Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Store

MacRumors · Jan 6, 2009, 02:23 PM

At today's Macworld Expo keynote, Apple announced several changes to the iTunes store.

Starting today, 8 million of the iTunes Store's 10 million songs are now available DRM-free via iTunes Plus. All 10 million songs in the iTunes Store will be offered DRM-free by the end of March. Apple will also offer users a one-click solution to upgrade their entire library to iTunes Plus for 30 cents per song or 30% of album prices.

Additionally, the iTunes Wi-Fi music store is now compatible with 3G, allowing iPhone users to preview and download the entire iTunes music catalog over the 3G cellular network. Songs are available at the same price and quality as over Wi-Fi.

Finally, beginning in April, the iTunes Store will offer pricing in three tiers ($0.69, $0.99, and $1.29) based on the prices the music labels charge Apple.

Article Link: Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Store

amac4me · Jan 6, 2009, 02:25 PM

Nice changes to tracks from the iTunes Store. Keep the record labels happy and maintain market share in this key consumer segment. The addition of over the air downloads to an iPhone 3G will serve as a competitive advantage for Apple against rivals and will make it that much harder for the others to compete.

Apple's end-to-end business model is key competitive advantage that others simply cannot replicate.

JW008 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:25 PM

Woooow--that's going to be a lot for me to upgrade. What's everyone else doing?

flashy-cat · Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM

Already upgraded - only 7 tracks though. Must be more to come...

tjcampbell · Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM

Looking forward to download via 3g!

PlaceofDis · Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM

apple really needs to let people upgrade to itunes plus in some other fashion rather than a one click batch upgrade. especially those of us who have bought a lot from the store... it can be a bit much all at once imo.

Dmac77 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM

Overall, this is a good thing. But I think raising some of the prices to $1.29 is going to promote piracy.

Don

pianoman181 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:27 PM

So... any guesses whether or not people are not going to want to pay $1.29 for most of the drivel on the top 100 these days, piracy goes up. labels blame it on drm-free tunes. DRM comes back to iTunes and pricing structure stays. Any takers?

PR. · Jan 6, 2009, 02:28 PM

Question to those who upgraded, did it replace the tracks and maintain the play count and ratings or are they reset?

Thanks

GlennH · Jan 6, 2009, 02:28 PM

So, currently iTunes Plus implies two things: DRM-free and higher bitrate encoding (256 vs. 128).

After everything is DRM-free, will there still be an iTunes Plus version that is just higher bitrate? Or are all tracks going to be higher bitrate now too?

adams.jonny · Jan 6, 2009, 02:29 PM

dont suppose the video will be drm (fingers crossed REALLY tight)
i really really wanna buy programmes, and then wack them on my ps3!

CANEHDN · Jan 6, 2009, 02:30 PM

That's awesome. I like this upgrade.

ChrisA · Jan 6, 2009, 02:30 PM

So we can pay 30 cents per song to upgrade to DRM free "plus" now or we can wait a while and the DRM will just go away on it's own. Will Apple really put in the effort and cost to retain DRM now that there is no reason to?

airlights · Jan 6, 2009, 02:31 PM

I am so not looking forward to the $1.29 pricing. I hate record labels.

sishaw · Jan 6, 2009, 02:31 PM

I just tried the 3G purchase & download -- I'm in a spot where there's no wi-fi -- and it was much quicker than I expected. Nice!

PlaceofDis · Jan 6, 2009, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PR.

Question to those who upgraded, did it replace the tracks and maintain the play count and ratings or are they reset?

Thanks

your ratings and playcounts will remain. it replaces the song.

swissmann · Jan 6, 2009, 02:32 PM

I'm going to actually buy many more songs from iTunes now that I can easily throw them into Final Cut Pro.

I don't want to upgrade all of my music that I have just select songs - hopefully I'll find out a way to do that. (Should be free in my opinion except for the songs that cost $1.29.)

I wonder how many songs will be at each of the price points?

Are all tracks at 256 instead of 128 with this change?

slu · Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM

And now I may move back from Amazon to iTunes. Although Amazon will still be cheaper, so I am not sure...

Gotta say I am not too pumped up about paying to upgrade tracks I already purchased to DRM-Free, but I will probably do it anyway.

jaw04005 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM

I'm not sure how this is all going to play out yet. If the bulk of the future music I want to purchase is $1.29, I just won't buy from the iTunes store. If it's $.69, I'll likely buy more and if it's $.99 I'll likely continue at the same pace.

