Vodafone has signed deals with record companies Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music to offer their tracks and albums DRM (Digital Rights Management)-free, across Vodafone markets, both for mobile phones and PCs.
Vodafone says the deals are the first of their kind for a mobile operator, enabling dual delivery of DRM-free music to a wide range of mobile phones and PCs, with no need to sideload or synchronize. With over a million tracks available from every music genre, for the first time, customers will be able to play and enjoy music bought from these three labels via the Vodafone Music store, which is powered by RealNetworks, without any limit to the type of device.
In addition, those customers who have already bought tracks or albums from Universal Music, Sony Music or EMI in WMA format (with DRM) will be able to upgrade them to MP3 at no extra charge within the existing download allowance. DRM-free music will be available in a number of Vodafone countries by the summer, and will complement Vodafones current music offerings.
Vodafone has been a business partner of Universal Music for six years, says Rob Wells, SVP, Digital, at Universal Music Group International. This new deal shows how serious Vodafone is about music, and opens up new opportunities for both companies – but, more importantly, for consumers and artists. 
