Paris - Major record label Universal Music Group's French unit has begun experimenting with releasing digital songs as unprotected MP3 files -- without digital rights management (DRM) protections -- Billboard reported on Wednesday.

Universal Music France recording artist Emilie Simon's live album "L'Olympia" has been available for purchase in both MP3 and WMA formats since Feb. 28 from the artist's website.

"We are making some micro tests. This doesn't change our overall policy on DRM," Pascal Negre, president of Universal Music France, Middle East and Mediterranean-South America, told Billboard, adding that so far the digital album has generated "a few dozen sales."

Fellow major label EMI Music recently tested the water with its own slate of songs released as unprotected MP3s.

According to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, the label was actually in advanced talks with retailers to sell songs as MP3s, but negotiations broke down when the parties were unable to agree on the extra advance retailers would pay EMI for MP3s, to would counter potential losses from piracy.

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http://tinyurl.com/ywu6mt (Billboard.biz)