Apple Signs Deal to Bring iTunes Match to the Netherlands

[MacRumors]

Last month, Apple launched its first major international expansion of iTunes Match, expanding on the November U.S. debut by bringing the feature to Brazil in mid-December and then sixteen additional countries just a few days later.

Apple is clearly continuing to press forward in its efforts to expand iTunes Match to new countries, as the Dutch collecting society Buma/Stemra today announced [Google translation] that it has reached a deal with Apple for iTunes Match.

The negotiations between copyright organization Buma/Stemra and Apple about a license for iTunes Match have been completed. The contracts have been signed.

To date, Buma/Stemra has licensed over 50 legal online content providers, and is committed to future development of the legal online market, on terms that are optimal for composers, lyricists and publishers affiliated to Buma/Stemra.

As Buma/Stemra notes, the company serves as the representative organization for composers and music publishers in the Netherlands.

(Translation via @DouweM)

Article Link: Apple Signs Deal to Bring iTunes Match to the Netherlands

 

[casperghst42]

Finally!!!!!!!

 

[Twizz91]

Eindelijk ja

 

[RoelJuun]

Give it to me!! Will sign up in straight away, makes my decision to go with a 16 gig iPhone all the better.

 

[JackieTreehorn]

As Buma/Stemra notes, the company serves as the representative organization for composers and music publishers in the Netherlands.

And has people in the board of directors who are as fraudulent as South-American dictators.

 

[champ01]

And has people in the board of directors who are as fraudulent as South-American dictators.

How about we just call them dictators.
The dutch government are just as much of dictators then America or other countries are. (America only has more bombs to kill people.)

 

[dyn]

The Dutch government is not that bad but the BUMA/STEMRA board of directors is because one of them tried to make an off the record deal with some musician. It was more like a bribery though. There have been several other issues with people from BUMA/STEMRA where it became clear that they have no idea what the internet is. Somebody had to inform them about its existence and explain what it is. They also tried to block certain journalists and organisations from press conferences. Geenstijl/Powned crashed one of the press conferences and secretly filmed it. It actually amazes me that BUMA/STEMRA allowed it this quickly. Accepting the Creative Commons license took them years. Same for many other things: they are unbelievably slow.

The people in the Dutch government can be divided in people who actually care/understand and people who do not care/understand and don't want to care/understand. Unfortunately the latter is the biggest group which shows in quite a lot of regulations being put forward and the way they are doing that. That group makes our country and our government look like a dictatorship that is even worse than China and Cuba combined. Today's ruling in favour of St. Brein (the Dutch RIAA/MPAA) shows that too. It opens the door for censorship. Hopefully the appeal will overrule this and if they don't the EU will probably will (they ruled similar in the case of Sabam (the Belgian BUMA/STEMRA) vs Scarlet (Belgian ISP)).

 

[Twizz91]

Still no iTunes Match enabled... i'm waiting for the refreshed agreement, as it still is the old one:

iTunes Match availability

iTunes Match is currently available in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.