Warner Music Considering Not Renewing Long-Term iTunes Contract

[redfirebird08]

"Hasn't made up for it," no, you're absolutely right, it hasn't made up for it. I didn't say that the music industry was "saved," I only said that the majors were "brought back from the brink." The brink of being left up the digital creek without the digital paddle. They moved slowly. Apple dragged them into the future, more or less against their will.

Apple was vindicated and the majors are still trying to beat Apple at the game Apple basically invented; the majors will probably wind up losing. THIS is why they aren't saved yet. The majors refuse to dance with the one that brought them. They're gonna get burned...and even if they win on the iTunes Store front (which I don't think they will) Apple STILL sells more iPods. It's a win/win-a-bit-less situation for Apple and a win/lose for the majors. They're electing to put themselves in danger of losing for no fathomable reason.

And anybody who thinks the iPod can't survive without the iTunes Store is flatly out of their minds. People don't buy iPods because they like the iTunes Store; it's the other way around. The iPod is the "gateway drug" for the aspiring Mac addict. iTunes is the next logical step AFTER the iPod, not before.

Ah, looks like I misunderstood what you were referencing. Thanks for clarification on what you meant by brink. I thought you meant brink of collapse, not just a digital clusterf*ck. In this case, I agree completely with you that Apple did save them from the brink of having one heck of a problem in digital distribution. It's still a massive problem and will continue to be one as long as illegal sharing goes on, but Apple did save them from even more disaster than they already have seen and currently are seeing.

I fully agree with you about iPods as well. The iPod is what gets people to use iTunes, and even then most people don't use iTunes very often. The average iPod supposedly has only 10% of its music purchased from iTunes. Most comes from legally bought CD's or from illegal downloads.

 

[thirdwaver]

I dont get it can somebody please answer me this...

Apples monopoly is accepted and worshipped but microsoft operating system and office is not?

Agreed, the double standard is so obvious and ridiculous. there are superior vehicles for purchasing music from smaller competitors but the fanboyism keeps them in denial. Lemmings I tell you

I think you both need to look up monopoly in the dictionary. This point has been made over and over but you folks choose to ignore the facts... Apple allows you to put almost any type of song you want (aside from Microsoft's proprietary formats) on your iPod. The only requirement they've had is that if you want to shop at the ITMS, you need to play it on an iPod (and that requirement came from the record companies since, at the time, it was nearly impossible to comply with their requirements without wrapping the song inside a DRM).

iPod owners are not required to shop at ITMS and even though ITMS (use to) require an iPod to play the songs, there were plenty of other options to get those same songs without ITMS... Hence, no monopoly. The only thing stopping more competitors to ITMS is the record companies' ridiculous demands which they seem to be waking up about (hence Amazon's DRM Free store).

There are an estimated 950,000 attorneys in the United States. The six degrees of separation theory says that you both probably know one of them. Why don't you go ask one of them if the Apple ITMS is a monopoly.

 

[MikeTheC]

It's always amazed me why people come to this board -- which is clearly a community for Mac users -- and then whine and bitch and complain about Apple's presence in the membership's lives, in the market place, and so forth.

Unless maybe it's just you flapping your lips so people will pay attention to you.

Yeah, that's gotta be it.

The iPod is a success and continues to be a success not because Apple is forcing it down anyone's throats, but because the majority of portable music player-using folks out there have and continue to choose it over everything else. That's the same reason why the iTunes app is "successful" and why the iTMS is successful and dominant. What part of this don't you folks get?

If you don't want to use an iPod and/or iTunes and/or iTMS, then by all mean don't. There are a number of other options out there to choose from, and if for you they are more palatable, then go that way.

 

[boss1]

Oh, c'mon people, what do you expect from an industry that promotes "artists" such as Britney Spears, J-Lo and the cretins who produce rap?....

why are those who produce rap cretins? I like rap And J-Lo is a hard working individual, she has a fan base that's willing to pay cash for her wether you personally disagree or not, she's sellable, so it only makes sense to allow her to continue to due business in entertainment.

We need to do something about the problem, folks, not just bitch about it.

What are you suggesting exactly? or is your post just part of the pointless ranting you infer to as not solving problems.

 

[PCMacUser]

why are those who produce rap cretins? I like rap And J-Lo is a hard working individual, she has a fan base that's willing to pay cash for her wether you personally disagree or not, she's sellable, so it only makes sense to allow her to continue to due business in entertainment.

Um, you mean 'continue to do business', don't you? North Americans pronounce 'do' and 'due' the same (unlike other English speaking countries), so this is often mistaken... I've also seen a lot of people say that they'll 'make due with something', where it's actually meant to be 'make do'. Just trying to help.

 

[bubblegum80]

It's always amazed me why people come to this board -- which is clearly a community for Mac users -- and then whine and bitch and complain about Apple's presence in the membership's lives, in the market place, and so forth.

Unless maybe it's just you flapping your lips so people will pay attention to you.

Yeah, that's gotta be it.

The iPod is a success and continues to be a success not because Apple is forcing it down anyone's throats, but because the majority of portable music player-using folks out there have and continue to choose it over everything else. That's the same reason why the iTunes app is "successful" and why the iTMS is successful and dominant. What part of this don't you folks get?

If you don't want to use an iPod and/or iTunes and/or iTMS, then by all mean don't. There are a number of other options out there to choose from, and if for you they are more palatable, then go that way.

You don't know how the music industry works, so go to university and learn.

 

[F.D.]

By 'bullying around' most mean that Jobs forced labels to allow individual song downloads instead of bundling (i.e. have to buy 10 crappy songs to get 1 good one ala CDs), and standard pricing.
In other words, he stood up for his customers.

Bully away, Steve.

Quite right