Orange UK's Orange Music Store is now offering DRM-free tracks, in thanks to a partnership with EMI Music, Universal Music and several independent record labels.
"Orange is committed to providing customers with the widest access to music tracks and content," Orange director Paul Jevons said in a statement. "Upgrading the music portal and introducing DRM-free music helps customers enjoy music how and when they want. We look forward to enhancing the DRM-free music catalog over the coming months."
Orange is both an ISP and mobile network operator in the United Kingdom, and offers music downloads for mobile phones and PCs.
Orange removed DRM for 700,000 of the store's two million tracks, and will continue to phase out DRM in the coming weeks. The store originally launched in 2005 with the support of four major record labels, and has slowly attracted new users.
When an Orange Music Store user purchases a music track, it is simultaneously downloaded both to a mobile phone and a PC. It may seem like a trivial feature, but more phone owners are beginning to listen to music while out and about.
There is a growing trend among music providers to offer music without DRM restrictions, as consumers look for additional control of their music. Orange competitor Vodafone also announced it will drop DRM from its own music store earlier in the fall, as more stores are helping let consumers control what they do with their own music.
Would Orange's decision to drop DRM help convince you to purchase music from the Orange Music Store?
