Apple Launches iTMS Japan

[michaelb]

The Australian Financial Review (Music pirates play while industry dithers) today outright mentions that SonyBMG is holding things up. They say that Sony want Apple ITMS OZ to offer tunes in windows media player as well as AAC...

Any fellow Aussies fancy starting a mail campaign to point out how bloody stupid they're being?

A clever campaign could be used to embarrass them into giving the go ahead, especially if it got covered in the Sydney Morning Herald / The Age.

Anyone with media contacts?

 

[Wonder Boy]

This is ITMS Japan not ITMS Vietnam. Get a clue!!!

i love all of the pacific and the rim!

 

[Analog Kid]

By that logic, think if they added China.. wow ..

At $2 a song? No point... China's one of those countries that has grey market CD/DVD stalls every 100m. Russia too. When a US label insists on charging half a months salary for an album stamped into $0.05 of plastic, the grey market grows very quickly...

 

[winmacguy]

Damn...

The Australian Financial Review (Music pirates play while industry dithers) today outright mentions that SonyBMG is holding things up. They say that Sony want Apple ITMS OZ to offer tunes in windows media player as well as AAC...

Could you post a link for the article?

 

[Analog Kid]

I was just thinking that same thing. I can recommend some really crazy stuff for you guys, but you can't actually download it. >_<

I dream of the day that I open iTMS and can browse the store by country of origin and have all the worlds music at my finger tips...

I could imagine myself just buying an album a week at random to sample what's out there...

 

[Analog Kid]

Well this is sure taking the music war to sonys home turf. Sonys the #1 seller over there, with the shuffle close behind, i have a feeling with this release, that could soon change. Keep on going steeve, before long the sun shall never set on the iTunes empire. MUAHAHAHAHA

At 200¥ a song, most of which is going to the label (ahem... Sony!), I don't think they're sweating it much...

 

[Xenious]

Sweet, now when can I buy the flippin japanese songs in the US store!!! I want my J-Pop!

 

[winmacguy]

i didnt see it at first (im from canada) but give them an hour or 2 and it will appear

Just quit and restart iTunes and it will reappear (if it hasnt already)

 

[starcrossed]

Way to go Apple on finally entering a very important market, that I'm sure although there are other online music stores in Japan right now, people will still make the iTunes Music Store #1 there!

 

[the.snitch]

Im from NZ. I want iTMS! I am willing to pay for itms, until then i will keep using limewire

 

[Whyren]

Truly a great addition to the iTMS...now, all I need is to get a billing address in Japan...

 

[gammamonk]

I know Japan is ahead of most of the world in Time-Zone, but daaaang.

 

[irmongoose]

OK They have all the crap J-Pop but where is the good stuff? The only good US artist they have is... Jack Johnson?

After such a long wait, all I get is THIS?






irmongoose

 

[winmacguy]

I know Japan is ahead of most of the world in Time-Zone, but daaaang.

They might be 'ahead" of most of the world but they are about 7? hours behind us (NZ)

 

[gammamonk]

They might be 'ahead" of most of the world but they are about 7? hours behind us (NZ)

Wow! 7 hours? I thought we were pretty much the same. Hey, off topic, but is NZ awesome?

 

[michaelb]

Could you post a link for the article?

It's the first story at: http://afr.com/it/index.html But unfortunately is only available on a pay-per-view basis or in the paper edition.

Here's the summary though:

"Protracted negotiations preventing the launch of Apple's iTunes Music Store in Australia are costing the music industry dearly by creating music pirates who may never return to buying music even after Apple's store appears, PricewaterhouseCoopers warned yesterday.

The Financial Review 04/08/2005"​

I still think a mail campaign might sway them! (Sony BMG, that is, who apparently are the ones holding out.)

 

[ChrisH3677]

Yet again I lament the stupid walls between "national" stores... I can see the store, but I'm not allowed to *buy* anything!

Doesn't anyone understand how dumb this is on a global network? How long do individual licensing agencies think they're going to be able to impose artificial boundaries like this?

And what's with Sony allowing iTMS to open in Japan but not in Australia?

You got to wonder whether Sony is using Australai as a test case. Like, we're a relatively small market so theyhaven't got as much to lose by stalling - and holding out for WMA. Yet if they succeed, then they have so much to gain, as it becomes a precedent or a crack in the dam wall.

HOLD OUT ON THEM APPLE!

 

[irmongoose]

They might be 'ahead" of most of the world but they are about 7? hours behind us (NZ)

3 hours. Not 7.

Where'd you get that from!?




irmongoose

 

[winmacguy]

Wow! 7 hours? I thought we were pretty much the same. Hey, off topic, but is NZ awesome?

Not unless your the FIRST country in the western world to see the new day. We are about 120 miles west of the international dateline.

yes NZ is ok
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/

Except NO ITMS!!!!!

 

[winmacguy]

3 hours. Not 7.

Where'd you get that from!?




irmongoose

A very vague guess of the top of my head with out looking at a map, hence the ? after the 7.

 

[0s and 1s]

Konichiwa, bitches!

- Dave Chappelle show

 

[winmacguy]

3 hours. Not 7.

Where'd you get that from!?




irmongoose

Looks more like 4 since they are after Sydeny who are about 2 hours different from us

 

[blgrnday]

Very cool

Congrats to all you people who didn't have music, and now do

 

[irmongoose]

Looks more like 4 since they are after Sydeny who are about 2 hours different from us

Yes, and Australia is one hour ahead of Japan. So that makes 3.






irmongoose

 

[GodBless]

Wow! 7 hours? I thought we were pretty much the same.

It's not 7 hours in time difference. It is closer to 2 hours.

New Zealand is right next to the line that divides one day from another day. (What do you call that line on the globe again?) Although not by too much it is definitely closer to the line than Japan is.