iTMS Now Available in the UK, France & Germany

[iLilana]

i don't know if this was posted yet

yet another online music dl service in canada beats apple to the punch.

FURUESHOP Bonfire
actully its part of puretracks but they are now associated with Futureshop (division of bestbuy or some huge american electronics store)

 

[~Shard~]

yet another online music dl service in canada beats apple to the punch.

FURUESHOP Bonfire
actully its part of puretracks but they are now associated with Futureshop (division of bestbuy or some huge american electronics store)

Yah, I know what you mean - if these others services can do it, why can't Apple? Ah well, guess I'll have to keep waiting until Apple gets its act together!

 

[groovebuster]

At first I was a little bit excited, but now I am disappointed!

Who cares for the same catalog, that is already available in the US? The store features almost no german artists, only a few of the more famous ones, but still a lot of them are missing. And even from the artists that are available in the store you sometimes only get one song... Woohoo!

I bet it will be the same for the french people! A lot of productions you never even heard of in the US are in the charts here. As long as the store is not adapting to the "local" needs of the customers, it will never be succesful.

Bad start!

groovebuster

 

[DMann]

Give it some time!

At first I was a little bit excited, but now I am disappointed!

Who cares for the same catalog, that is already available in the US? The store features almost no german artists, only a few of the more famous ones, but still a lot of them are missing. And even from the artists that are available in the store you sometimes only get one song... Woohoo!

I bet it will be the same for the french people! A lot of productions you never even heard of in the US are in the charts here. As long as the store is not adapting to the "local" needs of the customers, it will never be succesful.

Bad start!

groovebuster

This is the first day. Gradually, German, French, and other Euro-artists
will join the club, once the membership momentum starts rolling....

 

[coolfactor]

Sorry, this is somewhat off-topic, but given the discussion already underway here regarding currency, I have a question of my own.
Thanks!

In Canada, our one dollar coin is called the "Loonie" because it has a Loon duck on the front, so natually when we got the two dollar coin, it became known as the "Toonie" (two loonies).

Can't wait to see what name they come up with for the rumored five dollar coin.

 

[sinclairZX81]

Just to be pedantic;
As an Englishman in the US I know how you guys think everything is Bigger and Better here - but a real (Imperial) gallon (like we have in the rest of the world) is Bigger than a US gallon - 1 US Gallon = 0.8327 Imperial Gallon.
So technically the US $2.50 a gallon is more like $3.00 a gallon.

Except gallons, Imperial or not are not used in 'the rest of the world.' Only the US clings to the archaic British measurement system, a source of constant irritation to this, thoroughly European, Englishman also living in the US.

$7 in the UK still hurts, but its nothing compared to clothes, electronics etc etc

Ah, but the fashions are so much better.

I think the UK should dump Europe and sign up for the $ and US taxes - looking forward to the GBP 0.55 iTunes track.

Uh... no. Even if it is a joke. No.

Started converting my family in the UK to Macs - but they are really getting impatient for the mini iPods..............

So send them some. They recharge thorugh Firewire so its no problem. My best friend and my niece both went home with 'minis' after visiting.

 

[coolfactor]

Who cares about Canada! Obviously not Apple!

Ah, gotta love the expression of your brilliance. Thank you for sharing, NOT!

 

[macbantam]

SIMPLY NOT TRUE!!!

Where do they get this about us in the UK being able to choose from the "whole catalogue"? It's simply NOT TRUE!
It doesn't take long to find thousands of songs/artists not available to us. And if you try to buy the song from the US store, you aren't allowed.

This is ridiculous.

We can walk into a high street music shop and buy music recorded in America, so why can't we buy it on the iTMS?

And one of the reasons I have been eagerly awaiting the launch, counting the days, is to get access to back-catalogues to replace my ageing vinyls.

VERY disappointed.
And I so wanted to be saying Apple had delivered again!

 

[macbantam]

Anyone tried?

Has anyone tried (or is anyone in a position to try) buying an iTMS Gift Certificate in the UK, and sending it to a friend in the USA, and seeing if he/she can redeem it in the US store?

 

[cube]

amazon.de is better

Completely wrong...

The Calling - Two
Amazon.de : 14.99
iTMS: 9.99

And free shipping at amazon starts at 20 Eur....

amazon.de:

Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits: 4.97
Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms: 6.66
Bob Marley - Survival: 6.66
Linkin Park - Reanimation: 7.77
Lenny Kravitz - Lenny: 7.99
Anthrax - We've come for you all: 8.99
Evanescence - Fallen: 9.97

and hundreds more

and of course, you always buy at least 20 EUR worth of CDs together..

 

[Montserrat]

Hmm

Finally got home to browse iTMS.

Still happy about the price - be good when I want the occasional song, but I probably won't buy too much as £7.99 is probably the average I spend on my CDs anyway.

I am disappointed by the lack of artists and number of errors when you select things, but as has been pointed out this is early days and there are bound to be hitches. The engineers must of had quite a difficult time what with the indie labels backing out last minute, so I wouldn't be surprised if Euro iTMS is rock solid in a couple of weeks.

Now, Jobsie, lets get full UK/Euro implementation of Sherlock

 

[asif3]

iTunes support is very good btw - I emailed them at about 9.30 last night and I got a personalised reply at about 9.56.

I asked them if they were still adding music - they said:

The iTunes Music Store is currently updating certain files. We appreciate your patience, apologize for any inconvenience, and hope that you enjoy the available music selections.

Also, when buying a song, do you get charged 79p ont he invoice or 70p + 17.5%? Thats a question for the UK buyers.

Thanks.

 

[johngordon]

Well - I've stopped buying for the day!!

