Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPod and iTunes Success in Japan

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,271
39,082


Apple announced today that iTunes and iPod have almost 60% market share in Japan.

Since the launch of the iTunes Music Store this summer and introduction of the iPod nano and fifth generation iPod, market share in Japan has grown rapidly, solidifying iPod’s position as the number one digital music player in Japan by a wide margin.
Click to expand...

Since its launch in August, Apple reports that dozens of music labels have added their catalogs to iTunes Japan. Among these include For Life Music, Geneon Entertainment and Dreamusic. Major music label, Sony Music Entertainment was also amongst the latecomers due to disagerements about the pricing.
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2005/11/16/ipod-and-itunes-success-in-japan/
So I assume Sony caved in and went with Apple's flat rate? Otherwise I think they'd write more about it.
 
Another win! Would this mean Apple's iPod sales will surpass Sony's MP3 players or have they already beaten down the champ? The nano must be a big hit in Japan. I can't see why not, and now with major labels signed with iTMS Japan, things are looking much more rosy.
 
Eat it, Sony.

Failed miserably on your own home turf. Pathetic.

I'm really pleased that Apple is making all these electronics companies nervous. For so long we've had to endure miserable interfaces if you wanted the cutting edge. Sony's stuff is stylish, but they lock you into largely unpopular formats (Atrac? Memory Stick? MiniDisc?) and terrible computer integration. No wonder they lost the MP3 market, when they were the progenitor of portable music. Sony is lucky for the success of the PlayStation brand, or they'd be in serious financial trouble.
 
Until then folks can buy Japanese iTMS cards from sites like jlist.com. Having the music on the US iTMS is much preferable, but if you must have those songs now....(replying to baleensavage there)
 
that was really fast. pretty cool stuff.
I wonder if we'll see a similar result from Australia???
 
So when the heck is the rest of the world going to get access to this content?!?! IMHO this is what Apple should be focusing on right now. Screw video. I want access to all that content from Europe and Asia.

PS- OK don't screw video. . .
 
lopresmb said:
I wonder if we'll see a similar result from Australia???
Click to expand...

Probably not without dem wascally Kiwis. :) I'm pretty sure there are a few New Zealanders on MR that would account for 90% of New Zealand and Australia sales. :D
 
At this point in time:
Rating (29 Positives; 1 Negatives)

Um, why would anyone rate this as a negative?
 
Great news to hear as Apple has now taken a strong position in a country where music sales traditionally suck due to high prices and the rental market.

Way to go, Apple!
 
Shows that if a product meets what people want, they'll buy it.

Quite possibly the competitors should take a step back from their 'war' and work out quite what the iPod has that they don't. I don't think they'll like what they discover however. It's all about the package - hardware, software and services are all integrated together. If you have the best of breed in all of these areas (iPod, iTunes, iTMS) you are guaranteed to suceed. Especially since people are always going to buy what they hear repeatedly is good.

Sony ... hardware is probably quite good, but overly restricted DRM wise. The software ... well last I heard it was MusicMatch, so, err, well, the least said the better. I believe that Sony have their own music store, but how does it compare to iTMS.

To be fair, once you have iTMS it shouldn't take too long for a competing store to at least get up there featurewise and ease-of-use-wise. It's easy to copy.
 
SiliconAddict said:
So when the heck is the rest of the world going to get access to this content?!?! IMHO this is what Apple should be focusing on right now. Screw video. I want access to all that content from Europe and Asia.

PS- OK don't screw video. . .
Click to expand...
Hear, hear! Bring on iTMS International. I'd even be willing to pay premium pricing (matching other countries' prices) if the content is good. And what easier and cheaper way is there to sell music internationally than through iTunes?
 
It's great, but

I hope all the sales of the iPod and iTMS will result in more people purchasing Macintosh computers.
 
"Major music label Sony Music Entertainment was
also amongst the latecomers due to disagreements
about the pricing."

that sounds like great news for apple.
seems like sony has other problems on their
plates these days dealing with rootkits and
DRMs and such.
 
camomac said:
"Major music label Sony Music Entertainment was
also amongst the latecomers due to disagreements
about the pricing."

that sounds like great news for apple.
seems like sony has other problems on their
plates these days dealing with rootkits and
DRMs and such.
Click to expand...
Exaclty.. and they're going to get curshed on PS3 sales with XBox 360 beating them to the punch by a long shot. Not a good time to own Sony stock, but a great time to own Apple stock.

Now if Apple could step an offer a great home media hub... Something to the likes of MythTV, but networkable through an entire house with all the goodness of iTunes sharing and much more.
 
Thanatoast said:
Hear, hear! Bring on iTMS International. I'd even be willing to pay premium pricing (matching other countries' prices) if the content is good. And what easier and cheaper way is there to sell music internationally than through iTunes?
Click to expand...

Yeah. I'd love to see that, but with trade restrictions and the likes it's probably never going to happen. I do think that Apple definitely needs to do more cross-pollination of music on iTunes. They just need to work out deals with the record labels. It would certainly save us the trouble of trying to track down foreign gift cards or foreign credit cards.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back