Interviewed by the New York Times:
Mr. Jobs chastised the recording industry for its efforts to handicap Apple and iTunes by offering digital music without digital rights management copy protection through competitors like Amazon.
[…]
“It’s been frustrating us a little,” he acknowledged. “The music industry and iTunes need to find a way to work together because we’re the best vehicle they have.”
How dare they offer music without DRM?!
Ed Bott 
It’s clear from context that what he’s complaining about is that they’re offering DRM-free music to Amazon, but not to Apple, and forcing Apple to sell only DRMed music.
I think you’re above this kind of petty sniping. Jobs is complaining about the music industry freezing him out, not about the lack of DRM. Amazon’s music store is great and it’s now where I buy all my music. However, competition is always good for consumers, so I’d like to see iTunes get the same deal Amazon has.
I’d like to see everyone get the same deal across the board; Amazon, Zune, iTunes, eMusic, etc.
It would be interesting to see how that would affect the digital media landscape because suddenly the only thing affecting your choice would be ease of use and marketing, something I feel Amazon is actually winning at right now.
Yes, competition is good for consumers. Let me know when Jobs decides to make iTunes purchases playable on other devices, or when he decides to let other merchants offer iTunes compatible content using FairPlay DRM. It really takes an awesome amount of gall to complain about hnot being allowed to compete under these circumstances, when the entire philosophy of the iTunes store has always been to exclude all competition.
Shawn, the trouble is that iPod has a near monopoly among music players, so if they get the same deal as everyone else they have an overwhelming advantage. In fact, they make so much money off the hardware they can even indulge in predatory pricing on tunes to drive out competition. Hmmm. That would make an interesting antitrust case, wouldn’t it?
Ed, I think you must have missed what Mike said at 1. Jobs is annoyed that other labels wont allow them to sell DRM-free music – currently only EMI music is available without DRM from iTunes, while Amazon has all of the Big 4. And I can play my DRM-free AAC files on my mobile phone and my Wii.
Jono, I did not miss what Mike said. My point is that Jobs has been dictating terms to the studios for years and was perfectly happy to put up with DRM when it served his interests. The studios are now giving Apple a dose of what they got from Apple all these years. That’s the irony to me.
Apple wants a level playing field, but if they get the same content as everyone else they win because of the iPod/iTunes monopoly. I really wish someone would file an antitrust suit on this.
i think what jobs is really mad about it he is losing the power he once held over the on line music business. lets face it Jobs is a power hungry control freak. times are changing and he no longer can dictate to the content providers and i think thats whats really got him pissed.
Well, I got to the end of the comments and I see Ed and R Henson said exactly what I would have.
Off topic, I’d add that Amazon should re-examine their ‘ease of use’. I use Amazon all the time for reading reviews because they have the most. BUT any time I decide to buy several items it’s a royal pain in the behind. Just checking shipping cost for several items is a major effort. Lots of one-way gates, can’t back up.
Perhaps Amazon could look at Apple’s OS / hardware for some ideas. I can’t speak about the iTunes store; I’ve never used it.
I really wish someone would file an antitrust suit on this.
Thomas Slattery has done it in 2005, Stacie Somers is doing it right now. IIRC there are more cases.
I really wish Amazon will sell MP3s in Europe