Neither?