Napster Moves to MP3-Only Format

Bad news for digital music copyright advocates: Napster plans to sell music downloads as MP3s and stop selling DRM-protected songs, the digital music retailer said today. Digital rights management blocks consumers from illegally sharing music but is unpopular with users because DRM-protected songs will often only play on certain players and can’t be moved from one computer to another, reports Reuters.

Large music companies are now selling music in the MP3 format. "We're pleased to see the music industry is beginning to support" MP3, said Napster’s CEO. "There's now enough top-tier content out there." Of the various digital music formats, MP3s play on the most devices and are the most available. Napster will start selling MP3s in the second quarter of this year. (More MP3 stories.)