Many music services are in favor of ditching MP3 protection rights (DRM) in an effort to challenge Apple’s iTunes monopoly. Keep in mind, only iTune files and unprotected MP3’s play on Apple’s iPods which make up more than 70% of all portable audio players. Reuters reports: “Despite a music catalog limited to independent label fare, [eMusic] facilitates more music downloads than any other save iTunes. The reason? eMusic’s entire catalog is available to consumers as unprotected MP3s.”

Now give me unprotected MP3’s at a better fidelity than 128 kbps (which is what iTunes sells and are less than CD quality), and watch digital music purchasing take off like never before, though stealing will always be around.