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Buy.com to Challenge Apple's iTunes Music Store

200.000 songs for download in Europe !!

To be exact, this Belgian provider Skynet launched a web based WMA music store that has also 200.000 songs with 30 second previews. It's ugly but it's there. It works with points or credits to stream, more credits to download and even more credits to burn.

The Skynet Music Club is not even viewable on a Mac because of it's WMP integration.

Look for the store on this URL (you need a winbox):
http://www.skynet.be/index.html?l1=entertainment&l2=music&or=crl_1

How bad is this?
 
I think many of you are looking at this the completely wrong way.

Buy.com starting this service is a good thing for *you*. It is a good thing for all consumers. Apple has proven that this type of business model can, and does, work. The more services that pop up like this the lower prices will get for us, the consumers, and the better the services will become. Competition will push Apple to be competitive in negotiating with artists to get new artists, new record labels, and exclusive features. It will also push each service to use the most desirable DRM for the consumer.

I hope Buy.com suceeds, and does quite well, but I also hope Apple does release iTunes for windows soon, and doesn't lose out on a huge market that they deserve to have a piece of.

Josh
 
Re: Re: a HUGE maybe

Originally posted by DGFan
best buy is not (to my knowledge) related to buy.com

best buy has their own site (named, amazingly enough, bestbuy.com)
Click to expand...

whoops... i feel like an idiot... i didn't even know there was such thing as buy.com. i thought it was a typo that left off "best"! thanks for the correction. now i know.
 
Not a bad thing

This is in no way a bad thing -- what we need in this market is precisely more competition. In fact it's wonderful that the idea has been (obviously) so well received that others are clamoring to catch up. It amazes me to see you guys freak out when competition enters the holy sphere of apple products and services. If anything, competition will create better services and give more options to consumers. It may even prove to the RIAA that changing business models, a thing they seem petrified of, is a lucrative and necessary decision.
 
Re: a HUGE maybe

Originally posted by Thom_Edwards
this is a HUGE maybe, so bear with me...

what if the buy.com offering is, in fact, the iTunes Music Store for windows? apple has been selling ipods there and plans to have some of their computers there, so apparently apple and best buy have been talking.
Click to expand...

buy.com and Best Buy are completely unrelated except by those three common letters in their respective names.
 
Josh:

Nice to read that someone else approaches competition rationally.

Cheers

Originally posted by joshuajestelle
I think many of you are looking at this the completely wrong way.

Buy.com starting this service is a good thing for *you*. It is a good thing for all consumers. Apple has proven that this type of business model can, and does, work. The more services that pop up like this the lower prices will get for us, the consumers, and the better the services will become. Competition will push Apple to be competitive in negotiating with artists to get new artists, new record labels, and exclusive features. It will also push each service to use the most desirable DRM for the consumer.

I hope Buy.com suceeds, and does quite well, but I also hope Apple does release iTunes for windows soon, and doesn't lose out on a huge market that they deserve to have a piece of.

Josh
Click to expand...
 
buy.com...they have had an iffy track record w/ me...i remember ordering from them once my freshman year of college or something, and the order took so long to process i forgot what it was when i go it.
granted, it was probably only 2-3 weeks, but thats a long time in the span of a college freshman.
i ordered another item from them this year, and they first didnt have it, and so i tried to cancel the order...lo and behold, once i tried to cancel it the item was suddenly available.
amazing.
so, my thinking is that if buy.com music is as iffy as buy.com they might be in for a world of trouble. the major benefit to itunes is that your mp3 is dl'd directly to your library, and you can track it really well....if buy.com wants to emial you your mp3, or wants to send you the link after paymnet, and it fails, how are they going to handle that? or if theres more than one supported format (assumng its not only wma) how iwll they insure someone who legitimately has a problem is on the level?
i vote wait and see...it might just not work due to people's distrust...and lack of reliable name recognition in the face of kazaa et al is a major major obstacle.
--carly
 
Originally posted by NavyIntel007
but they got Tommy Lee... um... naked, no one wants to see that
Click to expand...

My Girlfriend does...she'll have it up in her cubicle as soon as she sees in a mag, and I believe a lot of peoples GF will too. They will not however have a pic of some ugly harry guy singing 'My Generation' up next to Tommy, I don't think anybody will.

