Universal and Google to Sell Unprotected Music
Universal Music Group, one of the 'Big Three,' has made the leap to DRM-free tunes (tracks you can play on any MP3 player since they don't have digital rights management, or, DRM). Oddly enough, though, Universal has left the largest online music retailer, iTunes, out in the cold. Universal will be selling the unprotected MP3s through the online stores of Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Rhapsody, and Google.The service, called gBox, will display advertisements for artists on Google search pages. Clicking the link will take you to a page to purchase the DRM-free tracks for 99 cents using the Google Check Out system. Universal will also offer tracks with DRM for the same price... but we're not sure who would buy them. gBox is a start up and is not part of the Google family (not yet anyway). Google says the relationship is purely an advertising relationship.
GBox could be a legitimate competitor, given that it undercuts iTunes' DRM-less songs by 30 cents and has the ubiquitous Google as a partner. At launch, the service will only work on Windows PCs, though tracks can be played on any computer or MP3 player.
From Forbes and BetaNews
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