Apple to End iTunes Music Store Uniform Pricing Model?

[Sirus The Virus]

This is why I buy Cd's. I don't want to mess with DRM or pricing issues. I can get used Cd's way cheaper and get better sound quality with no DRM while I'm at it.

 

[Koodauw]

Just remember guys, no one pushes Steve around. He ism ore stubborn than a mule. This is just one guy talking, I doubt Steve is shaking his head in agreement.

 

[iMeowbot]

This is not fair. Superstars are going to get more money, great. But what about the lesser known independant bands?

What about them? By definition they're not on major labels and tend to get a better deal already. It's safe to assume that if variable pricing was available, indy labels and distributors would be able to use it too.

 

[thirdwaver]

Couple of points to make:

1. There's no mention ANYWHERE of reducing the price of non-superstar songs and doing so would pretty much negate any profit they'd gain from raising the superstar ones. Those of you who think this is a good thing because you don't buy those albums, uh, wake up.

2. I buy from ITMS because it's convenient and I'm willing to spend 99 cents (not a dime more) per song to get just what I want. The record companies keep signing up these one hit wonders who put 11 pieces of crap and one hit on an album. No wonder they want to raise the price.

3. I'm paying less because I'm getting less! I'm getting a restricted bunch of ones and zeros that don't exist anywhere but on my limited life hard drive. Not to mention, I can't even burn an mp3 cd from the ITMS stuff or listen to it on my Tivo. Allow me to re-download any song I've purchased and let me use them any way I choose and I'd think about paying slightly more.

4. Apple, Record companies... Are you listening? Most of us have reached the limit for what we'll pay. We were looking for it to get cheaper, not more expensive. There are alternatives.

 

[lord patton]

i don't like the price so I steal?

I'm rather dismayed that so many posts indicate a willingness to steal music because you don't like the terms of the deal. You respect an artists' property rights when songs are $.99, but not at $1.49?
Forgive me a divisive analogy: I understand people who are pro-choice (fetus not yet human enough to have rights) and I understand people who are pro-life (a human fetus is still a human). But I don't understand people who are pro-life except in cases of rape and incest. Do the circumstances of conception (albeit abhorrent) have anything to do with the status of the embryo/child/lifeform/thingy?
So if you're willing to steal music, just do it. And admit your moral stance. Don't blame the "greedy" music company for your arbitrary decisions.

BTW, when you write music, you own it. The only reason the record companies get the publishing is because the artists voluntarily give it to them in exchange for the production, marketing and distribution services the majors bring to the table.
What I'm looking forward to is the ability of independent artists to sell their DRM-protected music via iTMS. And then the artists can market themselves and keep their publishing. Some will go it along and some will partner with the biggies (just like now). And they'll both lose when you steal their music (just like now).

Edit: I'm not sure how easy it is to put your own music on iTunes, but reading here makes it seem possible. What makes you think independents don't want to set their own prices too (i.e. tiered pricing)?

 

[p0intblank]

I really hope this does not happen. 99 cents for one song is perfect how it is, even if it's an older song you are purchasing. One price for all songs is fine... stop being so greedy, music industry! 😡

I don't think Steve would let this happen... he's very serious about music sales. But who knows!

 

[zim]

Here is what I would want in exchange for flex pricing:

1. I don't want to see any more album only songs, videos or pdf booklets.
2. If after buying a few songs, I want to be able to have the option to buy the rest of the album and get any discounts available.
3. There should be a cap.. no greater then $x amount, apple needs to put their foot down at some point.
4. I want lyrics included with each song as well as extra info like label published under etc.. in the tags.

I think those request would be directed towards the labels and not apple. One thing I would say to apple is, more free songs, videos and or even sales.

Most of the music I buy would be seen as unpopular.. I think but who knows what the labels consider unpopular now.

 

[muffinman]

this really sucks. but then, buying music from legal sources only make up about 20 percent of music downloads, right?

 

[lolex]

people on this thread seem to have no ****ing clue as to how expensive it is to make a cd. studios, production, distribution, it's endless. it's very expensive, even for small indie labels. which aren't making it anymore. and the big labels aren't doing as well as you'd think

I sympathetically understand your woes, however, it 's also my part of job to reduce the production cost as for I am a shop owner . Everyday in the business
market is an unforgiving day, only the winner can left , and no one would cares what's the loser's name? 😱

if you are stealing music you are no more a music fan than a carjacker is an auto enthusiast. there is not charm or vindication in stealing music.

Who will disagree ? but the fact is piracy is still thriving , and no one got the power enough to shut down the internet !!

