Could iTunes sell non-DRM music in the future? That would be a pretty big change, but Steve Jobs has come out and advocated just that. With many groups in favor of disposing of DRM altogether, dubbing it a poor solution to piracy, causing more problems than it fixes. Some even dub it pointless. Interestingly, some thing that with vocal support as high up as Steve Jobs might be enough to signal a change in the way the media companies view it:
Jobs' comments are the beginning of the end for music DRM, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania professor Peter Fader predicted. He also agreed with von Lohmann that ridding the movie industry of DRM will be a tougher battle for file-sharing advocates.
On top of various complaints from other manufacturers of mp3 players and millions of consumers, it makes a lot of sense for Apple to do this. To that end, he's asking the consumers to do some of the leg work, telling them urge groups like UMG, EMI, Sony BMG and Warner to abandon DRM. Getting a company like Apple to say they'll drop DRM is one thing. Getting the biggest players in the industry to actually do it is another.