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Apple Announces Changes to iTunes Store
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I just did the upgrade and it only upgraded 2 out of 28 songs I have 
I guess I have to wait for them to upgrade their libraries.
Anyway, I have a big question, what about songs that are no longer available for download from iTunes? Do those stay with DRM forever?
E.g. I got Billie Jean by David Cook from an American Idol special. Those are available for limited time, and cannot be downloaded anymore. I guess I got stuck with DRM on that one.
I guess I have to wait for them to upgrade their libraries.
Anyway, I have a big question, what about songs that are no longer available for download from iTunes? Do those stay with DRM forever?
E.g. I got Billie Jean by David Cook from an American Idol special. Those are available for limited time, and cannot be downloaded anymore. I guess I got stuck with DRM on that one.
I have a question.
I purchased the "complete U2" set that contains more than 400 songs. I paid I think $120 few years back. Now if that is available with free DRM, would I have to pay $0.30 per song or a special price for the set to upgrade?
I purchased the "complete U2" set that contains more than 400 songs. I paid I think $120 few years back. Now if that is available with free DRM, would I have to pay $0.30 per song or a special price for the set to upgrade?
How about a limited time upgrade discount for those of who, when calculating their potential upgrade cost, are stunned to realize how much they've spent in the iTunes store over the last few years, and who might otherwise not pull the Plus trigger? Because without some incentive like that, I don't know if I can justify the expense. But give me a little help rationalizing, Apple, and I'm yours. As per usual.
Yeah, same here. This is really lame. I'd do a few at a time, in fact there are some albums I'd really like to upgrade. I don't think it's worth it at $117.48 for me to upgrade all of the songs in my library.
I like to think the upgrade should be free. A charge made sense when they were charging more for the higher quality versions - but they are no longer doing that.
You paid 99c for a song, and it costs 99c now for the same song without DRM. It should cost you nothing to upgrade. Or at least split the difference.
You paid 99c for a song, and it costs 99c now for the same song without DRM. It should cost you nothing to upgrade. Or at least split the difference.
I buy a lot of music and I mean a lot, all on CD, all ripped to my iTunes library. But I've never bought a single track from iTunes, as the quality hasn't been good enough and the prices are too high.
I'm still not 100% happy with 256k AAC but I might be able to cope with it as there is no DRM and it will be the same quality for all tracks in iTunes. Prices have been getting a lot better as well over the last year, primarily for albums and especially compilations.
The real killer feature that will get me buying from iTunes is being able to do it all from my iPhone and to receive them immediately. I'm sure it will be the same for a lot of people, if only at those times when you're out and you've got nothing better to do and make impulse purchases.
The new price bands are a really important concession by Apple as well. I'm not convinced they've set them at the right levels but they can change them in the future - the important thing is that Apple have dropped the fixed price for a single track and that is a massive change on their part.
I reckon that all of this together will pretty much destroy any threat from Amazon in the download market - I'd imagine the major labels will price tracks the same on Amazon as they will on iTunes. Amazon were getting good deals as the majors were using them as a bargaining chip with Apple and they don't have any need for them now they've got what they wanted.
I'm still not 100% happy with 256k AAC but I might be able to cope with it as there is no DRM and it will be the same quality for all tracks in iTunes. Prices have been getting a lot better as well over the last year, primarily for albums and especially compilations.
The real killer feature that will get me buying from iTunes is being able to do it all from my iPhone and to receive them immediately. I'm sure it will be the same for a lot of people, if only at those times when you're out and you've got nothing better to do and make impulse purchases.
The new price bands are a really important concession by Apple as well. I'm not convinced they've set them at the right levels but they can change them in the future - the important thing is that Apple have dropped the fixed price for a single track and that is a massive change on their part.
I reckon that all of this together will pretty much destroy any threat from Amazon in the download market - I'd imagine the major labels will price tracks the same on Amazon as they will on iTunes. Amazon were getting good deals as the majors were using them as a bargaining chip with Apple and they don't have any need for them now they've got what they wanted.
Whilst my maths isn't as good as it used to be, I'm pretty certain the difference between 99c and 99c is 0c. How do you split that? Is it one of those imaginary number things? I never got to grips with them.
So all my songs are from CD's, so if I buy songs from Itunes, will they be DRM free? Do I have to upgrade still somehow to do this?
Well, I should've been more clear. I meant split the difference between what they're charging now, and 0c.
So like 15c a song or something. Something more nominal.
I'm just bitter because I have a New Zealand account. Did you know that songs cost $1.79, yet iPhone apps cost $1.29? I wonder where the near 50% increase in song price comes from? (well it was to do with exchange rates at the respective launches).
But regardless, upgrading a song in NZ equates to 60c. This is about half the price of an app. Would you pay US 45c to upgrade a song?
not all the song available to upgrade
I bought about 700 songs from iTunes, but only about 300 songs available to upgrade... hope they will add more...
