In April, EMI announced it would drop DRM from its digital downloads. iTunes has the first beneficiary, and more online stores will eventually offer EMI's catalog without copy protections.

Now the next facet of a DRM-free policy can be seen in EMI's announcement today that its strategic partnership with digital agency VerveLife will give DRM-free downloads to Burger King customers.

"Under the campaign, consumers will be able to search for, sample, and download a pre-paid EMI Music track from a specially created microsite after inputting a unique code. Codes are being distributed to Burger King consumers upon purchase, and there will be links from the microsite to an online retailer, allowing consumers to purchase further tracks by EMI artists featured on the microsite."

This kind of campaign would be practically pointless unless the promotional tracks are compatible with iTunes and the iPod. By dropping DRM, EMI has created new promotional opportunities that can take advantage of Apple's ubiquity.

I don't expect Burger King customers to hurt themselves rushing for a track or album -- people will take absolutely anything if its free, so I don't expect the upsell to be frequent -- but this promotion will get great exposure for EMI artists as well as EMI's strategy. No details were given on which artists/tracks will be available.

Last year I posted a link to this press release about VerveLife's partnership with digital distributor IODA to use the latter's music in digital promotional campaigns.