Amazon could be the next major name to dive into the world of unprotected music sales. Various rumors have been picking up over the past couple of weeks that the online retailer was readying itself to launch an MP3 download store in May, which some see as one of the only retailers that will be able to truly challenge Apple's ubiquitous iTunes Store.

According to a report in the UK's Times Online, Amazon has approached "all the music majors in the past fortnight" in order to launch its MP3 store in May but may have some trouble meeting its own deadline. Apple plans to start selling DRM-free music from EMI in May through its own music store, which could be the cause for Amazon's rush. The report speculates that if the Internet giant is successful in launching on time, it may initially launch with unprotected music from EMI as well.

Initial reports about Amazon's MP3 store came from Billboard, saying that that Universal Music Group had partnered with Amazon to sell unprotected music, mostly in the form of classical tracks. Such a move would be crucial to DRM-free music sales, as Universal currently holds the top position among all music labels and would send a strong message to labels who are nervous about following EMI's lead. "If Universal goes [DRM-free], then everyone has to follow," an anonymous music executive told Reuters on Friday. However, today's report in the Times debunks the speculation about Universal as "wide off the mark."

Even if Amazon does manage to launch its unprotected music store with Universal's blessing, it will still have to fight to keep up with Apple. Apple has begun contract renegotiations with various major record labels that will extend into the summer, and industry execs told Reuters that Apple now has the upper hand in pressuring them to go DRM-free due to the company's position in the market. While the labels may keep a strict poker face to the public on the topic of DRM, in private, an industry source hinted that following EMI into DRM-free waters is "only a matter of time."