05-01-2003, 03:51 PM

What are your reactions to the iTunes music store? Have you used it to download music yet? Do you think it is as addictive as I do? Do you like the fact that you can buy whole albums for just $10? Well, here are my answers to all these questions:

I freakin love the music store. I really should try and put some software on my mac that tells me when to stop looking for new music, because I browse through the store way too much. Yes, I've used the store to download music, in fact, I did a download spree today, spent about $20. Fun stuff. I'm addicted to this thing, and I really wish Apple would put some humorous thing for when the Music store loads it could say some kind of warning about how addictive it can be when you have thousands of songs to choose from, all at once. And yes, I love the fact that I can buy an album that is normally 13-17 bucks for only 10. In fact, I bought the Dido album "No Angel" as part of the aforementioned $20 spree. So in other words, I really love the store. Though I do wish that they had some more independent labels. However, I did hear a rumor that Steve Jobs is getting calls almost every day from indie record labels telling him that they want to license music through the iTunes Store.

So that's my two cents (or 99, whatever is more fitting) about the issue, what do you think? I'm interested to hear everyone's reactions.

-Kyle
Mac Geek

05-01-2003, 04:49 PM

It might be cheaper to buy the album for $10 instead of $13, BUT, you don't get any extra's, you don't get any bonus DVD's some bands put out, and you don't get the actual physical medium, so you can say "F-You" to anybody that wants to mess with your right as an owner of that software. If all I wanted was a ripped copy of a song, I can think of at least 3 means to getting it that would cost me nothing more than my monthly internet bill. Maybe it's not legal, but how is paying $0.99 and getting basically nothing any better?

I think they need to work on this business model more. CD's should cost less than $10 in the store anyway. Hell I can buy a DVD with 13x the content ( in storage space ) for $18. And it will usually come with 2-3 hours of extras. Movies cost tens of millions of dollars to produce and they cost not much more than a CD that can be produced for a couple million. Hmmm, what's wrong with this picture. It's called greed, I think.

05-01-2003, 11:03 PM

I think it is a great idea. Not only does it get rid of some of the problem of prepackaged CD's but it's actually affordable! From what I understand you can even legally burn the songs for personal use as many times as you want which is more than the RIAA's 0. Over all it seems like the best way to sell and buy music .... and I'll be using it!

05-02-2003, 10:24 AM

In essence you are actually getting LESS for the same price as a CD. Check THIS out for an example. It is the new Staind CD coming out May 20th. It comes with a 45 minute DVD, It will most likely have 12 songs on it, and it is priced at $12.98. You will also get the jewel case, the cover art, and the CD the way the artist intended it to look.

Now, for this band, I will probably buy this CD after I download it, only because I like them, and I believe in supporting them. And I will get a LOT more than what you will get when you pay $10 for it at the Apple store.

Now, to proove my point on downloading "illegal" music, if I had downloaded THIS before I bought it, I would have NEVER bought it. And since I can't return it AFTER I bought it, I will never do it that way again.

Now granted the Apple store will let you preview the whole album, and you only have to buy what you want, you still loose out on the full album buys. But this is new technology, they've only been doing this for 3 days.

I will give them props for being the first, but I still don't feel it's there yet.

05-02-2003, 10:44 AM

ya its not polished yet, but im glad apple was the first to do it. most other companies would have mucked it up for sure

05-05-2003, 01:10 PM

yeah I agree with mac addikt.

it needs lil work but other companies woulda done much worse

05-05-2003, 01:45 PM

I believe it will only get better.

05-12-2003, 05:47 PM

ha its fine for all of you.you have choices.
Apple exists outside of the states also ,and i cant get in on the game unless my billing adress is is the US.
your average album you say is about $13
in england your talking about £15.00
considering exchange rates that is about $24 dollars.
what i would like to know is ,will apple cash in on this and charge for 1 song £0.99 ($1.61) or be fair and charge £0.62($0.99) sterling as the source of the music is probally from the states

The $3 dollars you say that you are saving (were talking averages here)poses another question. who is loosing out?.
the artist who created the music or the record company, what is apples cut of the spoils , how much are they paying for the rights.
Looking at moral issues when you (well me anyway) open an original c.d. that i really like, feed it to my mac & toast it to give a few copies for my friends , i think twice about it ,the crime is staring me in the face,
however if i get my music through limewire ect ,i dont care its already been ripped off so i'll knock out copies to anyone, without batting an eyelid,

Changing the way we get our music legally is going to encourage more & more piracy

damm now i cant remember how i got started on this
signed

Sir waffel-onalot

05-12-2003, 06:19 PM

This is definately a contreversal subject. If you've read some of my posts, you will see I am VERY anti record label / big media. From what I know of the industry, or what it used to be like anyway, the artists gets a lump sum. If they are big enough they get a cut of the record sales. But from what I understand EVERYTHING else is money to record company. Like concerts / clothing, etc. Unless this has changed, I am not sure....

I dunno about the exchange rate for you folks, I don't think Apple gets very much other than the "Awe" of being first, and promoting its hardware along with it. So hopefully they will do the right thing and make it the same for everybody.