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Wal-Mart Pulls SonyBMG & WMG Downloads

WalMart.com has gone mp3 only without product from SonyBMG and WMG.  EMI and Universal catalog has been available DRM-free on the site since late summer.  According the the site:

Walmart
Wal-Mart Music Downloads Now Available in MP3 Only

We are no longer offering songs in WMA format and are focusing on bringing you the very best that music downloads can offer in the most popular format MP3.

Digital Music news first noticed
the take-down last night and Hypebot confirmed that whether its a
newcomer like Sean Kingston or a top selling icon like Madonna, artists
from SonyBMG and WMG are only available on the mega-retailer’s download
site as part of compilations released by other labels. CD’s form these
labels are still on sale online and in stores.

Sources at other download retailers have told Hypebot for months
that the majors are making unreasonable demands in exchange for going
DRM-free. The mighty Wal-Mart, whose download store has never gained
traction despite offering lower prices, apparently decided that enough
was enough.

Wal-Mart knows that what’s good for the customer – in this case low
priced DRM-free mp3’s –  is good for business. It’s ironic that the
retailer who cares least about the music may be the one to set it free.

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