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October 20, 2003

More on the iTunes Store

From a The Register article:
Why a song costs just as much when delivered via the Internet sans packaging instead of by a complex global shipping system is a question that needs answering. We also wonder why users are paying the same price for music but can't do what ever they like with their property.
Although the Register is known for complaining about even the smallest of issues, and I generally like the iTunes store, the article does raise some good points. Although 99 cent per song is a reasonable price, it should be possible to stream songs that were downloaded from the music store. I am also slightly worried by Steve Jobs comments that record labels are going to keep control over who will be able to publish on the store. One of the greatest possibilities of the store is to give more power to individual artists, and I hope that Apple realizes this and gives more independence to the artists. Posted by csar at October 20, 2003 01:51 PM to category Apple & Mac OS X | TrackBack
Comments

The first point is the reason I won't even consider buying from the ITMS right now. Exclusive songs aside, online stores need to either provide an added benefit to ordering online (beyond "oh, now you don't have to drive to best buy!") or make it significantly cheaper than buying a real copy for $12 on release date (or cheaper at deepdiscountcd.com and the like). The real copy is higher quality unaffected by lossy compression that makes audiophiles cringe, and it comes with liner notes, a jewel case, and the actual pressed CD. Pressed CDs don't fail after many years like burned ones do, and they don't carry DRM where you can only play it on three computers.

I didn't know about the second point, where the record labels have control. I guess it's pretty much similar to the retail situation, but if Apple is going to say they support indie artists, they'd better make sure the record companies aren't going to stop them once they start going that way with the itms.

I'm all for online distribution of music, but I think it needs to be cheaper and more fleshed-out.

Posted by: Travis at October 20, 2003 02:07 PM