Comments on: $10,000 LPs Now Playing at the iTunes Store

By: Apple Promises iTunes LPs for All

Apple Promises iTunes LPs for All — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 13:30:25 +0000

[...] commented Just days after the head of an independent label claimed Apple was charging as much as $10,000 in production fees associated with the new media format, Apple has denied that there are any production charges at [...]

By: Scarhawk

Scarhawk — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 06:58:40 +0000

The only reason these LPs exist is that Steve Jobs promised the major labels some help in selling more full albums, since the mp3 single is rapidly killing the album model. It’s an attempt to create something proprietary that the labels can lock up with DRM and sell for a premium price. If the format takes off, you can bet that the hottest tracks will be locked up inside these albums for some exclusivity period before they become available as mp3 singles (if they do at all). Labels get to force you to buy whole albums again, Apple gets to force you to buy a newer iPod/iPhone that supports them.

The $10,000 is just Jobs’ way of saying to the labels, I’ll create your stupid format, and I’ll make money on it either way. If it sells, Apple gets its percentage, and if not, Apple still gets a big fee. Since the indies aren’t really complaining to Apple that they want DRM back, they’re not in on the deal. Maybe the majors hope to charge the indies a licensing fee for using the format.

By: What to read on the GigaOM network

What to read on the GigaOM network — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:40:45 +0000

[...] | 0 tweets retweet » Can free broadband help cut energy consumption? (Earth2Tech) $10,000 LPs now playing at the iTunes store (TheAppleBlog) I’m about to dump iTunes for DoubleTwist (jkOnTheRun) 12 tools and collections for [...]

By: Gospeleer - The $10,000 Consumer Squeeze Play

Gospeleer - The $10,000 Consumer Squeeze Play — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:06:30 +0000

[...] need not apply–this is only available to major releases on major labels.) Read more details here, here, and [...]

By: Pats

Pats — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:47:04 +0000

I just don’t get people’s outrage on the price. Have you ever outsourced web development. A web developer makes about 80K per year throw in perks and the company pays 100K per year with 2000 hrs of work that is 50 per hour or with overhead maybe 150 labor hours. I have no idea how long it takes Apple to put an LP out but they are basically a self contained web site so if the indie group has a web developer on the cheap I’m sure down the road they will be able to produce an LP. I don’t think Apple will stay in the LP creation business, but since they created the standard they are providing the service to early adopters.

By: Charles Jade

Charles Jade — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 22:52:08 +0000

Introducing a new media format with classic barrier to entry touted as a feature is a great idea. After two minutes at the Apple Event showing it off on the new tablet, we’ll never hear about the iTunes LP again.

By: Adam Jackson

Adam Jackson — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:52:50 +0000

In my opinion, Apple should charge that much for a few reasons. they’re #1. If the app store is any example, the iTunes LP will be flooded with thousands of these things and some may be crap or buggy. i’m guessing Apple is paying people to internally to work with labels to create custom CSS w/ HTML5 standards iTunes LPs that are attractive and appealing.

The 10K entry fee is something that we can scoff at but it filters out the people who might waste apple’s time. Yeah, it’s easy to bitch about Apple closing out the indies and smaller labels but iTunes LP, in my opinion is a waste of money and is never going to do very well. If the 10K at least keeps teh quality high with groups that are mainstream, the format might survive longer than my personal estimates.

iTunes LP is a waste. I got it for free by purchasing the jay-Z BP3 deluxe album and it’s a waste. I’m not gonna use it

By: Ictus75

Ictus75 — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:47:10 +0000

Ask your local web guy to put something like this together and see what costs. Probably more than $50. For Apple, or any big company to do it, it’s a reasonable cost. But Apple doesn’t say you can’t have someone else put it together for you. So indie labels who are savvy enough can still do it themselves for a lot less.

$10K will get you one day in a top recording studio, so this is small change to big companies.

By: Michael

Michael — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +0000

iTunes LP is for free for the customers, so I think it should be a little cheaper for the artists to create such a LP. But for the bigger artists it shouldn’t be a problem. When a studio for 1 month costs 300.000$, 10.000 is nothing : P

By: Champs

Champs — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:06:03 +0000

If you really want to kill the format, just make it a ~~$10~~… $5 upcharge just to play a format nine out of ten users won’t give half a crap about. Ten grand isn’t so bad compared to the cost of running off a set of lushly-packaged vinyl.