Digital Rights Management (DRM) Evolution in the music industry represents the technological and strategic progression of copyright protection systems from the late 1990s to present. Beginning with early copy-protection measures, DRM evolved through the iTunes era (2003-2009) with encrypted downloads, to the eventual shift toward DRM-free models¹. The evolution reflects the industry's struggle to balance piracy prevention with consumer convenience, ultimately leading to streaming-based consumption models that transformed how digital music rights are managed and monetized².