Yahoo sells DRM-free Jesse McCartney album

Two months ago, Yahoo Music offered a Jessica Simpson single for sale in MP3 format, stripped of the digital rights management (DRM) coding that can limit where and how often a music file can be played. Now the music service--which features streaming music, radio stations and music videos in addition to downloads--is going a step further by selling DRM-free copies of pop singer Jesse McCartney's new album, "Right Where You Want Me." Music buyers will be able to choose between MP3 and WMA formats of the album, which was released online and in stores Tuesday. It retails for $9.99.

Most music download services use their own form of DRM protection on their downloads, often to limit the variety of devices that can play the songs; songs and other media content purchased from Apple Computer's iTunes Store, for example, can be played only on Apple's iPod music players. DRM-free downloads, however, have begun to be popular with some artists, including the Barenaked Ladies, a Canadian pop rock group that sells its downloadable albums through its own Web site.