That company has no scruples. Notice the logo? kinda looks like a fist giving the…

I disagree with the word “tax” being used. Tax implies involuntary. For people saying “What if the iTunes DRM server goes offline? OMG.” That’s like saying “what if people stop making VHS players.” It’ll happen. Either keep your current files and current setup or migrate to new files and a new setup.

When it comes to media, rarely does one see the “upgrade” cost less than the original purchase. (Again, how much does Blu-Ray cost vs. a DVD of the same movie?)

I feel that two business models are going to become the standard, and they’re long overdue. (1) Subscription based, i.e. you don’t own the songs, you just have the right to play them on approved devices for as long as your subscription exists. (2) Upgrade based, i.e. you buy digital media and own it, but can upgrade to higher quality, more featured media for a fee. You then own the new media.

Finally, I think a major factor Blu-Ray has been so slow to get off the ground has been that people hate repurchasing. VHS came out in ‘76. Its successor, DVD, came out in ‘97–21 years later. Then, Blu-Ray came out in 2006–9 years later. Already, we’re seeing “super high resolution TVs.”

So yes, the cost of maintaining the current standard is always expensive during a tech shift, but with digital downloads, the cost can be, should be, and in the case of Apple IS cheaper than the original purchase.

I’ve seen people reporting that only US customers will be offered the DRM-free music yesterday .And the upgrade is a all-or-nothing prospect, which means you can’t choose which tracks to upgrade.

Also,I hope Apple gives more options on upgrading my original purchases. I have hundreds of music in my itunes library,and I’m counting the money that will cost if I update all of them!

So, a media converter is much aconomical.I still use software to help me:
http://www.flas...verter.html#141

I’ll just wait for Apple to carry out more actions.

http://www.wmat...er-pro.html#123

Making people pay a 30% tax or fee or whatever to unlock music they already purchased is going to benefit Apple, not just the labels. Apple has a knack for getting people to pay more AND feel good about it. Kudos to them, but it still sticks in my craw.

Now let’s work on DRM-free video! I’d give my first born for video that’s easily transferred from my iPod to my DVR to my laptop to my phone.

Perhaps you should change the headline then.

Now i can use my remaining balance on iTunes to strip the DRM and move over to Amazon completely.