Universal Music Group tells Apple to take a hike

While iPhones activation woes and locked phones dominate the news the Universal Music Group has notified Apple it will not renew its annual contract with Apple's iTunes Music Store.  Pulling out of a contractual arrangement with Apple leaves the UMG free to put a little more pressure on Steve Jobs over iTunes' flat pricing scheme that the group has been trying to overthrow for the past four years.  The music industry has been concerned for some time over the control that Jobs and Apple are exerting over music sales and this contract pullout is no doubt a result of that concern.  The music industry has also been demanding that Apple open up its DRM system to the open market so that iTunes music could be played on any player and not just iPods.  Jobs is no doubt coasting on his $150 million weekend so I don't see him losing any sleep over this.

(via New York Times)