IMHO I think Apple flubbed on not making iTMS a web based solution;
If I was an artist I could just link you to where I am selling my music, w/ iTunes I can just say "yep, we're on iTMS look us up there", kinda crappy if you ask me.
If I'm at work all the computers will be locked down, so I couldn't even download Win:iTunes and install to even browse the selection, however I go to buy.com it doesn't matter I can see all that they have, and if the music just so happens to be WMP I can still buy music from them w/o any new software.
 
There is a way to link to iTunes, apple's new music email does. So artist could link you right to the store.

I am sure if you look at the source from the email, you would be able to figure out how.
 
Good. Serves Apple right after dragging their heals on iTunes for Windows.

I'll feel bad later...maybe. Don't forget Apple brought this on themselves.
 
Originally posted by Wonder Boy
I'll feel bad later...maybe. Don't forget Apple brought this on themselves.
Click to expand...

Brought *what* on themselves? I'm pretty sure Apple expected there would be competition. 😕
 
Originally posted by Flowbee
Brought *what* on themselves? I'm pretty sure Apple expected there would be competition. 😕
Click to expand...

What i meant by "brought this on themselves" is that by not releasing itunes for windows sooner, they allowed others to creep in on there semi-novel idea. If the only had introduced itunes by now, all these posts would be about how itunes for win is superior instead of the post portraying unbridled fear.
 
Originally posted by Wonder Boy
What i meant by "brought this on themselves" is that by not releasing itunes for windows sooner, they allowed others to creep in on there semi-novel idea. If the only had introduced itunes by now, all these posts would be about how itunes for win is superior instead of the post portraying unbridled fear.
Click to expand...

Once the buy.com music store is online, I suspect that there will be many posts and reviews saying that the iTMS is superior (just a gut instinct). Apple has the advantage of the iTMS being held up as the 'gold standard' to which all others will be compared. All the reviews of the 'new' music services will mention how successful iTMS has been and that it is coming to windows by the end of the year. This can only help fuel the anticipation of windows users.

That being said, I hope apple doesn't really wait until December to release iTMS/Win. The sooner the better.
 
Re: Strategy?

Originally posted by Steamboatwillie
<theory>
Apple is done and ready to launch Windows version of ITMS, they allowed the competition to believe that the launch is months away and just when everyone scrambles to get thier shabby, quick written Windows ITMS clones out to market Apple pulls the rabbit out of the hat with iTunesWin32, slick as snot and bug free! No one saw it coming...
</theory>
Click to expand...

Well, you're certainly not the only one who's been dreaming of just such a scenario. While Apple always produces brilliant products and quite aesthetic commercials, sometimes I feel they need to just get "down and dirty" and produce some hard-hitting (read: sly and cunning) marketing as well. They must be quite aware that every time they break new ground as pioneers, the also-rans/wannabees will eventually take over because of the greater Windoze market share. Catching the competition off guard would be just the ticket. Sometimes, the way to succeed in business is to so overwhelm the market, that the competition doesn't stand a chance. And, if they do get a footing, you're already a household name. Apple needs to continue to get it's name out there. The iPod is doing that. But, more is needed.
 
My experiances with Buy.com have been very poor. If their music store is anything like it, it will suck too. And WMA is terrible, even without DRM.

Apple wasn't the first to do this, and they won't be the last. Much like the iPod. But they are the best, as mentioned every time a new online music store or mp3 player comes out. They are compared to Apple's.

Seeing as how there is no monthly fee, this may be competitive (even if it gets more "artists" and doesn't suck), but people can still compare when the Windows version comes out, and I think Apple will come out on top.

There will be a glut of these, but only the strong will survive. I place my bet on iTunes. I just hope it comes to Windows soon.

BTW, WinAmp can already play most AAC files.
 
