The
UK's top online retailer Amazon has started an MP3 price war
with the launch of its UK music download service.
The UK is the
first
country inside the US to be able to access Amazon's music store
offering more than three million songs.
Amazon MP3 is offering tracks from 59p and albums from £3 after
joining forces with Sony BMG, Universal Music, EMI Music and Warner
Music.
Amazon MP3 is in direct competition with Apple's iTunes,
offering albums such as The Circus from Take That at less than half
the price.
This has led to Apple cutting the price of some of older
releases, but Amazon MP3 still has the upper hand when it comes to
digital
rights management (DRM).
Unlike many of the iTunes tracks, the music available from
Amazon can be downloaded on to all MP3 players and mobiles,
including iPods and iPhones.
Once users download a track, they are free to load and play it
on any device, according to the BBC.
Last year
EMI removed DRM from most if its music sold through download
sites.
EMI said the best way to stop music piracy was to make legal
content available at an affordable price.
In February last year,
the UK government rejected calls for a ban on DRM, saying music
sellers should be able to protect their content in this way.