Apple Maintains Digital Music Dominance, But Amazon Making Significant Gains

[w00master]

One difference: It's mighty convenient to have stuff be part of your iTunes purchase history.

I love picking up an Apple device and being able to re-download something I bought on another without paying for iTunes match.

I'm not saying that's worth it to everyone, but that's one thing that keeps me coming back to the iTunes store.

Yes, still love the convenience of downloading from the iTunes store and having the purchase download to both of my iPhones and both Macs. Price has nothing to do with it.

But this can be done with Amazon as well. Without even having to download the file to your device (if you so deem). Also, Amazon Autorip... you buy a CD (even some vinyl), you automatically get the MP3 versions in your cloud. You don't even need to rip them.

To me this way outtrumps iTunes.

w00master

 

[notjustjay]

iTunes is a de facto choice in a lot of countries because services like Amazon mp3 simply don't exist in, say, Canada.

 

[PracticalMac]

If its the same music or video, OF COURSE people will run to the cheapest source!

It is easy to import any music file to iTunes, Apple has no monopoly on music and videos, so they better start matching prices or their position will erode more.

 

[w00master]

iTunes is a de facto choice in a lot of countries because services like Amazon mp3 simply don't exist in, say, Canada.

Very fair point. Apologies for Non-US folks, I was speaking in terms of a US perspective. It is a shame you guys don't have the choices we have over here.

w00master

 

[imola.zhp]

Because Amazon.com is cheaper, I always price check and only buy if iTunes is the same price (it's never less)...

Anything popular/new is always $0.30 more on iTunes, so I'll buy from Amazon for less...

If they would drop their price back to $0.99, Amazon wouldn't stand a chance!

 

[neiltc13]

I always find Amazon is at least £0.10 per track cheaper, if not more.

 

[newagemac]

amazon is cheaper a lot of times
you don't need to pay extra to listen to songs in the cloud that you have bought

even books, i only buy the kindle versions

Well Amazon is using an older, lower quality file format so they should be cheaper. I won't buy from Amazon until they upgrade from mp3 to mp4 like what iTunes provides.

 

[notjustjay]

Very fair point. Apologies for Non-US folks, I was speaking in terms of a US perspective. It is a shame you guys don't have the choices we have over here.

No apologies needed, we're used to feeling like second-class citizens when it comes to media publishers and digital content

I do wish we'd get more competition though! A few companies (e.g. HMV Digital) have tried, but I imagine it's tough for the "little guy" to negotiate all the rights and royalties.

Apple also has a huge ease-of-use advantage. Now with iCloud it's even simpler, I can purchase an album on any one of my Mac, iPhone, or iPad, and the songs automagically appear on the other devices without a need for syncing, and they're also available on my Apple TVs. Pretty convenient.

 

[gnasher729]

I always find Amazon is at least £0.10 per track cheaper, if not more.

I've found quite often that Amazon is more expensive. Annoyingly when you buy audiobooks, they proudly show how much cheaper they are than some imaginary retail price, and often the iTunes version is cheaper. Ebooks they sell only in their own proprietary Kindle format, whereas Apple uses standard Epub format.

And then there are iTunes gift cards that are often sold 20% below face value. Once you load up on gift cards, it is very very rare that Amazon is cheaper.

 

[milo]

I wish iTunes match wasn't such a dog, I'd love to have the functionality but I couldn't justify renewing a service that is so buggy. I had always been a fan of the whole iTunes package but Apple is probably driving business away by not keeping things running well.

That wiki won't make my motorcycle's sound system play AAC.

You can batch convert the files. You really think they should use a format that sounds worse, just for the few people with old outdated gear?

Ebooks they sell only in their own proprietary Kindle format, whereas Apple uses standard Epub format.

Nope, regardless of the format, Apple books can only be used on iOS devices (not even macs) while there are kindle reader apps available for pretty much every platform.

 

[Mike Valmike]

Look, I... I'm sorry, I'm sure Spotify is great, but I cannot bring myself to pay for a service where the very name of it is a grammatical catastrophe. It's almost as bad as the home of my beloved Coyotes, "Jobing.com Arena."

The only way they could have done worse would have been to alternate capitals or incorporate numerals like the old P2P file-sharing clients or the various jailbreaking utilities. What are we, thirteen? Chasing the "Elite Wares" or however it's stated? For all decency's sake, people, start insisting upon literacy.

