Thanks to the agreement between EMI  and SNOCAP, US fans will be able to purchase DRM-free, higher-quality MP3s by EMI artists through artist websites, social networking pages and fan blogs.

As part of the agreement EMI will place SNOCAP MyStores on the web pages of hundreds of its artist sites. Similar to the tunes offered by EMI on iTunes, the downloads offered through SNOCAP MyStores will be DRM-free MP3s, encoded at 320 kilobits per second, more than twice the audio quality of standard files.

Artists whose tracks will be available via SNOCAP MyStores at launch include 30 Seconds to Mars, The Almost, Ryland Angel, The Bird and The Bee, KORN, Joe Lovano, Dean Martin, MIMs, Relient K, Saosin, TobyMac and Yellowcard.

EMI said that the works of other artists will be offered during the coming weeks. "SNOCAP's MyStore technology is an exciting new proposition and another step forward for consumers, artists and the digital music market overall," said Eric Nicoli, CEO of EMI Group. "Giving consumers the capability of buying music directly from their favorite artists' websites and social networking areas is a great way to connect artists directly with fans. We're delighted that our DRM-free, higher-quality offering will be available this way, so that fans can play the music they buy on a range of devices."

The price of one track is $1.30 and and albums will be made available via SNOCAP MyStores later this year.

In April this year EMI shocked the music world when the company announced it will sell DRM-free songs on Apple’s iTunes. The British music giant said at the time that it will also partner with other companies to sell its music.