BoingBoing:

Universal Music – who are usually the most extreme piracyphobes in the music industry – have announced that they’re going to try selling much of their catalog without DRM from now until January.

The songs will be sold as open MP3’s through online music retailers (except iTunes) for $0.99. This makes Universal the second major music label to sell DRM-free music through the internet after EMI. While this is all long overdue, it’s still nice to see another label finally come to their senses.

However, the fact that the songs will not be sold through iTMS is more than curious. The orginal NY Times article states:

But the music will not be offered D.R.M.-free through Apple’s iTunes, the leading music service. The use of copy protection software has become a major bone of contention in the digital music business, where iTunes accounts for the vast majority of download sales. The record labels generally have required that retailers place electronic locks to limit copying of music files.

But Apple’s proprietary D.R.M. does not work with most rivals’ devices or software — meaning that music sold by competing services cannot play on Apple’s popular iPod. Some record executives say they believe that the stalemate has capped the growth of digital music sales, which the industry is relying on more heavily as sales of plastic CDs slide.

To which Gruber responds:

Um, Universal won’t sell DRM-free music through iTunes because they don’t like Apple’s DRM? WTF? Am I even supposed to pretend this makes sense?

(translation: Apple is already selling DRM-free music – music that plays on any player – from EMI through iTMS, so the NY Times explanation is pretty darn stupid).