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Pepsi and Amazon to give away DRM free music

1 December 2007 18:57 by Rich "vurbal" Fiscus | 10 comments

Perhaps the biggest divide between what customers want and what music labels provide in the way of downloaded music is in the area of file format. While most labels have eschewed the MP3 format for DRM reasons, if you ask the average consumer what format they'd like to buy that would probably be it. Thanks to a promotion between Pepsi and Amazon.com it looks like consumers may finally get what they want.

The promotion will allow Pepsi drinkers to redeem 5 bottle caps for a free MP3 from Amazon's music store. Pepsi is planning to distribute 5 billion bottles with the caps, meaning up to 1 billion songs could potentially be purchased this way. That could mean big money for any label in the MP3 business, which currently doesn't include either Warner Music Group (WMG) or Sony BMG Music Entertainment.

Both EMI and Universal Music Group (UMG) have been selling MP3s for some months now. EMI was the first major label to embrace them when they made the decision to drop DRM from downloadable music. UMG has been experimenting with removing DRM from their catalog as well, leading to their music being featured both at Amazon.com, and rival Wal-mart.com, both of whom sell only MP3 formatted music. Even Disney owned Hollywood Records is testing DRM free downloads from the two sites.

According to some sources within Sony BMG that label is considering testing the DRM-free waters themselves, although they'd have to act fast to get in on the Pepsi promotion, which is a tie-in with the Super Bowl, which is at the beginning of February.

Source: Billboard

Permalink to this article

RIAA representative forecasts a comeback for DRM (8 May 2008)

Department of Justice investigates labels over TotalMusic (7 February 2008)

Amazon pays $300 million for Audible (1 February 2008)

Amazon MP3 to add advertisements (14 January 2008)

Warner adds its catalogue to Amazon MP3 store (27 December 2007)

New logo program promotes DRM free content (19 December 2007)

Amazon and Pepsi team up for MP3 promotion (14 December 2007)

New RCRD LBL gives away MP3s (16 November 2007)

Apple drops price of DRM-free tracks on iTunes Plus (16 October 2007)

Amazon opens its DRM-free music store (25 September 2007)

Wal-Mart hopes to gain market share by losing DRM (21 August 2007)

EMI says that DRM-free music is selling well (21 June 2007)

EMI allows DRM-free music for other retailers besides iTunes (14 June 2007)

SanDisk praises new DRM-free Amazon store (17 May 2007)

Warner unhappy with DRM-free downloads (14 April 2007)

Musicload says most service problems caused by DRM (19 March 2007)

Apple and Pepsi to launch a new iTunes promo (19 January 2005)

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sk8flawzz (Member) 2 December 2007 3:17
uhhhhhh 5 bottle caps = ~$5 in pepsi...soooo $5 a song? opens limewire [ + quote]
duckNrun (Member) 2 December 2007 5:44
*Originally posted by sk8flawzz:* uhhhhhh 5 bottle caps = ~$5 in pepsi...soooo $5 a song? opens limewire ummm....no 5 bottle caps = $5 in pepsi WHICH YOU DRINK and as a BONUS you get a free song. They are not selling the songs for $5 but the beverage. Didn't seem that complicated to me :S I mean what did you think? That Pepsi was just gonna GIVE you something for nothing? Probably figure that you're owed a song for free just because you can otherwise go out and get it for free? They are making this deal with Amazon which has to pay for the songs the same as anybody else... well I guess Amazon could just open limewire too huh? Or maybe you think that when you buy a $1 pepsi that Pepsi should just spend 60 cents or so and buy the song for you. I mean come on Pepsi don't need anymore than 40 cents for that soda, labor, plastic, shipping etc right? I'm sorry I don't mean to beach and moan but I am so sick and tired of people thinking that JUST BECAUSE they can go out and take something means that it should either be given to them or that it's ok to do it. I use to think like that and actually lived a life that revolved around that mindset-- so I am really not judging you. As I tell a friend of mine who downloads whatever he can, rips rented discs into pretty little 'authentic' looking dvd's and cases: ANYTHING and EVERYTHING is FREE if you are willing to go out and either steal it or take it. But just because you CAN do somethign doesn't make it right to do. We can argue the evils of the media maffia, the over priced media, the machevalian tactics of the RIAA etc etc all day long. But two wrongs do not make a right. I would hope that after you sample these songs from P2P you are going out and buying the ones you are interested in. That's about the only justification I can agree to with P2P. And even that is streching it. A simple subscription plan to a music store , pay the piper, sample what you want and then buy it forever so you own it and not rent it solves at least a few of the 'why I p2p' arguments that people make. The other arguments I have already adressed I believe. /rant and back on comment For your typical person who doesn't agree with just going out to the net and sharing with 1 million of your closest friends (lol) this is an offer for someone who is going to be drinking Pespi to begin with. [ + quote]
Dapsone (Newbie) 2 December 2007 12:28
You think this is "just" Pepsi (which I don't drink)? or Pepsi products, i.e. Mt Dew, which I drink a case a week??? F'ing sweet if the latter! [ + quote]
olyteddy (Member) 2 December 2007 17:43
I hope they use the same caps they did last give away. All you had to do was tip the bottle on its side and if you saw 'N' or 'r' you knew it was Not a Winner... [ + quote]
mspurloc (Junior Member) 2 December 2007 17:44
Oooh...(grits teeth)...don't think that's enough incentive to get me to drink Pepsi. [ + quote]
PcsB7xMP (Newbie) 3 December 2007 1:12
This offer is very useful to some one that is going to buy Pepsi anyhow and needs music too. It is not useful to someone that does not want Pepsi or someone that does not want music or both. If I want Pepsi i will go out and buy it but the free music would not motivate me to buy it. Yes, it is wrong to take advantage of others. It is true that Pepsi is funding the music to kids. Perhaps that is the reason they are picking the tab. I only wish that which is already free do not cease to be free because of a select group who is trying to force others to purchase their wares by making that which is free not free in the hopes that others who need their wares have no other option than to buy from them. My question to such a one would be, are you in the situation that you cannot make a living if you did not sell your wares so that you may be justified in forcing others to buy your wares by taking away the existing free options or preventing free options from arising? I do not think that could be the case. [ + quote]
spydah (Junior Member) 3 December 2007 23:49
*Originally posted by mspurloc:* Oooh...(grits teeth)...don't think that's enough incentive to get me to drink Pepsi. lol its more like my teeth hurt just thinking about a Pepsi. [ + quote]
duckNrun (Member) 4 December 2007 10:25
I would expect this to be for all pepsi products. I would not expect this to drive people who otherwise would not drink pepsi or soda into doing so. And 5 free, low quality bitrate songs (or any bitrate for that matter) per 25 bottles of ANY soda isn't going to send me running to the store. On the other hand seeing that I have friends who go through 1-2 cases of soda a week who could potentially end up with a couple of free CD's worth of MP3s each month during this promotion I can see it as a nice reward for their habit. Unfortunately they only buy cans and mostly it's the generic sodas they buy anyways. [ + quote]
borhan9 (AfterDawn Addict) 22 December 2007 18:04
The only upside to this is the experientation they are doing with DRM free music files and yes mp3 format is the format of choice. [ + quote]
engage16 (Member) 8 February 2008 1:12
i think its you enter 5 codes from 5 caps and then you get 1 song download.. each cap is 1/5th of a song... i remebered when they did this with itunes right after the riaa started prosecuting poor 16 year old kids for p2p sharing... it was suppossedly 1 out of every 3 caps was a free song d/l code... kinda convienent when you work at a package store and saw $50 worth of pepsi products a day in returnables... got 32 cds out of it... [ + quote]