Play: downloads without the DRM

British people waiting for Amazon to get its finger out and start offering mp3s for sale have, at least, got an alternative: Play.com have just launched a store doing DRM-free downloads of stuff from across the majors.

The offering is impressively wide; the pricing is all to cock, though - Dig Out Your Soul, the whole album, is £4.99; Kings Of Leon's latest is £6.95 while OMD's Greatest Hits is £6.99. I can just about understand why stores and labels might want differential pricing - it's a rubbish idea, but at least understandable. What I can't see is how any system could come to the conclusion that one album is worth precisely four pence more than another. The individual track pricing is similarly complex - a Pink track is five pence cheaper than one by Antony and The Johnsons.

Still, it's a good effort. If only Play did affiliate marketing, they might be able to turn their first mover advantage into a firm proposition.

[Thanks to Michael M for the tip]