mutliple iTunes accounts in differnent countries?

[wannabeconvert]

So I just learned that as a U.S. resident with a U.S. credit card you can't buy music from the foreign iTunes stores. You can browse but you can't buy!

I also understand that that is something we can blame the record industry for and not necessarily Apple. Fine.

How can I fix this now? I am lucky enough to have a credit card from a foreign country that I am mostly intersted in in buying music from their national iTunes store. Can I do that? Can I jsut sign on as a different user in iTunes and buy additional music from a different country that way? Or will that mess up my settings and will those "foreign" songs than even play on my iPod (which I am in the process of buying if I don't find anything better...)?

OR: is there any other LEGAL store where you have a bigger variety than in the U.S. iTunes store? I'd be particular interested in buying music from Great Britain, Germany and Japan.

I will probably still buy most music on CD since everything else seems like a giant waste, but the occasional exotic song here or there would make the whole iPod/iStore experience way more useful.

 

[killmoms]

It's an issue with the nature of the record companies and licensing between countries. Essentially, U.S. record labels don't want you buying music from other countries because they don't get a cut. They justify it with copyright issues, but the worldwide treaty signed by all major industrialized nations regarding copyright already allows for copyright to hold weight in countries outside where it was registered. (I'm forgetting the name of that treaty, it's been a year since my copyright law course in college—way to atrophy, brain.)

In any event, if you have a credit card with a foreign billing address, you ought to be able to buy iTunes Store tracks from that country's store just fine. There won't be any issue with transferring it to your iPod or whatnot. The only other legal way to get foreign music is to buy and import the CD for ridiculous prices.

 

[theBB]

You also might be able to purchase iTunes giftcards purchased at the country of your choice on the internet, maybe eBay or even on the Marketplace forums.

 

[Bibulous]

I have wonder about this too

 

[wannabeconvert]

I respect the music/record industry's interests in that respect to a certain degree. I am all for free markets but it should also be the right of the seller to determine whom, what or where he or she is selling something. BUT - this does not make any sense when it comes to music that is just not available in other places. So what is the difference really for me to buy myself a bunch of CDs in a foreign country or buy them in a foreign iTunes store? Somebody wants to charge a premium for that? Fine. Go ahead. U.S. customs wnats some of it? Go ahead. Just let me buy what I want where it is available.

 

[wannabeconvert]

You also might be able to purchase iTunes giftcards purchased at the country of your choice on the internet, maybe eBay or even on the Marketplace forums.

Now that you mention it I wonder if a U.S. iPod will even play/store the song. I remember an episode where I gave a U.S. iTunes gift certificate to a U.S. resident whose iPod was bought in Canada by a Canadian with a Canadian credit card. The stupid thing would not load songs in the U.S. from the U.S. iPod store with the U.S. gift certificate bought in the U.S. with a U.S. credit card... But that was a while ago and I am not sure if that issue was resolved or not.

 

[Doctor Q]

The current iTunes Terms of Service say this in the U.S. and U.K.:

Purchases from the iTunes Store are available only in the United States and are not available in any other location. You agree not to use or attempt to use the service from outside of the available territory. Apple may use technologies to verify such compliance.

Purchases from the iTunes Store are available only in the UK. If you are not in the UK you may not use or attempt to use the service. iTunes may use technologies to verify such compliance.

They seem to be referrring to your physical location, not your billing adress, and not your citizenship.