Apple has released iTunes 7.2 over the course of last night, and DRM-free music downloads are now available from participating music labels, such as EMI Records.
iTunes 7.2 was updated in the Mac OS X Software Update, and has support for iTunes Plus, which is Apple's DRM-free service, selling songs at the slightly higher price of $1.29. Existing iTunes Store users can upgrade their accounts. The instructional should be available upon login. It also appears that the upgraded iTunes will replace the original songs in your library, and the old songs can be saved or trashed.
The quality for previewing and purchasing music is reportedly better with the updated release. You can now choose to purchase a protected or unprotected version of a song, and change your settings to specify that you would like all future purchases to be DRM-free, if the option is available for a particular song.
The long-awaited restriction-free songs for iTunes will be celebrated by many around the world. Steve Jobs has made it clear what he hopes for the future of mp3s, and we're sure to see more music services and record labels continue to follow suit. In related news, CBS has announced its acquisition of Last.fm.