Destra and AAC?

[MacRumors]

Australian IT reports that Destra is adding up to 30,000 tracks from Sony Music over the coming months.

Of interest, the article states that the songs will be available in both WMA and AAC formats. It goes on to specifically state that it will be compatible with the iPod.

Reportedly there will be "protection from copyright violation" built in. It isn't clear if the service would be offering the same FairPlay/AAC ("Protected AAC") files that are presently offered in Apple's iTunes Music Store.

 

[fatbarstard]

Yeee haaa - first reply - I win I win...

Hopefully this will spur Apple into getting its s**t together to get iTMS licenced for Aust....

I can't wait - might have to actually go and buy an iPOD if this happens.....

 

[crazzyeddie]

So im assuming Destra is a aussie music service, because i've never heard of it...

 

[punter]

i think this is great for australian music downloaders. I don't feel I have to wait for itms to come to australia now, I WILL download from another service if they offer aac (and no subscription fee etc).

In other news, why does apple call it aac and not mp4? I always tell people I encode in mp4 and it doesn't take them too long to figure out it's like the new updated version of mp3!! And then normally I go on to rant about how bad wma is in terms of quality unless you use loseless compression. If they've listened to me then the obvious conclusion for them is to download itunes and start ripping in aac.

 

[hvfsl]

Originally posted by punter
i think this is great for australian music downloaders. I don't feel I have to wait for itms to come to australia now, I WILL download from another service if they offer aac (and no subscription fee etc).

In other news, why does apple call it aac and not mp4? I always tell people I encode in mp4 and it doesn't take them too long to figure out it's like the new updated version of mp3!! And then normally I go on to rant about how bad wma is in terms of quality unless you use loseless compression. If they've listened to me then the obvious conclusion for them is to download itunes and start ripping in aac.

Thats mainly because people call MP4 video already. MP3 is actually MPEG1 (or maybe 2) Layer 3.

 

[johnnyjibbs]

This is excellent news! I hope that other companies look at this and then start to consider it in Europe and America. And I hope Apple is more open about the 'open' standard they use - i.e. let people licence Fariplay. This is great news for the iPod.

Also, I think we are seeing (such as the HP annoucement as well) that people are seeing that the iPod is hard to beat. Hence more companies are choosing to 'join' it rather than try to compete against. This will help iPod stay up there and help AAC become a viable alternative to WMA. Apple should not concede on the WMA front.

 

[HiRez]

In related news, the upcoming Sony PSP (Playstation Portable) will supposedly support AAC audio. If it also supports FairPlay (and we could hop iTunes synching), that would be great for Apple because they are going to sell a lot of those things. I think Apple should work closely with anyone who wants to offer an AAC-enabled playback device, and find a way to sync to it from iTunes. In the case of the PSP, it's not really a direct competitor to the iPod, since it's a game machine first and a music player second. People are going to buy them regardless.

 

[winmacguy]

Originally posted by crazzyeddie
So im assuming Destra is a aussie music service, because i've never heard of it...

One of several Australian download services that have started recently ( Aussie only like iTMS is US only)

 

[stefman]

This is good news! At least it's not WMA only, which means Apple is gaining acceptance with AAC and hopefully not letting the 400 pound gorilla (Microsoft) win on file format standards.

 

[DJY]

Destra already provide online music downloading via several of our retail music providers websites...

in addition to that we have at least two other sources on online music download options that I'm aware of....

I went a wandering around... and despite the it news story - they don't mention anything about AAC on their websites yet.... and the news story hinted it might not be until mid year?!?!?

sigh

whilst I would certianly buy from ANY site that was reasonably prices, in AAC, without too many restricitve sign on costs.... I still wish Apple would do something.

I was thinking about this the other day.... Despite all rumours for Aust, Europe, Canada et al.... I don't think Apple have made any actual movements to providing iTMS beyond the USA - that they have made public?

So they get in first... in the biggest market... get themselves out of the red.... get huge market share... and now nothing?

Or maybe they don't care / don't want to / and are already moving towards their next big coup?!?!

I hope that fleeting thought of mine was wrong... and I still would love to click on the Music Store link in iTUNES one day and NOT get that country warning!!!!!

I can dream anyway

 

[jholzner]

Originally posted by DJY
Destra already provide online music downloading via several of our retail music providers websites...

in addition to that we have at least two other sources on online music download options that I'm aware of....

I went a wandering around... and despite the it news story - they don't mention anything about AAC on their websites yet.... and the news story hinted it might not be until mid year?!?!?

sigh

whilst I would certianly buy from ANY site that was reasonably prices, in AAC, without too many restricitve sign on costs.... I still wish Apple would do something.

I was thinking about this the other day.... Despite all rumours for Aust, Europe, Canada et al.... I don't think Apple have made any actual movements to providing iTMS beyond the USA - that they have made public?

