If the early morning web stories are true, then EMI, which has the 3rd largest music catalog after Universal and Sony, will make a public announcement that they will distribute their media without digital rights management (DRM.)

This shows foresight and courage on EMI’s part, unlike the stupidity and laziness exhibited by Viacom in dealing with YouTube earlier this year. Why is this good? Consumers win because they are able to use the media in any way they choose. When consumers have a choice between this mode of operation and the other, it’s clear which will win. The concern about illegal use of content is legitimate to a point. Some people will use the content without appropriately compensating the distributor, but that happens now with DRM.

I predict that EMI in cooperation with Apple and other digital distributors will see growth from this move. Most people do want to legally participate in this economy and there will always, regardless of what technology exists, be a fringe of people who will choose not to participate legally. It makes much better business sense to serve the majority….that’s what EMI is doing. It’s about time.