Originally posted by Spock
Apple should just pull a Microsoft and buy buy.com they can afford it.
Click to expand...

lol a great idea...

i hink apple really needs to get the ball rollling with the windows music store, oherwise they will be the first to really get the idea going, and once again the first to lose a golden opp.
 
i-music store has sold 5 million songs, right ? at 33 cents this amounts to nothing profitwise for apple, BUT it sells their i-pod AND it gives them a lot of publicity.
so whilst i feel the economic model is still sort of shady, apple has profited far beyond the outright 33 cents per song.
it is like giving the flashlight away for free and selling the batteries, only with apple it is the other way around - the i-pod is close to the original walkman in its impact and thus THE money spinner numero uno for apple.
competition if that is what we want to call it is good as it differentiates the superior service of apple from the me-toos.
even if apple opens to the whole ms crowd, and let us assume they would sell songs twenty times as much, that is still nothing profitwise if as an add-on apple can sell another 1 million i-pods at a profit of 100 dollars net. (i am assuming these profit nos, they may be lower or higher 😉
once there is a saturation of i-pods reached then i am sure apple will introduce a new model which will make us go out and buy it too - so then the whole things starts all over again - go apple go - rip me off and make me feel good
 
Originally posted by Abstract
Wow, great pic!!! 😱 (but where is it?)

I think this new service is a good thing. What's bad about having another option? You always think, "Is this good for Apple", and the answer is probably "No", especially if it's released before a PC version is released. However, this is generally a good thing, since it gives people options, and it could lower sales prices. Hopefully it can be available for the Mac as well.
Click to expand...

Personally, I really don't care about buying music from iTMS or Buy.com. The only thing that gives me interest is Apple's investment in the whole operation.

It frustrates me to see that Apple initiates not just a product, but a whole market sector and way of selling, and drops the ball half way through.

Buy.com's service is not going to be as good as Apple's...And I think that Apple probably has strong name recognition than Buy.com. But Buy.com is going to be first and they are going to advertise like crazy. In the last several weeks, I have seen an iTMS ad maybe twice. That's not going to be true with Buy.com.

And now we don't even have a PC version in time! Now Apple's service is going to become a niche service as it always does because right at the critical moment, Apple fails.

Whereas Buy.com hasn't secured ALL FIVE major labels, I'm sure it's got at least one or two. It is going to start next week and it is going to advertise like hell.

Apple always thinks that it is so far above the competition that its product speaks for itself. But it doesn't. If a company does not speak for its product, no one will hear about it. Apple has to launch a counter-ad campaign that appears everywhere. Buy.com ads will be seen on every network. Buy.com is going to introduce the concept of purchasing music in this manner to most consumers, and Apple will seem like the one who copied the idea. Apple needs to launch a tremendous ad campaign, but I know it won't. Apple needs to release a Windows version, but I bet that will be too late.

Steve Jobs' arrogance and self-confidence have gotten Apple a lot. But in the critical moment, he has been too arrogant, too self-confident, and too unheeding of his opponents. And that has cost Apple billions.
 
Originally posted by pretentious
Saw the ad...it looks soooo much better than we got from Apple. Lets hope that their DRM flubs it all up.
Click to expand...

Umm, where did you see this ad? And how does it look better than Apple's service?

I checked Buy.com's site, it doesn't mention a word about its upcoming music service. I guess it probably wants to start with a bang even though the cat is out of the bag (wow, two cliches in one sentence, AWESOME!).
 
Originally posted by themadchemist
Steve Jobs' arrogance and self-confidence have gotten Apple a lot. But in the critical moment, he has been too arrogant, too self-confident, and too unheeding of his opponents. And that has cost Apple billions.
Click to expand...

That's not why iTunes for Windows isn't out yet. It has more to do with licensing and software issues. They started out with OS X Macs, and will work their way in to Windows, just like with the iPod. Then go international (or that first, then Windows). They had to do it on the Mac first.

Could you imagine if they had released it globally, had problems with it, and it failed? (see every other service in a couple of years)
 
Too similar?

The name iMusic is awfully... Appleish. Not to be flippant about it, but I wonder if Apple could sue buy.com based on the name of their service. I could have sworn that I've seen the iTMS referred to as "iMusic" before. And, I'm certain there could be confusion on the part of consumers. "iMusic - that's from Apple, right?"

Edit:

A cursory Google search finds multiple news articles and blog entries referring to iTMS as "iMusic".

As a bonus, the ArtistDirect Network already uses http://www.imusic.com/ - interesting. I think it's going to be a juggling act for buy.com to keep the name as is.
 
I didn't have a problem with hearing about Buy.com's plans until I saw the "iMusic" name. If that is not a calculated attempt to cash in on Apple's brand name recognition, I don't know what is.

Now I hope that they go down in flames.
 
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