Seattle – Amazon.com plans to open an online music store offering only songs that are free of copy-protection technology and can be played on anything from PCs to portable gadgets such as Apple’s iPod or Microsoft’s Zune.
The Internet retailer decided to steer clear of digital-rights management technology because consumers want to be able to listen to their music on any device they choose, executives said Wednesday.
The market-leading iPod, for instance, can’t play copy-protected music purchased from Napster or RealNetworks Inc.’s Rhapsody store.
A Zune can’t play tunes bought on iTunes. All players support music in the MP3 format.
Amazon’s strategy “is helping to pave the way for a much better, much more customer-centric experience in digital music,” said Bill Carr, Amazon’s vice president of digital media.
Shares of Amazon rose $2.64, or more than 4 percent, to $63.22 Wednesday, toward the high end of the company’s stock price over the past year.
Amazon’s music store wasn’t unexpected, and the company is tearing a page out of Apple Inc.’s songbook by offering music that’s not locked down by digital-rights management technology.