I bought about 700 songs from iTunes, but only about 300 songs available to upgrade...
hope they will add more...free upgrades?
so if my music turns out to be the cheap stuff, cause i listen to really old stuff, does that mean i'll be able to upgrade it for free? cause i already paid 99¢ for stuff that really doesn't need to be DRM'd.
really does benny goodman and jack teagarden NEED to be so expensive and protected!?
so if my music turns out to be the cheap stuff, cause i listen to really old stuff, does that mean i'll be able to upgrade it for free? cause i already paid 99¢ for stuff that really doesn't need to be DRM'd.
really does benny goodman and jack teagarden NEED to be so expensive and protected!?
I am glad to see that iTunes is now all iTunes Plus. I have been hoping that it would expand for a long time.
I am also glad to hear that some songs will be as cheap as $0.69 in April. I wish that some apps in the App Store could be that cheap. Does anyone think that could be a possibility for the future?
I am also glad to hear that some songs will be as cheap as $0.69 in April. I wish that some apps in the App Store could be that cheap. Does anyone think that could be a possibility for the future?
So $0.30/song is the additional price you have to pay for having been an itunes customer prior to today? Is this supposed to make me happy that I didn't have to pay the entire price?
This isn't like moving from LP to CD, these are the exact same song in the same format.
Fanboy types, apple didn't say the labels made them do this. They don't explain what happened, they let you jump straight to their defense. Apple will be making something on this. Why are so many of you so happy to essentially pay $1.29 for your songs?
This isn't like moving from LP to CD, these are the exact same song in the same format.
Fanboy types, apple didn't say the labels made them do this. They don't explain what happened, they let you jump straight to their defense. Apple will be making something on this. Why are so many of you so happy to essentially pay $1.29 for your songs?
My car has a USB port as well as an iPod dock connector. It can play DRM enabled AAC via the iPod of course, and it can play unprotected AAC via USB or the iPod. But I'm really not looking forward to finding out how much it will cost to upgrade my librbary.
1) Car manufacturers have been including much nicer car stereos in the past 5 years or so, including satellite, multi-disc, aux input, direct iPod connections, amplifiers, name-brand components (including pioneer, infinity, bose, etc.)
2) You are still missing the main point. The original post claimed that MP3 was an "old" technology as if this meant that it should be tossed aside in favor of AAC. All things being equal, I would choose AAC. However, most people don't upgrade from the stock car stereo and many more of those play MP3 than AAC.
3) Not even every aftermarket stereo plays AAC.
There is this medium for selling music that has been around for a while. Perhaps you have heard of it? It is called the Compact Disc. And anyone that buys one can rip it to their computer and share at will. All it takes is one illegal copy to spread around the world. What the music companies have finally realized (and you haven't yet) is that they will sell much more music to legitimate customers by removing DRM than they will see an increase in theft.
I'm glad that would make you happy. I hate extremely long posts in a forum. By posting the way that I do, if someone isn't interested in that particular point they can move on to the next post.
Also, the little button you are referring to has nothing to do with what you are suggesting. If you're going to offer advice you should at least know what you are talking about.
I really should have been a FREE upgrade for your music, its something that they should have had from the beginning. **** them.
As for $1.29 pricing, **** them also. Whenever I see a song that I want at that price, I am just going to open Limewire and download it.
Most idiotic thing I have heard for a very long time.
Apple just screwed over long term customers.
Almost makes Zunes $15 a month UNLIMITED plan sound reallly good.
As for $1.29 pricing, **** them also. Whenever I see a song that I want at that price, I am just going to open Limewire and download it.
Most idiotic thing I have heard for a very long time.
Apple just screwed over long term customers.
Almost makes Zunes $15 a month UNLIMITED plan sound reallly good.
right. people who will steal will steal. people who pay will pay. then there are people who would pay, but can't get their music onto different computers/ipods/share with husband or wife or family etc. why would a household of four buy a song 4 different times?
the music industry is like a huge government bureaucracy. it takes forever for people to see the writing on the wall, then forever to finally make a change
It doesn't check your library for the songs. It goes by your purchase history. This has been mentioned multiple times in this thread.
It's not that simple because Apple broke their own standard in itunes plus AAC files:
"There is one other issue, while iTunes Plus music is DRM-free, the files dont work in all AAC-capable players. This is because Apple has inserted an atom within the file in such a way that it breaks some decoders parsers. The pinf atom is set as a sibling instead of a child node."
http://www.gizmolovers.com/2008/08/29/a-requiem-for-itunes-drm/
Yeah, I'm sure it was only a mistake by Apple and they didn't want to exclude other MP3/AAC players than the ipod from playing itunes songs....
That's why I buy CDs. There's no upgrade costs for lossless and DRM-free audio.
Sorry, but for those of us that only wanted one song from that CD, 30 cents is a lot cheaper than the extra $10 the CD would have cost us to begin with.