Amazon launched the beta version of their mp3 download store yesterday, and as with every issue that arises in today’s music industry, the experts are staunchly divided on the pros and cons of a iTunes competitor. Shall we take a look?

The yeasayers are championing the $0.89 price per song, a whole shiny dime lower than iTunes, and the absence of DRM software on all tracks purchased. Naysayers fear an inevitable price war between iTunes and Amazon, with more emphasis on the spiteful resentment of Steve Jobs’ empire than on what’s good and appropriate for the music business as a whole.

There’s a deeper story here, of course. It’s an easy argument to say that the iPod is the definitive mp3 player and iTunes is the default download platform today, a coup for Apple because each will only play music that’s outfitted with Jobs & Co.’s FairPlay DRM software or music that isn’t protected at all. This left labels and artists with a black and white choice: go with Apple, or go totally DRM-free.

Enter Amazon to gray everything up a bit. Universal and EMI, plus a host of prominent indie labels, are already on board for the megaonlineretailer’s DRM-free store, which may hint at a significant shift in attitude about selling music from the label perspective. Easing the headache of paying for downloads is the first step towards a happy dream land of people paying legitimately for music on a wide scale. As EMI VP Jeanne Meyer noted,  “As a consumer, when you buy a slice of bread you want to know you could put it in any toaster.”

Indeed. What’s your take?

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