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iTunes days numbered?

cwa107


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In a word... boloney.

There's no way that Apple is just going to shut down a multi-million dollar successful business that is the fundamental driver of their iPod sales. No way, no how. This is nothing more than posturing and sable-rattling.
 
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iTunes is staying. It is one of Apple's giant money makers. If Apple dropped iTunes, where would everyone go to get their music. Amazon? xD
 
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I agree, they may be saying iTunes is going to close its doors, but that can't happen, its to big of a revenue stream for the company.
 
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It's not multi million, it's multi billion. More music is sold on iTunes than anywhere in the world, and over 30% of Apple's revenue comes from iTunes.
 
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I just don't see why record companies have to try and spoil a good thing by upping prices.

I have always said that the best way to stop piracy is to offer affordable media to people. This way it becomes a hassle to illegally download things and when you buy a movie/video/song legally you are more satisfied because it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I think Apple have hit the nail on the head with iTunes, 79p for a song is nothing, and the super fast delivery meaning I can have it on my Mac/iPhone/iPod in seconds is even more appealing.

I just hope one day record companies will see that they can survive and make a profit if they charge reasonable amounts for their media. This way more people will buy legit meaning revenues will increase, making everyone happy.

That's my thoughts anyway :Smirk:
 

cwa107


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I just don't see why record companies have to try and spoil a good thing by upping prices.

It's called greed ;)

I have always said that the best way to stop piracy is to offer affordable media to people. This way it becomes a hassle to illegally download things and when you buy a movie/video/song legally you are more satisfied because it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I think Apple have hit the nail on the head with iTunes, 79p for a song is nothing, and the super fast delivery meaning I can have it on my Mac/iPhone/iPod in seconds is even more appealing.

I agree - and the music industry really missed the boat on the digital age. Their staunch refusal to accept the fact that physical media as a medium for the distribution of music is all but dead. They are stuck in this mindset that they can continue to resell their music over and over again as the formats and technology change.

When Napster surfaced, the recording industry's immediate reaction was to squash them legally. Instead, they should have embraced them and figured out a way to profit from it and control the distribution channel. Fortunately for Apple, they were just too short-sighted to realize this. So, they killed Napster and the masses moved over to P2P, where no one central entity can be held responsible for the content of the network. Again, the industry responded by trying to go after music traders using the legal system. This has proved to be both a costly and cumbersome process for the industry, yet they still continue to do it.

So, Apple stepped in with iPod/iTunes and opened up an easy, legal way for the distribution of digital media. Once again, instead of embracing this popular marketplace, the recording industry has spent a significant amount of time butting heads with Apple and trying to extract more profit.

It's like they just can't ever learn from their mistakes.

I just hope one day record companies will see that they can survive and make a profit if they charge reasonable amounts for their media. This way more people will buy legit meaning revenues will increase, making everyone happy.

That's my thoughts anyway :Smirk:

I hope the recording labels start separating themselves from the likes of the RIAA. I hope they start to see that their roles have changed from a distribution network, to a marketing/promotional industry. In the digital age, any artist can record and easily distribute their music. Where they need help from large corporate entities is in getting their name and their music out into the public conscious.
 
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Looks like iTunes is saved!
 
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To be honest, I don't think it is a question of ease of use.

If you buy on iTunes you are limited on which devices you can use to play it. If you download pirated music you are not.

If you buy a genuine DVD you get all that 'You wouldn't steal a car' crap. If you download a film you are not.

If you buy a game like Spore you are limited on how many machines you can install it. If you download it you are not.

For some reason manufacturers seem to think making life harder for the genuine customer will make the pirates go away. Oddly enough it does not. It just annoys the genuine customers.

Not sure what the solution is - maybe just offering a good deal without too many restrictions.

Either way the rumour of closing iTunes made me stop and wonder what happens to all the music on my iPods? A scary thought. Not likely to happen but still a worrying thought that they would even suggest it.

Bad enough that they screwed the new iPods so they don't charge with any of my accessories (even the Apple ones), without suggesting that all of the music on them might become unplayable one day soon.

Don't even think that Apple. :(
 
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If you buy on iTunes you are limited on which devices you can use to play it. If you download pirated music you are not.

Well I've found programs that claim they can remove the FairPlay DRM protections. So people can use the itunes store and be able to use the music elsewhere as well. Don't know how easy to use these program are and if they work with itunes 8.
 

cwa107


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Well I've found programs that claim they can remove the FairPlay DRM protections. So people can use the itunes store and be able to use the music elsewhere as well. Don't know how easy to use these program are and if they work with itunes 8.

Note that any sort of software that breaks copy protection is illegal under the US DMCA - as such, we don't discuss these things on this forum.
 
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Oh okay. I get you. Not illegal to talk about surely but I respect that.
 
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Would Apples itunes EULA prohibit such a thing?
 
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To be honest, I don't think it is a question of ease of use.

If you buy on iTunes you are limited on which devices you can use to play it. If you download pirated music you are not.

If you buy a genuine DVD you get all that 'You wouldn't steal a car' crap. If you download a film you are not.

If you buy a game like Spore you are limited on how many machines you can install it. If you download it you are not.

For some reason manufacturers seem to think making life harder for the genuine customer will make the pirates go away. Oddly enough it does not. It just annoys the genuine customers.

Not sure what the solution is - maybe just offering a good deal without too many restrictions.

Either way the rumour of closing iTunes made me stop and wonder what happens to all the music on my iPods? A scary thought. Not likely to happen but still a worrying thought that they would even suggest it.

Bad enough that they screwed the new iPods so they don't charge with any of my accessories (even the Apple ones), without suggesting that all of the music on them might become unplayable one day soon.

Don't even think that Apple. :(
Exactly. Now i dont even have to post, you hit it all on the head.
 
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I am surprised no one mentioned that I-Tunes just took the no. 1 spot away
from Walmart so much for end of days.
 
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iTunes is staying. It is one of Apple's giant money makers. If Apple dropped iTunes, where would everyone go to get their music. Amazon? xD

more people would prolly do what me and the rest of my broke friends do, torrent sites.

on rare occasion i do actually pay for music (i have a few bucks, i really like the artist, or in some cases know the artist)

i just bought an ipod shuffle, should be here tomorrow or saturday, mebbe they gimme a few free downloads to help fill it up lol
 
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I'll bet the RIAA are caught in the warped world that one of my clients is. This client of mine has been offering a printed product at $x for the past two decades. They're finally making it available in a digital format at $x+25%.

Their logic? The online version adds more value because it's available instantly, is easily searchable, can be easily copied and pasted, and etc.

Somebody at the record companies probably thinks the exact same thing -- instant downloading is an added benefit to pay a premium for. "It's not standard, oh no, because we set the standards -- not the market."

:$
 
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First thing I do when I buy something on iTunes is burn it to CD. Now I have a physical copy of it, and I can rip it back to my collection, or my server at home, and not have to worry about which device I want to use it on, or play it on.
 
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There are a bunch of digital download sites on the internet... itunes happens to have the best reputation... long live.
 

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