May 22nd, 2008 - Napster now offers DRM free music downloads. This is not to be confused with their popular subscription service which offers unlimited access to over 3,000,000 songs for a flat monthly fee (see Napster review for more details).

Napster has joined forces with the major labels to offer over 3 million DRM free song downloads. Pick and purchase only the songs you want (much like iTunes). The difference being that all mp3's will be free of digital rights management restrictions. This means you can copy the music and play it on any mp3 player including iPod or Zune.

This comes at a critical time for Napster as Amazon Mp3 and Walmart Music have been offering DRM free mp3 downloads. Napster is a welcome addition to this list since they already boast a large subscription base and have a relationship with the major music labels as well as many independent labels.

Will we get to DRM-free music subscription services? It will be difficult but we stand hopeful that digital rights management can eventually go the way of the dinosaur. If you'd like an example of the damage it can cause customers read our MSN music article.

The Napster store offers over 3 million DRM free mp3 downloads, 30 second previews of all songs and instant downloads. Visit Napster.com for more details.