clipped from: arstechnica.com EMI will announce on Monday that it will be freeing much of its catalog from the shackles of DRM. The Wall Street Journal, citing "people familiar with the matter," reports (sub. required) that Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be present at the announcement in London and that the music will be sold through the iTunes Store and possibly other online outlets.
EMI and the other Big Four labels have been beset by falling revenues over the past few years. Digital downloads are growing, but not quickly enough to offset the large declines in CD sales. Suggestions to drop the DRM have been widespread, and the recent formation of a licensing authority—Merlin—which combines a bunch of independent labels into a "virtual fifth major" have increased the pressure for change.