I sure hope Apple has a big announcement planned for MWSF on this. It seems like the ultimate catch-22 . . . I would love to buy DRM free music, but I really hate the amazon store (its so much easier to find things in iTunes). However, if I keep buying from iTunes the labels might declare the DRM-free music "experiment" to be a failure because amazon failed to take significant market share from iTunes.
I have to believe that the labels' agreements with Amazon allows the labels to set the price (that's their complaint about iTunes). Thus, if I support DRM-free music at amazon I am giving into the labels' determination that I should pay more $$$$ for new releases (and if I don't, then we end up in the situation we have above).
If I do that, I am now paying $15-$17 to download a new album. Since I wouldn't pay that for a CD (I can go to Best Buy and buy it for $11.99, or less), I go and buy the CD. Variety? I'll go to
Atomic Records,
B-Side or the Exclusive Company (Who'da thunk that Wisconsin would have some good music stores?). This all kills amazon, and puts us back in the same situation with iTunes.
So the record companies want us to pay the same thing they charge us for CDs . . . why exactly? There's no cost associated with stamping the CD, No transportation charges. Sure, there's storage and bandwidth issues, but those are equal to overhead costs in brick and mortar stores. Maybe Trent Reznor is right . . .
/end rant