But there is no way in hell I'm upgrading my current library at 30% of cost of a new track.

QuarterSwede · Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sishaw

I just tried the 3G purchase & download -- I'm in a spot where there's no wi-fi -- and it was much quicker than I expected. Nice!

It works on EDGE now as well. It's just slow as crap. But hey, you'll at least be able to buy something if you really want to. For 4.4MB it was going to take 18min.

PlaceofDis · Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swissmann

I'm going to actually buy many more songs from iTunes now that I can easily throw them into Final Cut Pro.

I don't want to upgrade all of my music that I have just select songs - hopefully I'll find out a way to do that. (Should be free in my opinion except for the songs that cost $1.29.)

I wonder how many songs will be at each of the price points?

Are all tracks at 256 instead of 128 with this change?

yes at 256. and there is no way to do it other than the batch at this point. as read in the FAQ on the store. i think people might have to raise hell about that to change it.

i understand the charge for bandwith and servers and all that.... should be a bit more discounted imo.

Mr. Giver '94 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM

Errm....Is it worth it to upgrade because I buy songs in iTunes Plus format as much as possible, but it will cost me $45 to upgrade my entire library...Is it really worth it???

Also not looking forward to $1.29 pricing...

Jamvan · Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM

Only $651 for me to upgrade my library!!!

I hope they change their policy and allow me to upgrade just a few at a time versus all or none as that ain't NEVER gonna happen!

jandep · Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM

It's not just Wi-fi and 3G. For those of us with old-school original iPhones and lowly Edge service, we can browse, preview and download songs from the iTMS just like the rest of the civilized world...albeit, much more slowly.

joecd77 · Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM

I just tried this with Edge on the 1st gen iPhone and it works.

Jan 6, 2009, 02:23 PM	#1
MacRumors macrumors bot Join Date: Apr 2001	Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Store At today's Macworld Expo keynote, Apple announced several changes to the iTunes store. Starting today, 8 million of the iTunes Store's 10 million songs are now available DRM-free via iTunes Plus. All 10 million songs in the iTunes Store will be offered DRM-free by the end of March. Apple will also offer users a one-click solution to upgrade their entire library to iTunes Plus for 30 cents per song or 30% of album prices. Additionally, the iTunes Wi-Fi music store is now compatible with 3G, allowing iPhone users to preview and download the entire iTunes music catalog over the 3G cellular network. Songs are available at the same price and quality as over Wi-Fi. Finally, beginning in April, the iTunes Store will offer pricing in three tiers ($0.69, $0.99, and $1.29) based on the prices the music labels charge Apple. Article Link: Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Store

Jan 6, 2009, 02:25 PM	#2
amac4me macrumors 65816 Join Date: Apr 2005	Nice changes to tracks from the iTunes Store. Keep the record labels happy and maintain market share in this key consumer segment. The addition of over the air downloads to an iPhone 3G will serve as a competitive advantage for Apple against rivals and will make it that much harder for the others to compete. Apple's end-to-end business model is key competitive advantage that others simply cannot replicate. __________________ Switch To A Mac http://switchtoamac.com

Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM	#5
tjcampbell macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: London	Looking forward to download via 3g! __________________ Follow Tommy Campbell Official Actor/Comedian Tommy Campbell Website

Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM	#6
PlaceofDis macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Chicago.	apple really needs to let people upgrade to itunes plus in some other fashion rather than a one click batch upgrade. especially those of us who have bought a lot from the store... it can be a bit much all at once imo. __________________ dim my eyes on the waves of confessions... SpringWarmCold

Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM	#7
Dmac77 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ravencrest, or here. And people say I'm a nerd.	Overall, this is a good thing. But I think raising some of the prices to $1.29 is going to promote piracy. Don __________________ flickr

Jan 6, 2009, 02:25 PM	#3
JW008 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Apr 2005	Woooow--that's going to be a lot for me to upgrade. What's everyone else doing?

Jan 6, 2009, 02:26 PM	#4
flashy-cat macrumors member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: UK	Already upgraded - only 7 tracks though. Must be more to come...

Jan 6, 2009, 02:27 PM	#8
pianoman181 macrumors regular Join Date: Jan 2004	So... any guesses whether or not people are not going to want to pay $1.29 for most of the drivel on the top 100 these days, piracy goes up. labels blame it on drm-free tunes. DRM comes back to iTunes and pricing structure stays. Any takers?