 

[a0me]

amazon is cheaper a lot of times
you don't need to pay extra to listen to songs in the cloud that you have bought

even books, i only buy the kindle versions

I'd really like to buy iBooks but from some reason, Apple only lets you buy books in the language of the country you are. I had to buy Steve Jobs biography -and other books- on Amazon because iTunes Japan only carries the Japanese version.

 

[w00master]

Apple Maintains Digital Music Dominance, But Amazon Making Significant Gains

Look, I... I'm sorry, I'm sure Spotify is great, but I cannot bring myself to pay for a service where the very name of it is a grammatical catastrophe. It's almost as bad as the home of my beloved Coyotes, "Jobing.com Arena."

The only way they could have done worse would have been to alternate capitals or incorporate numerals like the old P2P file-sharing clients or the various jailbreaking utilities. What are we, thirteen? Chasing the "Elite Wares" or however it's stated? For all decency's sake, people, start insisting upon literacy.

Apologies. But what the heck do you mean?

Spotify a "grammatical catastrophe". How?

----------

I've found quite often that Amazon is more expensive. Annoyingly when you buy audiobooks, they proudly show how much cheaper they are than some imaginary retail price, and often the iTunes version is cheaper. Ebooks they sell only in their own proprietary Kindle format, whereas Apple uses standard Epub format.

And then there are iTunes gift cards that are often sold 20% below face value. Once you load up on gift cards, it is very very rare that Amazon is cheaper.

You do know that Kindle can read ePub too. Right?

With this knowledge, I'd like to see you try and load Apple's iBookstore bought book onto a kindle or any other ebook reader that can do ePub.

I'm waiting...

Oh, that's right. You can't. At least with Kindle, I can read my books ON ANY DEVICE.

 

[Small White Car]

But this can be done with Amazon as well. Without even having to download the file to your device (if you so deem).

Correct me if I'm wrong, but there's no way (using just an iPhone) to get a song from the Amazon cloud into the iPhone's 'Music' app, correct?

I'm not going to switch back and forth between different music apps when listening to music while I'm driving, falling asleep, or playing games while riding the train. If I can't get it all into a single app, it's the same as not having it at all.

If I have that wrong, let me know. But assuming I'm right, Amazon is a non-starter for me.

 

[Tinmania]

I wish iTunes match wasn't such a dog, I'd love to have the functionality but I couldn't justify renewing a service that is so buggy. I had always been a fan of the whole iTunes package but Apple is probably driving business away by not keeping things running well.



You can batch convert the files. You really think they should use a format that sounds worse, just for the few people with old outdated gear?

Outdated "Gear?" It's a $25,000 bike--and not even close to outdated.

That said you contradict yourself. First you say I should pay more, only to "batch convert" which is going end up far worse than the MP3 I already get from Amazon.




Michael

 

[JoEw]

Albums on sale from Amazon, songs from iTunes. Simple.

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Nope, regardless of the format, Apple books can only be used on iOS devices (not even macs) while there are kindle reader apps available for pretty much every platform.

Regardless, Apple still uses a standard for ebooks, the drm is likely an agreement made with the publishing industry that Apple could not negotiate out, after all Steve Jobs never was a fan of DRM.

 

[JoeyCloverfield]

If Amazon redesigned their digital store, I'd switch from iTunes (for music).

 

[bumblebritches5]

Apple. Needs. A. Lossless. Option. Available. In. iTunes.

 

[Tech198]

yep.. i fully agree with this article. Of course there'd be more streamers, then physical copies.

Its a digital age.

"...The relatively low number of consumers who find it important to own music..."

low number ? we're only talking 3% here... Its not like its 6 or 10%

 

[gnasher729]

Nope, regardless of the format, Apple books can only be used on iOS devices (not even macs) while there are kindle reader apps available for pretty much every platform.

Go to the App Store and download an epub reader for the Mac.

----------

You do know that Kindle can read ePub too. Right?

Getting my wisdom straight from Wikipedia:

Kindle devices do not support the EPUB file format used by many other e-book readers. Instead, they are designed to use Amazon's own e-book formats: AZW and, in later devices, KF8. Like EPUB, these formats are intended for reflowable, richly formatted e-book content and support DRM restrictions, but unlike EPUB, they are proprietary formats. Free software such as the free and open source calibre, Amazon's KindleGen,[91] and the email based Send-to-Kindle service are available to convert e-books into these formats. Kindle devices can also display some generic document formats such as plain text (TXT) and Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

So Amazon is trapping you in their proprietary format, while ePub is a standard. Download an ePub book, rename from .epub to .zip, unzip it, and all the files are there in xhtml format.

