Play.com's PlayDigital download site has today joined 7Digital as another UK-based MP3 etailer to offer music without digital-rights management (DRM) encryption.
The service, which launched in February 2008, has now added Sony BMG, Warner Music and Universal to its catalogue of DRM-free music which already includes the fourth major label; EMI.
PlayDigital boasts over three million songs available for purchase in the MP3 format, and its prices are competitive, too. Top 100 singles retail from 65p per track, and complete albums start at £4.99 - both generally less than the current leading music store, iTunes.
Wendy Snowdon, head of PlayDigital, said:
We now have an offer to rival that of iTunes, yet in a format that gives the consumer choice and at a more appealing price. This site has been a phenomenal success since launch and now, armed with the full back catalogue and current releases from the all the majors, we are fantastically placed to take a bigger bite of the apple.
Artists including Kaiser Chiefs, Keane, Snow Patrol and Razorlight are all now available through PlayDigital and our pricing strategy ensures that we can start to steal even more market share. With the top 100 tracks available from 65p each compared to 79p on iTunes and albums from £4.99 which is £1 cheaper than iTunes, PlayDigital is the cheapest destination for music downloads, full stop.
Despite being second to 7Digital - who on September 16th became the first European etailer to offer completely DRM-free music from all four major labels - PlayDigital has launched its DRM-free store ahead of big-name competition such as Amazon, HMV and Tesco.
Official PlayDigital site: Play.com