I just wonder why so many peoples ( normally among the top managerment)
snub on the mighty power of internet , they just don't understand the business model has been changing, and will keep changing ,if they can't catch up enough, will be vanished.

Do they know how frantic are completitions is now on the market?
Myself , have been overloading with excessive entertainment media, magazines , newspapers, TVs, Books, Video Games, they are now too many around me, give me sometime pls before I could manage to buy yours, and why should I need to buy yours? some of them even give away for free now!!😱

Franky, Movie and Music I've owned in forms of CD/ DVD are over 600s, and they really can entertaining me enough for more than couple of lifes.
They are all very good music artists which from 70's to 90's, Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, Beatles, Bee Gees, Madonna ....too many, I may need years to
go thr. every single track to all of my ownings. Then should I need to buy another 😱 new ones ??

I believes this is the scenario to the majority of people, and it is a reality for those Big Label face,

And want reminds them the internet downloading is a really instant gratification which you won't bother too much if it's moral or not. Even when you resemble those downloader as rapists, robbers., does it help? Do you feel any better then ? Go catch them!! I don't believes if anyone could win the pirates , until you shut down internet, Could you ? 🙂

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

Which record company did you say you worked for?😀 😀 😀

I was thinking oil or tele-com myself. 😀

It just seems to be more of the same. The rich get richer (and the rich can afford the newer pricing better) and the poor get poorer (in particular those that are to blind to just say no to corporate "greed").

As long as we pay inflated prices fro tickets to concerts and sporting events, as long as we pay higher prices for the clothes that the "stars" endorse, or pay higher prices for these same "stars" to tell us what we should drive or own - then we have no one to blame but ourselves.....

 

[tsaxer]

There's one thing about the variable pricing rationale that bothers me...new CD's don't really cost any more than non-ancient ones (20yrs+ old).
In fact, Target, Circuit City, even Wal-Mart put the newest and most popular CD's on _sale_ the first week they are released. I just spent $10 on Kenny Chesney's new CD, when his older ones on the shelf beside it were $14-$15.
So, I don't see how downloads should be any different; there is very little variation in price among non-new releases until they hit the bargain bin, so what am I missing?

 

[iMeowbot]

I think it's all in vain anyway. I see musicians moving toward giving away their music at iTMS quality (128kbs AAC or similar) on the internet then earning their money through touring and sales of full-quality CDs at their shows or through their websites. As mentioned earlier, most musicians (and performers) on big labels don't pay back the record companies' expenses (both real and inflated) through album sales and therefore don't really make money off of their albums anyway. While you can copy a song from the internet, you can't replace the live experience--people will continue to pay for concerts.

There is a catch in here, and that catch is the reason why we aren't seeing many successes with that model.

To the artists, a major contract isn't a source of income by itself. It is, however, access to national or international promotion. It gets them on TV and radio, gets their albums reviewed in publications with high circulation. It gets them distribution to the vast majority of the population who still don't have iPods or buy much stuff over the Internet.

That exposure is the difference between playing in a small bar or a decent sized theatre, between splitting a small share of cover charges or selling real tickets. Putting up a Web page doesn't accomplish that, and someone still has to pay for the hosting. How do they get people, in decent numbers, to go look at that page?

Someone needs to come up with a successful way to replace the traditional marketing machinery. Until then, things aren't likely to change much.

 

[heisetax]

CD's or downloads

may be i could understand that old songs were cheaper since the music industry no longer need to recover marketing costs, however it doesnt make sense that any song is more expensive than they are now, they are already too expensive and not good value for money compared with the physical CD (that is not compressed, has no DRM restrictions and comes in a nice little box)

Unlike most if I like an artist enough to purchase their music I prefer to have the complete albumn. I also do not want the lower quality of downloaded music. Then to add in the restrictive DRM's & you can understand why I have purchased no music from the iTunes Music Store to put on my iPod or iPod Shuffle.

Anthing over $.99 per song & most of my CD's come out cheaper per song than the downloads. With higher quality & less restrictions on making copies for myself on my computers & iPods as well as actually putting a CD into a player & actually using it. I would think that higher prices would cut down on the downloads of newer more expensive music.

Bill the TaxMan

 

[MacTruck]

The music industry is completely infested with dirty rotten scumbag money grubbing good for nothing lowlife people that would kill their mothers for a dollar. I say to hell with music. Sony is the number one culprit. I will go back to recording songs over the radio with a tape deck before I give into the extorsion that the record companies are pushing on the public.

Record companies will rot in hell. Why?