Regardless, Apple still uses a standard for ebooks, the drm is likely an agreement made with the publishing industry that Apple could not negotiate out, after all Steve Jobs never was a fan of DRM.

I actually own quite a few ePub books, bought through iTunes, from a publisher that tries to publish everything DRM free. These ePub books are DRM free on the iTunes store and everywhere else (they have a list of twenty or so stores), the only version with DRM is the one on Amazon because Amazon insists on it and they can't make Amazon sell their books DRM free.

 

[OllyW]

Go to the App Store and download an epub reader for the Mac.

That won't work for books downloaded from iTunes that are protected with DRM, they are only readable on iOS devices using the iBooks app.

 

[milo]

Outdated "Gear?" It's a $25,000 bike--

That doesn't change the fact that the music system is outdated.

First you say I should pay more...

Nope, I was just responding to the comments that AAC files could only be played on iPods.

Regardless, Apple still uses a standard for ebooks, the drm is likely an agreement made with the publishing industry that Apple could not negotiate out, after all Steve Jobs never was a fan of DRM.

Even if the format itself is technically a "standard", what possible advantage could that be when those files can't be read on any other device? While the Kindle files can be read on most devices, and the kindle app can read epub documents (and other formats) as well.

Go to the App Store and download an epub reader for the Mac.

So I can get an error message when I try to open a book bought from Apple? Have you actually tried it? The book files apple sells can only be read on iOS devices, nothing else.

So Amazon is trapping you in their proprietary format, while ePub is a standard.

Trapping? Amazon's books can be read on mac, pc, ios, android, even blackberry and windows phone (edit - forgot they also include the ability to read from a web browser, so that should include many other devices as well). Apple's books can be read on iOS, nothing more, not even a mac. Quit fetishizing the file format and look at the options for real world use.

Download an ePub book, rename from .epub to .zip, unzip it, and all the files are there in xhtml format.

That's only the case for files with no DRM. And with epub files without DRM, while the Kindle doesn't read them directly, there are plenty of apps that convert epub to a file the kindle can read.

I actually own quite a few ePub books, bought through iTunes, from a publisher that tries to publish everything DRM free.

That's nice, and it would be great if Amazon allowed authors to release without DRM if they wanted to. But those are the exception from Apple, the vast majority can only be read on iOS.

 

[w00master]

So Amazon is trapping you in their proprietary format, while ePub is a standard. Download an ePub book, rename from .epub to .zip, unzip it, and all the files are there in xhtml format.

Thanks for the correction. I had always thought that Kindle supported ePub.

That said, how is iBookstore books not proprietary either? Again, take that book bought from the iBookstore, and load it on a generic ePub reader. Can you read the book?

Nope.

Again. Just like Kindle. Proprietary.

I actually own quite a few ePub books, bought through iTunes, from a publisher that tries to publish everything DRM free. These ePub books are DRM free on the iTunes store and everywhere else (they have a list of twenty or so stores), the only version with DRM is the one on Amazon because Amazon insists on it and they can't make Amazon sell their books DRM free.

Most books on the iBookstore are *not* DRM free. Buy the Isaacson book on Steve Jobs, and try to read that book on another ePub application/device. Guess what, won't work.

The difference is, at least I can still read Kindle books (despite it being proprietary) on *any* platform. I cannot do this *at all* with Apple iBookstore bought books. This is why I *refuse* to buy books from that store anymore.

The day Apple brings out an App on all other platforms that will allow me to read the books from iBookstore, then I'll consider buying books from Apple. Until then, Kindle is the way to go.

w00master

 

[Tinmania]

That doesn't change the fact that the music system is outdated.

lol.... I bought the bike long after I switched to Amazon MP3 for music. It just works.




Michael

 

[Mike Valmike]

Spotify a "grammatical catastrophe". How?

If the word is meant to be pronounced "Spot-a-fye," which it is, then it needed to be spelled "Spottify." As spelled, it would be pronounced so that it rhymes with "Goat-a-fye." Or they could have invented a word that has anything to do with music, but as that's a stylistic complaint and not structural, I'll set it aside.

This may not seem like much, given that the English language features no shortage of unusual and convoluted rule exceptions, but this is a particularly egregious ignorance of a fairly basic rule of vowel construction. Disregarding rules this fundamental leads to aberrations such as the aforementioned Jobing.com (should be "Jobbing"), or worse, "Hot in Herre" (should be "Here"). Or, the crown king of all ignorant blather, courtesy of juvenile text-speak eveywhere, "Wat" (should be "What").