DRM-free music stores

While CDs are still the most common way people acquire music, digital music services continue to build momentum. Unfortunately, many of the most popular of these "services" are P2P file-sharing sites, much to the dismay of the music industry and many musicians. After all, it's a free-for-all in the most literal sense. But the enticement of free songs is not the only reason--or even the main reason--that users head to P2P sites for their digital music needs. A little thing called Digital Rights Management (DRM) is also to blame. DRM wraps songs in a copy-protection code that's not only restrictive but also confusing for many people. Luckily, there are (legal) ways to acquire your music online without being saddled with DRM. At the forefront is eMusic, second only to iTunes in online digital music sales. Other forerunners include LiveDownloads and Audio Lunchbox. Heck, even iTunes is now offering a limited selection of DRM-free tunes from one major label: EMI. And we can't leave out CNET's own CNET Download.com Music, which offers a selection of tracks that are not only DRM-free but free-free.

On the radar: Amazon.com's digital-music store, which will also offer DRM-free tracks from EMI as well as songs from over 12,000 indie labels.