For that one, it's mandated by publishers. There's nothing that can be done for e-readers from vendors that don't support third-party applications.
Amazon e-books are accessible on Android and other platforms in addition to Kindle devices.
Kindle is also not locked to only ebooks from Amazon, but third-party DRM schemes are not supported. Calibre for example comes with good tooling for that use case.
I believe the publishers want DRM. I'm not sure they want DRM that effectively locks in their readers to the Amazon ecosystem. I don't believe publishers would be upset if I could directly purchase books from Apple, Google, Kobo, or any other similar vendor directly on the Kindle.
Is the audiobook market different? I know Cory Doctorow for one would like to sell his audio books through Audible but they require DRM. Care to defend that?
There's no option to sell on Kindle's own store with DRM disabled indeed.
edit: A poster has a link saying otherwise. Will ask what's up on the Audible side then.
> At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
(Specific title as just a convenient example from that publisher)
We need to quit getting lost in the word, "monopoly". No part of this problem is from a single actor dominating the entire market. The problems are anti-competitive behavior and vertical integration.
DRM is literally intended to support copyright monopoly. The entire purpose and function of DRM is to prevent competition in the form of "copyright infringement".
That was a unique situation that couldn't be replicated later for video and other media sadly.
So how can you make the case that Amazon doesn't have "leverage" to negotiate DRM-free publishing?
> together with CDs not having DRM
I don't recall printed books ever having any form of "DRM".
Whereas I have many eBooks purchased years ago from Apple's store that I can only read on Apple devices, not on my Kindle.
Apple realized this and was able to bully their way to a deal that worked for Apple, and the labels had no real ability to counter Apple. Amazon has yet to do so.
Arguably, Amazon has substantially more market power now than Apple did back in the Jobs days when they were building out iTunes and negotiating with the major labels.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without
Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.