Yahoo's Jessica Simpson MP3 has turned up the volume on the DRM debate. MIT's Technology Review has an article by Wade Roush titled "DRM Under Siege: The Yahoo Music Experiment" that sees a change coming in the majors' attitudes toward DRM.

It should be noted, though, that Roush didn't get a quote from a single music executive, and the fact that the only person quoted is the EFF's Fred von Lohmann doesn't add any objectivity.

Is DRM under seige? In some, small circles, yes. But let's not put this topic in the kind of absolute statements that have long characterized the "death of the CD" (a format that is certainly in its golden years but still active and viable). Von Lohmann accurately views DRM in a decline -- and just a decline.

"This is a sign that the enthusiasm for DRM is beginning to wane in the music industry. ... I certainly don't expect DRM to disappear overnight. But I would not be surprised if you saw specific genres or subsidiaries of the major labels experimenting with more unprotected MP3s."

Cory Doctorow had a article critical of DRM in InformationWeek a few days ago that has been widely circulated on websites and blogs. "Apple sold a billion tracks in three years in spite of its DRM, not because of it," he wrote.

Jessica Simpson was an experiment. Given the strong positive reaction, other majors should read this as market acceptence and begin their own limited experiments. Other online stores should join Yahoo! in its cries for MP3 downloads. Short of regulation that creates universal interoperability -- which is extremely unlikly -- DRM-free downloads is the only thing that will help them compete with iTunes. The competition will serve consumers and labels well.