Jan 6, 2009, 02:28 PM	#9
PR. macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Bedford, UK	Question to those who upgraded, did it replace the tracks and maintain the play count and ratings or are they reset? Thanks

Jan 6, 2009, 02:28 PM	#10
GlennH macrumors newbie Join Date: Nov 2007	So, currently iTunes Plus implies two things: DRM-free and higher bitrate encoding (256 vs. 128). After everything is DRM-free, will there still be an iTunes Plus version that is just higher bitrate? Or are all tracks going to be higher bitrate now too?

Jan 6, 2009, 02:29 PM	#11
adams.jonny macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Northern England	dont suppose the video will be drm (fingers crossed REALLY tight) i really really wanna buy programmes, and then wack them on my ps3!

Jan 6, 2009, 02:30 PM	#12
CANEHDN macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: West Jordan, UT	That's awesome. I like this upgrade. __________________ :Macbook Pro 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM, 512MB VRAM :20" Intel Dual Core 2.0GHz, 2GB RAM, 256MB VRAM :1.25GHz G4 Mac Mini w/ 1GB RAM :iPhone 3G

Jan 6, 2009, 02:30 PM	#13
ChrisA macrumors 601 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Redondo Beach, California	So we can pay 30 cents per song to upgrade to DRM free "plus" now or we can wait a while and the DRM will just go away on it's own. Will Apple really put in the effort and cost to retain DRM now that there is no reason to?

Jan 6, 2009, 02:31 PM	#14
airlights macrumors regular Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Henderson, NV	I am so not looking forward to the $1.29 pricing. I hate record labels.

Jan 6, 2009, 02:31 PM	#15
sishaw macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jan 2005	3G Download--nice I just tried the 3G purchase & download -- I'm in a spot where there's no wi-fi -- and it was much quicker than I expected. Nice! __________________ "I mean, doesn't it change history even if you just tread on an ant?" "For the ant, certainly." --Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

Jan 6, 2009, 02:32 PM	#17
swissmann macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Utah Alps	More of my business I'm going to actually buy many more songs from iTunes now that I can easily throw them into Final Cut Pro. I don't want to upgrade all of my music that I have just select songs - hopefully I'll find out a way to do that. (Should be free in my opinion except for the songs that cost $1.29.) I wonder how many songs will be at each of the price points? Are all tracks at 256 instead of 128 with this change? __________________ Always looking for a faster Mac.

Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM	#18
slu macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Buffalo	And now I may move back from Amazon to iTunes. Although Amazon will still be cheaper, so I am not sure... Gotta say I am not too pumped up about paying to upgrade tracks I already purchased to DRM-Free, but I will probably do it anyway. __________________ Rev A. iMac G5 / iPod classic 160 GB / Macbook 2.4 C2D / 3G iPhone

Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM	#19
jaw04005 macrumors 68030 Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: AR	I'm not sure how this is all going to play out yet. If the bulk of the future music I want to purchase is $1.29, I just won't buy from the iTunes store. If it's $.69, I'll likely buy more and if it's $.99 I'll likely continue at the same pace. But there is no way in hell I'm upgrading my current library at 30% of cost of a new track. Attached Images

Jan 6, 2009, 02:33 PM	#22
Mr. Giver '94 macrumors 68000 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Los Angeles, CA	Errm....Is it worth it to upgrade because I buy songs in iTunes Plus format as much as possible, but it will cost me $45 to upgrade my entire library...Is it really worth it??? Also not looking forward to $1.29 pricing... __________________ 3.06 GHz 500GB 24" Alu. iMac iPod Nano Red 16GB iPod 5.5G 30GB iPT 1G 8GB Beats by Dr Dre B&O Earset 3 iPhone 3G 16GB Black

Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM	#23
Jamvan macrumors member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Minnesota	Not bad Only $651 for me to upgrade my library!!! I hope they change their policy and allow me to upgrade just a few at a time versus all or none as that ain't NEVER gonna happen!

Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM	#24
jandep macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2008	works over Edge also It's not just Wi-fi and 3G. For those of us with old-school original iPhones and lowly Edge service, we can browse, preview and download songs from the iTMS just like the rest of the civilized world...albeit, much more slowly.

Jan 6, 2009, 02:35 PM	#25
joecd77 macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2007	Edge Works Too I just tried this with Edge on the 1st gen iPhone and it works.

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