So they get in first... in the biggest market... get themselves out of the red.... get huge market share... and now nothing?

Or maybe they don't care / don't want to / and are already moving towards their next big coup?!?!

I hope that fleeting thought of mine was wrong... and I still would love to click on the Music Store link in iTUNES one day and NOT get that country warning!!!!!

I can dream anyway

Well, they did say they would be bringing it to Japan very soon...I can't remember what month steve said but he accounced it at the opening of the Apple Store in Japan

 

[curmi]

I think Apple may have blown it in Australia on the iTMS.

Too many people have set up their own - including Australia's biggest ISP Telstra. Apple took too long, and gave no indication they were even doing anything so as to scare off the opposition. Now, if they ever do get their act together, they will be seen as late, and just copying the others.

It serves them right really I'm afraid.

 

[arn]

Originally posted by DJY

I was thinking about this the other day.... Despite all rumours for Aust, Europe, Canada et al.... I don't think Apple have made any actual movements to providing iTMS beyond the USA - that they have made public?

Steve Jobs has said that iTunes will be coming to Japan and Europe in 2004.

arn

 

[winmacguy]

Originally posted by curmi
I think Apple may have blown it in Australia on the iTMS.

Too many people have set up their own - including Australia's biggest ISP Telstra. Apple took too long, and gave no indication they were even doing anything so as to scare off the opposition. Now, if they ever do get their act together, they will be seen as late, and just copying the others.

It serves them right really I'm afraid.

Think that Apples problems regarding createing a level international playing field can be summed up in the explanation below.

I thought the problem with international distribution is that the rights aren't as easy as you might hope - I have a bad feeling it goes something like:

Taking an artist I know some of the distribution rights of -
Mushroom handled distribution of Split Enz music in Australia and New Zealand, but a different company (EMI I think?) had the rights in the US.
If that company agrees with Apple that Apple can distribute Split Enz songs in the US, then Apple can distribute Split Enz songs in the US.
However, Apple can't provide that service to a NZer, sitting in NZ, with a NZ Visa card, since the distribution rights in NZ belong to Mushroom, who haven't agreed to Apple distributing Split Enz songs anywhere.

 

[billyboy]

Originally posted by winmacguy
Taking an artist I know some of the distribution rights of -
Mushroom handled distribution of Split Enz music in Australia and New Zealand, but a different company (EMI I think?) had the rights in the US.
If that company agrees with Apple that Apple can distribute Split Enz songs in the US, then Apple can distribute Split Enz songs in the US.
However, Apple can't provide that service to a NZer, sitting in NZ, with a NZ Visa card, since the distribution rights in NZ belong to Mushroom, who haven't agreed to Apple distributing Split Enz songs anywhere.

Great band.

When you put it like that, it seems as though Apple will have to basically set up an iTunes Music Store from scratch in each country. The big five presumably would give them 200,000 tracks without too much hassle, but after that, to get to 500,000 in each country it could be a real time consuming bummer.

Lets hope Apple come up with deals that maybe set new rules for the industry and link the world of legal downloads under the one Apple banner. Its late and Im thinking different.

 

[applekid]

Originally posted by billyboy
Great band.

When you put it like that, it seems as though Apple will have to basically set up an iTunes Music Store from scratch in each country. The big five presumably would give them 200,000 tracks without too much hassle, but after that, to get to 500,000 in each country it could be a real time consuming bummer.

But I think it would be worth it. Here's my little hope. Apple finally establishes all of these international stores one day. So the world is happy and it can bring us world peace

Okay, seriously, let's say Apple gets to the point where all of the Music Stores have been established for each location. I'm hoping we can access each store through iTunes. So instead of seeing just Music Store, it'll also have Music Store (Europe), Music Store (Canada), Music Store (Japan), etc. And since iTunes is capable of using almost any language, the Japanese text will show up in Japanese, Russian in Russian, and etc. We buy songs like we already do and it's good to go. We might have to pay maybe a dime or two more since it's import music and currency exchanges. Perhaps we may also need a translations of these stores if some foreigners want to buy something new and exotic. Why not? It'll expand the record companies' audience.

 

[winmacguy]

Originally posted by billyboy
Great band.

When you put it like that, it seems as though Apple will have to basically set up an iTunes Music Store from scratch in each country. The big five presumably would give them 200,000 tracks without too much hassle, but after that, to get to 500,000 in each country it could be a real time consuming bummer.

Lets hope Apple come up with deals that maybe set new rules for the industry and link the world of legal downloads under the one Apple banner. Its late and Im thinking different.

The reason I posted that quote is because it relates to this link http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2815194a28,00.html
It looks like Apple NZ (Renaisance Group Ltd) is going under their own steam with Sounds NZ to start doing store with in a store to promote/sell iPods starting in the South Island with Sounds Christchurch as a trial store. Then they are going to start doing instore kiosks to download music in about 6months. This is going to allow Apple NZ to negotiate independently with the local recording industry and to keep the momentum of the iPod success moving rather than becoming stagnant and losing out to the competition. I dont know the details of the proposed instore kiosks.

