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In the background of the growing popularity of online music stores such as
iTunes Music Store and Napster looms a format war between AAC and WMA. Is there
room for a third challenger? The most popular digital music format, MP3, is
universally recognized by digital music players and accounts for the vast
majority of music available on Kazaa and other P2P networks. Thomson, the
company responsible for licensing the mp3 format, will begin offering a DRMed
version of the codec. The DRMed version will use standard MP3 compression tech
along with DRM which will be in-line with emerging standards. Current digital
music players will for now be unable to play the protected MP3s, although
firmware updates could change that.
Will these be the MP3 files that no one wants? WMA and AAC are already
dominating the DRM music market and there seems to be little space for a third
competitor. MP3 does have the brand recognition that WMA and AAC lack, but it is
highly doubtful that online music retailers will jump ship on the
more-established DRM codecs for the better-known MP3. DRMed MP3s could also lead
to greater consumer confusion as customers download the files only to discover
that they will not play on their iPods, Rios, or any other player. Look for WMA
and AAC to continue waging a battle for supremacy while MP3 remains relegated to
the niche it currently inhabits: consumers ripping their CD libraries for use on
their PCs and digital music players.
Original text by Eric Bangeman
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