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The company says it will allow the sale of thousands of its albums and tracks in MP3-form without digital rights management for a trial period.

Universal's test marks a departure for the industry's common practice; most major recording studios insist that music sellers use DRM technology to curb online piracy.

"The experiment will run from August to January and analyse such factors as consumer demand, price sensitivity and piracy in regards to the availability of open MP3s," Universal says.

Vendors including Google, Wal-Mart, and Amazon will participate in the DRM-free trial.

Missing from the list of participants is Apple's iTunes store, the third largest music retailer in the United States.