Following our lead story three weeks ago, the news that five largest recording companies will launch an initiative to try and control MP3, finally hits the headlines. Chief executives from BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded Music, Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group will participate in “the plan”, to stamp some totalitarian control on this open format.

The “Secure Digital Music Initiative” would marry music with high-tech by creating a rival to MP3, with a view to flood the market and flush it out. The move comes amid rising music industry concerns that copyrighted audio materials are being posted illegally on the Internet. Personal Web sites offering MP3 songs for free have sprung up online, causing headaches for associations who protect artist rights and royalties.

It is going to be fun to watch the suit takes on the surfer, but as with most format wars, it’s whose got the distribution and marketing, not the superior format. Currently MP3 is cleaning up, but you have to ask, with so many large labels behind the format, it is going to be tough to compete with.

With some much at stake and with some much red tape to go through it is going to be a good 12-18 months before see begin to anything really tacking shape, combined with the fact that they haven’t even developed the new format yet, I’d give it at least 2 years. Much can happen in Internet years, so at least our online musical independence is free till then.