Michael Robertson, founder of MP3.com, has launched a new music download service that sells DRM-free albums, but Warner Music Group is not happy about it. The service, AnywhereCD, sells music in MP3 format with no copy protection, but customers must buy full albums—no cherry-picking of individual tracks as customers do on iTunes.
The bit rate of the MP3 files purchased through the service are encoded at 192kbps "or better," indicating that there may be inconsistencies in bit rates across different albums. AnywhereCD's help page justifies the decision to go with 192kbps, saying that "Your dog might be able to hear the subtleties and nuances but our blind taste tests reveal that very few people, if any, are really able to distinguish between our very high quality MP3s and the original CDs."
Warner Music Group immediately demanded that AnywhereCD stop selling the label's albums the same day that AnywhereCD launched, saying that selling the music without copy protection was in "flagrant" violation with their agreement. "Accordingly, we have sent them a notice of termination and they are required to immediately remove all of our content from their site," the music label said in a statement given to Reuters.
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