1. Sueing people for downloading music. Kids mind you.
2. Putting software in CDs to disable music playing on your computer. Thus infecting your computer with a virus.
3. Charging $20 for a freakin CD of songs that have like 3 good ones and the rest suck.
4. Thwarting good technology in the name of keeping copyright infringment down.
5. Making it illegal to do anything with a cd like copying it, ripping it, lending it to a friend all in the name of copyright infringment.


Burn baby burn. They sure will.

 

[lolex]

Imagin if free downloading could not be stopped, what will happens ?

- No one will pay to buy music, and Music Label vanished ? Yes.

- Who will produce and marketing for artists , would they manage to do it online
by themself ? Yes.

- Would there still be artist performs on TV ? Will there be any agency do a good job to bring new artist to TV and TV company will paid for it ? Yes.

- would the vanish of Big Label companies cause in a market deflation and a recession in assets values ( this may be hard to someone , but it's healthy in longterm), so the production cost will then be lowered ? Yes.😉

- Would you still spend money to buy anything then ? Yes. I always buy things only whenever I need it ( not I want it )

- What would you like to buy by then ? I 'd save all my money to look for Apple products, since they're bundled whichever softwares needed for that product for free.

- It's quite ideal then ? Yes😛

- What you're going to name this? A Liberation

 

[gekko513]

I'll steal instead of buy any song I want that's more than $.99

 

[lord patton]

I'll steal instead of buy any song I want that's more than $.99

There's that honesty I was looking for. Succinct, honest and deplorable.

BTW, is this magical $.99 price point indexed for inflation? 🙄

 

[zoozx]

**** ta=hat

More sharring less buying!

 

[kenzbud]

I really don't have a problem with this, and its not a foreign concept, like many people are treating it.

Traditional CDs and DVDs work the exact same way -- new releases and more popular items are more expensive than older, less popular CDs and DVDs. Hence, the bin of $ 5.99 CDs/DVDs at the store.

Why should digital music and movies be any different? (And, why aren't you people out bitchin' about the traditional CDs/DVDs cost structure if this model will be so "evil")

In addition, this rumor says nothing about "superstars" getting more money. It says "more popular". Supply and demand. Number 1 song would cost $1.99 when its first released and then probably drop to 79 cents when no one wants it no more (just like traditional CDs)


Limewire will be gone within the year, just as Grockster just went. Sorry, but the industry is rightfully winning cases against people who steal.

This prcing structure wouldn't be so bad if they were keeping new releases/popular artist at 99 cents and lowering old relases down to 75 cents or 50 cents.

 

[lolex]

-What would you buy when a song from superstar and new artisst is cost the same $.99 ?

I won't buy a song sucks from superstar and would buy a good song from new artist. 🙄

- So you mean superstar is not equal to good song and new artist is not equal to crapy song ?

Of cause , everybody knows that !!

 

[JoeG4]

I'd rather see Apple tell the record companies pushing this stuff to take their prices and shove them, than anything else.

Seriously, there's gotta be a good way to short change Sony and Co (Right now, Sony should be boycotted ENTIRELY) and take business away from those morons.

 

[iMeowbot]

- Who will produce and marketing for artists , would they manage to do it online
by themself ? Yes.

- Would there still be artist performs on TV ? Will there be any agency do a good job to bring new artist to TV and TV company will paid for it ? Yes.

- would the vanish of Big Label companies cause in a market deflation and a recession in assets values ( this may be hard to someone , but it's healthy in longterm), so the production cost will then be lowered ? Yes.😉

If that is true, why isn't it already happening? Someone needs to come up with a viable business model to make that happen. What would work (i.e., not be charity)?

 

[MacTruck]

BTW, is this magical $.99 price point indexed for inflation? 🙄

No, because it costs nothing to put a file on a server and let people download it.

My god, itms has made over $100,000,000. When will the insanity end. 99 cents is a ripoff.

 

[lolex]

If that is true, why isn't it already happening? Someone needs to come up with a viable business model to make that happen. What would work (i.e., not be charity)?

Just in an arguable time. 🙂

 

[iMeowbot]

Just in an arguable time. 🙂

But it gets circular really fast. The only reason there are record labels now is that most artists aren't business people (very few people are good at both). What will keep any replacement for record labels from looking pretty much the same as what is there today?

I'm not saying it can't be done, only that the "how" part always goes unanswered. The do-it-yourself distributors don't do promotion (and the ones who say they do, don't really do it). That still costs money, and the effective promotion is all about contacts. How might one bypass the system without becoming a part of it?