Rolling Stones join DRM-free market

Billboard.biz announced this morning that the Rolling Stones are set to make their EMI (OTC: EMIPY) catalog available digitally without Digital Rights Management technology. 7digital, a London-based online store, will be the first to offer the catalog, which includes 24 albums between 1971 and 2005 at the "high-quality 320 kbps rate." The band's pre-1971 catalog is managed by Universal Music Group, and the same announcement cites that the company does not intend to offer its part despite the DRM-free testing the company has begun.

7digital will offer the albums for a lowered price for four weeks, before the price returns to normal and the exclusivity ends presumably, though a few of the albums are already available in Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes Plus store. The tracks from 7digital will also be playable on a number of devices, not simply iPods, but other MP3 players, cell phones and even PDAs according to Billboard's report.

The catalog from EMI opens one of the largest the company holds, and the Rolling Stones will certainly find old and new listeners cheering as their successful Bigger Bang tour closes with three nights at London's 02 Arena. The tour has already sparked an exclusive DVD set from Best Buy (NYSE: BBY). All that is left to wonder now is whether a new live album is in the works, a la 2004's Live Licks, which peaked at #50 in the Billboard 200. Another deal with Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) would certainly hit well; 2005's Rarities peaked at a nice #76.