[sportsman123]

I think that this is just a way for Apple to make more money. It's dumb for someone to pay $1.29 for a "Plus" song, when the normal music sounds the same to me, and i only pay $.99 a song. Somebody explain what the big deal is of having DRM-Free music, and what is DRM?

[ApparentlyNothing]

Originally Posted by sportsman123

I think that this is just a way for Apple to make more money. It's dumb for someone to pay $1.29 for a "Plus" song, when the normal music sounds the same to me, and i only pay $.99 a song. Somebody explain what the big deal is of having DRM-Free music, and what is DRM?

Just because YOU can't tell the difference, doesn't mean others with more trained, acute hearing can't.

DRM is Digital Rights Management. Ever buy a song on iTunes only to find out you can't play it certain places or on certain devices because it's protected? Maybe not. But tons of people have. That is DRM. Basically, it's copy protection so that only you can play the songs in iTunes, so you can't illegally share them with friends. Apple has always let you authorize up to 5 different machines with Apple software on it to play your purchased music. Problem is, not everyone uses Apple software/hardware, and sometimes those 5 machines can get taken up. And even then, it's YOUR music that you purchased. You should be able to do whatever you want with it as long as it's legal (i.e. not sharing it with your friends). Thus, Apple introduced DRM-free music.

If you don't think it's worth the extra 30 cents, then don't buy those versions. The regular 99 cent, 128 kbps, DRMed music is still available. No one forces you to buy plus songs.

[guitarjockey111]

I can tell a diffrence in the kbps bit rate. So its nice to have a higher bit rate.

[Art]

Most people with decent hearing can tell the difference.

[tigerfan88]

Yeah, there is a huge difference between 128 and 192 or whatever the iTunes songs are. You can particularly tell the difference if you play the music on your radio through a transmitter. 128 will sound horrible, 192 will sound as close to CD quality as you can get through a FM transmitter.

[bobthecockroach]

First of all, a quick Google search of DRM would've solved the whole thread. DRM is digital rights management. It's a way for music industry people to ensure they aren't getting ripped off by you stealing from them. They can encode information into the songs you download that restricts how you can use them. DRM is, in fact, a good idea because most people DO steal from the music industry. However, DRM hurts the honest people.

By offering DRM-free tracks, Apple is giving you the option to be an honest consumer and get the kind of access to music that you should've had all along. Naturally, it also gives people the chance to be DISHONEST consumers, and therefore they need to get some kind of compensation from it, namely an extra 30 cents. There is only one music company in the universe that I am aware of that trusts consumers to be honest and gives them all the benefits they should have. This company is Magnatune. You should check them out.

As for the difference in bitrate, it is what it is. If you primarily listen to music on your computer and you don't have good speakers, no, you will not notice the difference. On my laptop, I can't tell the difference between 128 and 320. The more advanced the sound system, the more the differences will show up.

As for the question about burning CDs with iTunes and whether or not DRM is built in......................... no comment.

[PatrickStar4491]

I can tell the difference when I plug in my Sennheiser headphones. On my speakers, not so much.

I think I personally will use Plus. And from what I've seen, it looks like when you buy a whole album the plus version doesn't cost too much more.

[Brent]

The plus version of an *album* doesn't cost anything more at all. No "...doesn't cost too much more" to it. The plus version of a full album purchase is the same price as the standard version, whether it's a $7.99 sale or otherwise.

The iPod, from what I've read, has a little trouble reproducing anything any better than the standard 128. Tests have been done using it and both standard iPod buds and high-end Shure earphones with few telling any difference in quality of 128 vs the 256 encoding. I tend to buy full albums, so personally I'll go with the Plus versions just because I can since it doesn't cost any more. If I'm buying a single song I'll look for the standard 99 cent version. I've never typically shared my music in the first place.

[Jonodude]

A higher bitrate and no DRM (the latter being the most attractive offer to me)...now I have very little reason to complain should a band I like decide to put something out exclusively on iTunes.

That does beg the question: will all new iTunes additions have both regular and Plus versions? Or is that up to the discretion of the provider?

The other day I bought a Plus version of a song only available on a band's compilation. I already have all the other songs and I don't want to buy it the CD right now, but I did want the song. I love being able to play the file in my own media player. If I weren't a music-collecting junkie (the type who doesn't buy music just for the music but also to collect what the band puts out), this new service would really be giving my CDs a run for their money. If they would only take the extra step and go lossless...

[Brent]

No, not all new iTunes additions will have Plus verisons. Right now only EMI artists have any Plus versions available. New additions will be up to the discretion of the publisher.

[Jonodude]

Ah. Rats. Well, I hope Plus will catch on with more independent publishers.