Comments on: Why Apple’s iTunes Concessions Are a Double-Edged Sword

By: getfreeitunes

getfreeitunes — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 04:41:36 +0000

He's right about nearly nobody caring, and that no normal humans know or care about DRM. I'm the geeky exception, having bought precious few songs from iTunes. On the other hand, I've bought over 1000 DRM-free songs from eMusic. As eMusic mostly features independent artists, this has the added benefit of supporting bands that most need the money.

Now that iTunes is going DRM-free, I'll be able to pay a little more attention to the major labels again. Possibly to the detriment of my eMusic subscription.

By: Digipendent » Blog Archive » Inspirations Come From Outside The Music Industry: by Bruce Houghton

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:26:54 +0000

[...] to the music industry with skewering posts like YouTube, Music Labels: Stop Crying Over Spilt Milk, Why Apple’s iTunes Concessions Are a Double-Edged Sword and Why MySpace Music Is Likely to Fail, you don’t have to agreee, but you better pay [...]

By: Andreas

Andreas — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:29:46 +0000

Has anyone tried Spotify? Streamed music, legal and free. I’ve used it for a couple of months and have actually stopped using iTunes for consuming music. Rumor has it that Spotify now is working on a Mobile version of the app.

http://www.spotify.com

By: Joe Lamantia

Joe Lamantia — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:02:05 +0000

Introducing tiered pricing may be part of a longer term plan to better address international / emerging markets, with different price points, currencies, media consumption patterns, etc. Tiered pricing capability increases the flexibility of the iTunes platform quite a bit, making it more valuable.

As for the record labels who may or may not be happy with the results – well – we’re all more or less waiting for what’s next… The distribution based model they’ve relied on is pretty obviously dead…

By: tinyfrog

tinyfrog — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:49:18 +0000

Not sure that I buy the argument about conditioning users to expect a lower price. Afterall, other media follows the same pattern: movies are expensive when you go to the movie theater, then they go to the video store, and then they go to TV (supported by ad revenue). There is a time-based decline in the “price” charged for a movie. That model is similar to the price-decline model proposed by the music industry. The model seems to work pretty well for movies.

By: Why Apple's iTunes Concessions Are a Double-Edged Sword (Mathew Ingram/GigaOM) » Apple Secrets

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 08:01:17 +0000

[...] Ingram / GigaOM:Why Apple’s iTunes Concessions Are a Double-Edged Sword — Apple’s announcements at Macworld may have lacked some of the flair and [...]

By: The truth about DRM — Vad NU!

The truth about DRM — Vad NU! — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 06:16:31 +0000

[...] people, I know, will be pleased about this, personally I couldn’t care less. Why? Because, as Mathew Ingram of GigaOM states: The reality is that while DRM may be a big hobbyhorse for geeks, it isn’t really a big concern [...]

By: David Fanshaw

David Fanshaw — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:05:52 +0000

I think there will be a large growth in this marketplace for iTunes but there is an alternative.. and always will be.

David Fanshaw http://www.v3Dates.com

By: Music Industry Catches Up to Variable Pricing … Kind of | Bottree Digital Services Blog

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:26:02 +0000

[...] Date posted: January 7, 2009. At this year’s MacWorld, Apple announced a number of changes to their file-sharing and music programs, the most important of which was the announcement that songs would vary in price. Original story here. [...]

By: biz news : Brooklyn Bodega

biz news : Brooklyn Bodega — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:07:24 +0000

[...] announces new pricing for iTunes There will no be a $0.69 and $1.29 option Nice piece from Gigaom on how this could be good and bad news for the majors Good news is they think they can gangster [...]

By: News 1/7/09 : Brooklyn Bodega

News 1/7/09 : Brooklyn Bodega — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:55:54 +0000

By: Christopher Walton

Christopher Walton — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:50:04 +0000

I don't think the majority of media coverage has gotten the real value for consumers or for Apple.

What this announcement means is that all of the vendors who create products that couldn't play iTunes music before because of DRM will now be able to do so. Products like the Sonos Music System, Xbox 360, and other hardware devices not to mention a plethora of software products have always had to have a little asterisk next to their statement of support for iTunes (*only non-protected playback). Now these products will support all iTunes music. Big coup for non-apple vendors.
Secondly, this announcement means that Apple and the iTunes store can now count as customers all of the folks who don't have iPods or those who want to use their legally purchased music on other devices (without crazy workarounds). Yes, I know, iPods are everywhere, but there are many alternatives... and keep in mind that the iPod is primarily a portable player, many people listen to music in other, less mobile locations like their living room - and almost assuredly do so on non Apple devices. What this means is that the iTunes store will now be able to market their wares more broadly.

Summary; Apple is in the driver's seat when it comes to digital music marketplace. They have the largest store and all vendors want to support it for obvious reasons. Vendors couldn't effectively do so before, now they can. This will not only make the vendor's customers happy, but will increase usage of both the vendor product and iTunes as vendors market broader iTunes support. Good for Apple, Good for Vendors, Bad for other Digital Music marketplaces (but in no way anti-competitive).

I believe that Apple will continue to see record growth with iTunes due to this change.

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:44:15 +0000

Agree. I spent most of my $ on old school stuff. This is good news for me because I expect the price to drop now from $0.99.

By: TheWayoftheWeb » Passion is why Nine Inch Nails and vinyl are succeeding

TheWayoftheWeb » Passion is why Nine Inch Nails and vinyl are succeeding — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 16:22:15 +0000

[...] you already own). Om Malik nicely outlines the reasons why even the bonus from that DRM removal isn’t necessarily a good thing for the music industry – mainly because the three-tiered pricing structure being introduced could lead to more people [...]

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 15:26:12 +0000

Thanks, Dave.

By: Om Malik

Om Malik — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 13:40:07 +0000

@Deano

That is a very good point -- It would be great if that really happened but unfortunately the quality of albums has been going down and not up, mostly because the caliber of talent is matching the ephemeral nature of our societies. With the exceptions of a few folks like Norah Jones and Kanye West for example have the ability to shine through the entire album. We are shopping for music piece meal, and unfortunately no putting the genie back in the bottle.