EMI Records' move to sell unprotected MP3 files (available first at Apple's iTunes Store) may finally point the way out of the digital rights management morass. But most of us remain stuck in it, and we're not likely to get unstuck any time soon.
If you buy a music CD at Amazon.com, you can generally rip the songs to your hard drive and listen to them on any device. But if you buy the same songs from iTunes, Napster, or the Zune Marketplace, you typically can't--not without jumping through hoops, anyway. Except for unprotected songs by EMI artists, iTunes downloads play only on iPods. Napster To Go music works solely on approved PlaysForSure devices; and Zune tunes play on Zunes, period. Thank you, DRM.
However, DRM is not exactly airtight. Besides hacks and cracks, there are legal ways to copy media files and play them across a range of devices.
Four Ways to Reclaim Your Digital Rights