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Sony Has The Cards

Basically, Apple paid up in the end. Or it threatened Sony with bags of future hurt.

Result = iRadio + iAds = I won't be using it anyway.

Apple can't "threaten" Sony with anything. They want Sony content they have to pay for it. Not to mention a lot of labels don't like iTunes to begin with so they would not give Apple as much control on the iRadio thing as they did with iTunes.
 
Apple can't "threaten" Sony with anything. They want Sony content they have to pay for it. Not to mention a lot of labels don't like iTunes to begin with so they would not give Apple as much control on the iRadio thing as they did with iTunes.

To be clear, labels may not like iTunes, but it is their major source of income at this point. They can play hardball to a point, but they probably can't afford to sit on the sidelines either. Apple knows this and is good at exploiting it to get the deals done.

Go take a look at the e-mails that Jobs sent to publishers around ebooks days before the iPad introduction. He basically told them, "This is the deal. Here is why. Join us or die." We know how that turned out.
 
Yeah, not Understanding Why Apple is Doing This

I really dont get this. WTF! Apple should be worring about giving a MacMini that holds 10TB of data. WE already have Radio on iPod and we already have ANY MUSIC on the internet for FREE

I don't understand why Apple is spending so much time, money and energy on this when there are already 20 or 30 services that provide this. Can they do anything that would really be materially better than Rdio, Rhapsody, Music Unlimited, Pandora, Spotify, etc.? I'm curious to see what they do, but lately, they don't have the best track record with software - their Podcast app is horrible.
 
Not sure, but I hope it's integrated with iTunes, and they don't sacrifice the existing iTunes radio.
My station is currently listed in the iTunes Radio directory so I, too, hope it doesn't go away. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it did, though.
 
This would be pretty good.... Let's hope they go this route.

I would have no objections. I loved Lala. They could restore it as it was with perhaps only the switch that iTunes Match folks get like 3 plays not one and I'm okay. Double if there's no ads for Match members or we can kill them for like $5 more bucks.

Then just deal with the metadata issues in all of their shops.
 
As a stockholder, I hope they didn't cave just to make a conference date.

Negotiations like this aren't sporting events. There aren't winners or losers. There's a series of points that range in level of importance and it's a matter of which points you give in on in order to achieve points you really want.
 
To be clear, labels may not like iTunes, but it is their major source of income at this point. They can play hardball to a point, but they probably can't afford to sit on the sidelines either. Apple knows this and is good at exploiting it to get the deals done.

Go take a look at the e-mails that Jobs sent to publishers around ebooks days before the iPad introduction. He basically told them, "This is the deal. Here is why. Join us or die." We know how that turned out.

Turn out pretty bad for the publishers. I'm not sure of the point you're making. Snark not intended. I am really not sure of the point.
 
BMG is under increased pressure, now that UNIVERSAL, WARNER and SONY have all signed on. With two days to go, there's probably some intense last-minute negotiating going on as we speak, but with an agreement with 3 out of 4, there's a good chance APPLE will go ahead with iRadio on monday.
 
Turn out pretty bad for the publishers. I'm not sure of the point you're making. Snark not intended. I am really not sure of the point.

I'm not sure how it turned out badly for them. It turned the tides of the masses illegally downloading music and instead created an environment where people were willing to pay for it again.
 
I have a few thousand Shoutcast channels/stations running through my home theatre receiver and no ads. Don't pay a thing.

Don't want ads, and would happily pay to avoid them if I can choose the music.

There is no Koolaid here.

Tom
 
I hope it does. I hope it is Ping done the way it should have been all along. Opened to all artists with real sharing of more than just reviews but playlists etc.

Ping was great when it was Lala and had it come over full form it would have stood a chance. But for whatever reason it didn't and that was the iceberg that sunk it.

Better metadata combined with the connection data from Lala, Ping, iTunes Match and Genius would be a powerful and possibly 'killer' discovery tool.
Ping was never great at anything.
 
Ummm...I'm just spit-balling here but Microsoft, Sony, Google, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Rhapsody, Pandora, iHeartRadio, AOL, etc..

I really hope you are kidding and being sarcastic with your question.

Amazon, Netflix and Sony I agree. The rest ehhh. Spotify took a while to come to the U.S. iTunes gives Apple a lot of respect amongst the big four. Google meanwhile took a while to sign all four major music labels.

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Jobs would've closed these deals last year, and got better rates too.

Alas we're robbed of him. Excited to see what Jony can do though.
 
Profit Magins

I'm not sure how it turned out badly for them. It turned the tides of the masses illegally downloading music and instead created an environment where people were willing to pay for it again.

They may be selling a lot more but by the time Apple takes their cut, the profit margins are a lot smaller. So yes, from a publisher standpoint they didn't get as much out of the deal as they original thought. Primarily because it was new at the time so they were willing to give a try as an "experiment." Now they are stuck with the current pricing structure. I'm sure this is why they are being tougher this time around.

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Amazon, Netflix and Sony I agree. The rest ehhh. Spotify took a while to come to the U.S. iTunes gives Apple a lot of respect amongst the big four. Google meanwhile took a while to sign all four major music labels.

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Alas we're robbed of him. Excited to see what Jony can do though.

I hate fanboys, I really, really do. Your statement was that ONLY Apple could get this deal done. When clearly there are 10 or 20 other services that have been around for a few years now. So obviously they got a deal done faster and without all the "drama." The iphone has been out 5 years now and they are finally getting a radio app when no one was really asking for one? So revolutionary.....
 
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