This all makes me think that it would be easier for each Apple store/centre in each country to negotiate internally with the music industry people to set something up based around iTMS to avoid losing to the competition and to get iTMS stores up and running in each relevant country,so that intime there can be something like an iTMS international mall as metioned by a previous poster last week.

It could be that the mountian of beaurocracy is too much to tackle in one hit for Apple regarding the world wide release of iTMS but if Apple was to delegate the individual tasks to each Apple store/organisation in each country, eg Apple Australia, Apple NZ, Apple UK, Apple France, Apple Italy etc which then intime all become one big Apple iTMS with each startup being based on the bench mark formula of iTMS that might turn the mountain of Beaurocracy into a relative molehill

 

[doogle]

I am not a big fan of globalisation but if there is any industry needing it (and indeed at the forefront of this push), it is the music industry.

I have never heard of Destra (I am an aussie) and probably will never hear of them even if they do get a service running. People want brands to buy from (and that does not include Telstra) and Apple could have been that brand in Australia.

 

[doogle]

It could be that the mountian of beaurocracy is too much to tackle in one hit for Apple regarding the world wide release of iTMS but if Apple was to delegate the individual tasks to each Apple store/organisation in each country, eg Apple Australia,

NO! DO NOT GO THERE!
Apple Australia is a distributors outpost and nothing more.

 

[winmacguy]

Originally posted by doogle
NO! DO NOT GO THERE!
Apple Australia is a distributors outpost and nothing more.

So is Apple NZ (a division of Renaisance Group Ltd).

They are not a standalonecompany in NZ, rather a distribution agent. All the Apple stuff that we get in NZ actually gets distributed from the allocated left overs from Apple Australia who are probably part of Apple Asia Pacific.

Our countrys (NZ) volumes of Apple products sold dont even rate as a blip on Apple US financial radar screen.


But having said all of that Apple NZ (division of Renaisance Group Ltd) seems to be taking it upon themselves to keep the momentum going i.e getting off their collective asses and doing something beneficial for Apple and the NZ music industry in order to sell iPods through Sounds NZ and initiate in some form an iTMS in NZ

which is why I say that maybe Apple Australia should/could consider doing the same to get the ball rolling and avoid losing momentum. They would find it easier to negitiate with ARIA and get some form of iTMS established than waiting for Apple US to tell them what /when to jump. Dont forget that Apple is not famous for being a marketing company, Microsoft is, and we all know what happened there.

 

[fatbarstard]

And so welcome to the quagmire

All this stuff here about who owns what rights and where with whom only highlights the unholy mess that the music industry finds itself in..

This is as much Apple's achillies heel as it is the music industy's. Take the example of Split Enz... its stikes me as a little sad that someone on the otherside of the world can buy their music online but I can't in NZ becuase someone at the local licencee doesn't 'get it'.

And that sucks dude.....

 

[doogle]

I cannot speak for NZ but Apple Australia has a VERY poor record of making successful deals. They got Optus (telco) to use Macs for a while and they do some very limited advertising campaigns. When it comes to 'in your face' corporate deals - cross promotion opportunities they have been (i think) firmly been told to stay in the box....Where is the evidence of Apple Australia (Asia/pacific) making any deal that comes close to negotiating a deal to sell music locally?

No they will fly in some Yank from Cupertino to make it happen, if it will happen, and that is a very big IF!

 

[winmacguy]

Re: And so welcome to the quagmire

Originally posted by fatbarstard
All this stuff here about who owns what rights and where with whom only highlights the unholy mess that the music industry finds itself in..

This is as much Apple's achillies heel as it is the music industy's. Take the example of Split Enz... its stikes me as a little sad that someone on the otherside of the world can buy their music online but I can't in NZ becuase someone at the local licencee doesn't 'get it'.

And that sucks dude.....

Im with you on that one Fatbarstard!

Unfortunately it can be very hard to teach an old dog new tricks especialy when they dont want to learn any. And then they can take forever to come around to your way of thinking no matter how beneficial the trick may be.

 

[Irafas]

Originally posted by doogle

I have never heard of Destra (I am an aussie) and probably will never hear of them even if they do get a service running. People want brands to buy from (and that does not include Telstra) and Apple could have been that brand in Australia.

I'm sure you have heard of Sanity, HMV, JB Hi-Fi, Chaos Music etc.

Destra runs all of the above music services. It doesn't put its own brand on any of them.

 

[MarkCollette]

Oh my god I can't take it any longer!!!
I'm freakin nic'ing out!
I need some Mac rumors or else I'm going to have to... get work done or something. Argh!