Apple/EMI Deal Still a Go... We Think

Ever since Apple and EMI announced their deal to sell DRM-free music on iTunes, I've been waiting to hear of a launch date firmer than "in May." After all, there's only a week left in the month. (Yes, I've been counting.)

If you've been paying attention to entertainment industry news, you might have had a little extra anxiety in that regard. EMI has been up for sale, and one of the suitors was none other than Warner Music Group, whose CEO Eddie Bronfman, Jr. is very much against selling digital music without DRM.

It looks like things have worked out: EMI has agreed to be bought out by Terra Firma Capital Group for $4.7 billion, and one analyst has laid out the reasons that he expects the EMI/Apple deal to go through as planned. But don't start cheering just as yet. Word is that Warner might consider offering a juicier counter-offer, or waiting to see if Terra Firma is ready to break EMI up, in which case they'll just buy the parts they want.

Either way, the EMI/Apple deal is apparently good for a year, which means everything's going to work out (for us) no matter who buys EMI. (So you might not want to dawdle when it comes to buying those David Bowie tracks.) Of course, one should never underestimate the willingness of a big company to pay some huge chunk of change in order to keep the DRM-free genie from escaping the bottle.