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Yahoo! has announced that it will be shutting down it’s DRM (Digital Rights Management) servers on September 30.  As a result, all music purchased from Yahoo! Music will no longer be able to transfer to computers or devices they are currently on.  This all goes with Yahoo’s migration of services to the Rhapsody music service.

The move isn’t all that bad, however.  Yahoo has announced that it will “compensate” anyone who has bought DRM music files though Yahoo! Music.  The company will give reimbursements on a case-by-case basis.  These reimbursements can either be through repayment of the money spent for the files, or through MP3 files without DRM that will play on any computer or device.  It’d be nice if the customer can choose on a file-by-file basis, so you can be refunded for the album you thought you’d like, but hated after finally listening to the full thing a few times.

For customers of Yahoo! Music, the service will be transferred over to Rhapsody which offers “the same service at a similar price.”

Read [Information Week]

Music lovers holding a Verizon subscription will better be able to say “I can hear you now” to their favorite musical artists, as Rhapsody and Verizon team up to offer users with certain V Cast phones DRM-free PC downloads. In obvious competition with iTunes, Rhapsody is still behind in the numbers game (about 5 million in their online library as opposed to iTunes 8 million), however, the bonus of not being stuck with DRM puts them ahead in many people’s minds. This way, you can play the music on any PC, MP3 player, or other digital device. Bonus.

So how much is it going to cost you? The songs are going at 99 cents each, and most albums will be $9.99. You’ll also find a Windows-only download utility that will import your music directly into iTunes, RealPlayer, or the Rhapsody client; Mac users will get their songs in a ZIP file. Select Verizon Wireless V Cast phones (including the upcoming Chocolate 3, the new Dare, the Samsung Glyde, the Juke, the RIZR Z6tv, and the RAZR V9m) can purchase tunes from Rhapsody over the air, and get an MP3 “master” PC download in the bargain.

If you jump on the ball, Verizon is running a special through July 4th: The first 100,000 people to sign up with the MP3 store will get their first album free.  And hey...free is always good.

Via [Yahoo! Tech]

Yahoo has announced that they will be replacing their Yahoo Unlimited Music service with Real Networks Rhapsody for their on-demand music service. All current Yahoo subscribers will be transitioned over to a Rhapsody account within a few months. Once moved over the users will be able to enjoy their music service on more devices that were not available as Yahoo customers to include the Squeezebox and also TiVo set top boxes.

In addition to switching over to Real, Yahoo also announced they have acquired FoxyTunes. According to Yahoo, this will allow them to offer a “more open” music playback experience. FoxyTunes currently offers a browser plugin that has controls for offline and web-based media players.

Read [electronista]

Did you just realize that you left someone off of your holiday shopping list and now need to scramble to get him a gift? If you aren’t too close with him and he has yet to know a thing or two about gadgets, technology and pop-culture, you may want to consider picking up one of the Insignia MP3 players.

Best Buy’s private label brand, Insignia, offers two models: the Sport 2GB (NS-DA2G) and the Sport 1GB (NS-DA1G). Both models are 0.5” thin, weight 1.2 ounces, have a 1.2” OLED screen, built-in FM tuner, USB 2.0, have a rechargeable battery with 18 hours of playback time, and are PC and Mac compatible. They also both support MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM, PlaysForSure , Napster and Rhapsody subscription services and JPEG image files. The 2GB model also adds audible support.

I had a chance to play with both models (which are essentially identical) and was left rather impressed with the functionality and ease of use as compared to name brand players (check out the interface here). The 2GB price is right, the size is good, and they are easy to use for you non-tech folk. I suggest heading over to Best Buy to pick one up if you are currently in the market, or forgot to get someone a present.

You can get 1 GB for $79.99 or 2 GB for $99.99, not too bad if you don’t feel pressured to buy a iPod name brand.

Although the a la carte business model seems to work rather well in the digital music space, the future will likely see many more subscription-based services hit the market.  That’s why Sonos has announced that they’re working with Real Rhapsody to provide streaming music, directly to your home theater.  The new Sonos home music systems will give users access to Rhapsody’s 2 million song library and 100 commercial-free radio stations all for just $9.99 per month.

The Sonos devices are popular because of their ability to stream high quality audio wirelessly from room-to-room.  The new units are feature-packed, but also carry hefty price tags.  The least expensive model in the new line will cost $1,000 - and yes, I said that’s the least expensive.  No word yet on availability.

Read [Sonos] Via [Techfreep]

Yesterday, Google took the wraps off of their new Music Trends service, which is a member of their Google Labs family of services.  By the looks of the offering, Google wants in on music.  Music Trends is a simple site with songs ranked according to what Google Talk users are listening to.  Google Talk is bundled with a opt-in music tracking service that allows users to be a part of a huge community of listeners.  You can limit the list by both music type and country.  When you click on the track title, you’re taken to a Google page with the album’s details, and provided links to services like iTunes, AOL Music Now, Real Rhapsody, and Yahoo! Music (very interesting).  Additionally, the right column shows the change in the track’s ranking on the charts.  Watch out Billboard.com, by the looks of it, we’ll no longer be needing your service.

Check out Google Music Trends

Via [TechCrunch]