I've bought some tracks that I've not heard for years, some that I would never have listened to and an album that I could have bought for about the same price as iTMS, but would have had to wait a couple of days.

My opinion is - I love it ... flaws and all.

ditto - i browsed the US store last week, and scribbled a list of about 180 tracks in excel - lot of stuff from the 80s, or some predictable rock, ahem, classics - stuff like some rainbow tracks, patience and sweet child o mine by guns'n'roses, but of early iron maiden - doubt i would ever need whole albums, but there are a lot of great songs out there - perhaps made more appealing years later, in a *haven't heard them for years, and they have some nostalgia appeal now* kind way.

also a load of stuff off prince's early albums - *when u were mine*, *i wana be your lover*, *dirty mind* etc and a whole heap of odd tracks here and there.

so managed to download 105 tracks last night - although dissapointing that so many were missing that were in the US store. especially where an artist is listed, but then there's no content. i saw throwing muses for example - only have years old tapes, and would certainly d/l a few of theirs. also spotted hipsway - scottish band from the 80s who were largely crap, but did have this one great track *the honey thief* - but it wasn't there. anyway - from what people are saying, it sounds like its hopefully all just coming online, and maybe a week from now it'll look a lot fuller.

Iain

 

[sunmade]

ok Stevie

the iTMS is based in Luxembourg due to great taxes etc...

now when can we luxemburgians buy songs???

Come on, I don't want to steal anything ;D

I hope it will be soon..looking forward to it!

 

[Colonel Panik]

I thought customers in the UK (and in the rest of Europe) would pay the Luxembourg tax, because the store is based in Luxembourg? See my previous post. In the EU you pay VAT in the country of the seller's residence, as opposed to the US where VAT is raised according to the buyer's residence.

if that was true, then when I buy from Amazon.de I wouldn't have to pay extra for the higher Austrian VAT rate, and I do. So, either Amazon is ripping me off, or you pay VAT according to where you purchase the item. I.e. if I purchase an item when I'm ordering from Austria, then I pay the Austrian VAT, even if I buy from Germany. However, if I go to Germany and then buy the item, then I just pay the German VAT.

 

[Colonel Panik]

I'm feeling pretty insulted that the Americans, French and Germans are all paying 65p for a song, while here in the UK we're expected to pay 79p. And that's taking into account taxes. That's just not even funny. No way in hell am I shopping at the iTunes Music Store UK. My business will continue to go to play.com and AllofMP3.

J

Well, the cost of living in the UK is higher than most other countries. And I guess that's reflected in the prices. It doesn't always translate down to wages, but it's one expensive place.

 

[Applespider]

Has anyone tried (or is anyone in a position to try) buying an iTMS Gift Certificate in the UK, and sending it to a friend in the USA, and seeing if he/she can redeem it in the US store?

Doubt it'll work. I was sent an iTMS UK certificate as a birthday present and it says on it that it is only redeemable in the UK iTMS

 

[caveman_uk]

One thing I've discovered is that you have to have the correct name for your county. I live in Hertfordshire - which is commonly abbreviated to 'Herts' - iTMS wouldn't let me buy anything until I entered the full name not the short one. I was reading on the Macworld UK forums that Londoners were having problems. I guess the county is 'Greater London' not 'London'

 

[hansen]

Not what we have been waiting for

we think this is the digital music store that Europe has been waiting for

I think not. Not available in most of Europe. Not representing the many small and independent labels of Europe. We do not need another mainstream music channel. I can open the radio for that.

Digital music for download presents an opportunity to provide new, experimental, unknown, whatever music to a lot of people at justified costs. Why ignore this opportunity by short-sighted profit strategy that has already proven wrong by the big companies in shrinking cd sales. The distribution through iTMS costs next to nothing. Big volume downloads will provide a continous revenue stream. New talents doesn't sell big in the beginning but a few will eventually - but it starts small. With iTMS it is economically feasible to start small and be discovered. The focus on profit here-and-now ignores the long term growth perspective completely.

 

[russed]

the UK store is dissapointing - there isnt one song that i want they have all the ones on the US store but not in the UK - grrr!

 

[hansen]

I thought customers in the UK (and in the rest of Europe) would pay the Luxembourg tax, because the store is based in Luxembourg? See my previous post. In the EU you pay VAT in the country of the seller's residence, as opposed to the US where VAT is raised according to the buyer's residence.

Within the EU I think that for companies that are below a certain revenue limit you pay the tax for the country where the company is situated. If a company is above the revenue limit they have to collect tax corresponding to the country of the buyer

 

[Savage Henry]

the UK store is dissapointing - there isnt one song that i want they have all the ones on the US store but not in the UK - grrr!

Yeah, but I still can't get in cos my ISP at home blows chunks - grrr!

And despite all the negativity the announcement has produced, I still think the service will be better than the others out there. I will give it time to breath, but then I am very benevolent towards Apple.

 

[punkinseattle]

uh

its about time dont ya think.

 

[Montserrat]

Taxes

Why can't people pay proper income tax in the UK, like the rest of Europe, then we wouldn't get screwed each time we buy something.

Bloody Thatcher, started the ball rolling now we can't go back. NO state support, crappy privatised trains, telecoms, utilities. Now more expensive iTunes just to cap it off.

I'm off to France.

 

[kettle]

Why can't people pay proper income tax in the UK, like the rest of Europe, then we wouldn't get screwed each time we buy something.

Bloody Thatcher, started the ball rolling now we can't go back. NO state support, crappy privatised trains, telecoms, utilities. Now more expensive iTunes just to cap it off.

I'm off to France.

Do you really think that the cost of running country/government will magically become cheaper if VAT was replaced with more income tax?

Enjoy France.