“ITunes Plus” Tracks Shed DRM

At midnight last night Apple took the wraps off its new DRM-free iTunes Store component. The newly released iTunes 7.2 update allows the preview and purchase of what Apple is calling “iTunes Plus” music — DRM-free tracks from EMI and other labels.

ITunes 7.2 is available through the Software Update pane in OS X's System Preferences or can be downloaded directly from the site. The update is for both Mac and Windows PCs (screenshots after the jump).

To see iTunes Plus songs you'll need to head into your account settings and enable the option to show available DRM-free songs.

A few quick searches for the new $1.29 songs reveal that the listings are far from complete. In fact, the Beastie Boys listing pictured below, shows that just 30 of the available 144 song catalogue are available as DRM-free downloads.

Presumably Apple will be rolling out more iTunes Plus tracks in the coming weeks.

If you head into iTunes' entry in the Help Viewer you'll see an updated section for the new options, including instructions on how to upgrade previous purchases to the new iTunes Plus format.

The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (when available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store.

If you already have iTunes Store purchases that are now available as iTunes Plus downloads, you may upgrade your existing purchases. To do so, visit the iTunes Store and follow the onscreen instructions.

Be sure to also have a look at our Cult of Mac blog for additional coverage.