Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro offered his support today for an announcement from Apple and EMI Music that Apple will offer the entire digital music catalog of EMI Music DRM-free in a high quality format.

“CEA applauds Apple and EMI Music for recognizing what consumers really want out of their digital music experience–high resolution recordings worthy of both home and on-the-go listening, along with the freedom to move music among devices,” said Shapiro. “This is the future of digital entertainment.”

“Traditional MP3 files are compressed for space purposes, a process which strips frequencies and important details from each recording. For consumers, this announcement means there is no longer a need to sacrifice quality sound simply for convenience. We think music fans are going to like what they hear.”

Other Music Companies Should Offer DRM-Free Music

Shapiro continued, “CEA encourages other content companies and digital music services to follow the lead of Apple and EMI Music. Companies such as these, which listen as well as respond to customer needs, are well-positioned to succeed in the digital age.”