iTunes revisited

[Nathan Strum]

I thought that the EMI/Apple announcement today was quite interesting:

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/04/02itunes.html

In a nutshell, they'll be making EMI's catalog available a at higher quality (256 kbps vs. 128 kbps), with no DRM, for 30 cents extra per track. You can also upgrade existing purchases, for the same cost.

The part that I thought was interesting, was that Steve Jobs hinted that other record labels would be following EMI's lead, and doing the same kind of thing.

Hopefully, this will include Shout! Factory at some point, since this addresses two of my biggest reservations about buying from the iTunes store: quality and DRM. (DRM generally doesn't matter to me, but I'm getting a Roku Soundbridge, and it won't stream music with DRM.) I'd be much more inclined to get the rest of Herb's work in this format, than what iTunes currently offers, and being able to upgrade existing purchases is a very smart move on their part. (I'd still prefer CDs, of course, but this is a serious step in the right direction.)

 

[Houckster]

I thought this might be of interest to those here who were disappointed that the latest TJB albums only were available via download: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6172398.html?tag=nl.e622

In short, for a premium, iTunes is going to be the conduit for EMI selling their catalog without DRM restrictions and with a higher bit rate for improved sound quality. Steve Jobs said that this opportunity would, in time, be extended to all other companies.

In my view, this goes a long way towards resolving the download issue.

Also, it is possible that people who have already bought an album from iTunes will be allowed to upgrade their purchases for a reasonable amount.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

I wonder if this is brought on by the Beatles' negotiations with them. I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[Mike Blakesley]

There is another iTunes development. According to this week'sl Billboard, they are introducing a "complete my album" option, whereby if you have bought a couple of tracks from an album, you can click a button and the system will download the rest of the songs from that album to your computer. Instead of being charged the full album price, you'll get a pro-rated price based on how many songs you already own.