Apple iTunes sells over 2 million songs in nearly two weeks, legal music can be done!

Recently Apple launched a website that allowed iTunes users to download and pay for music of the five major record labels and it seems to be a success story. Over 2 million people have downloaded and paid for the music that is offered on the service in only 16 days. However some users found a way to also download pirated music using the iTunes software, which is of course a big problem to the record companies

The music industry's response to the song-sharing function, first reported by the online publication CNet, has been tempered. Several record company executives said Apple briefed them in advance about the sharing feature, though they thought it would be confined to use on home networks.

Other executives emphasized that the success of Apple's Music Store, which sold more than 1 million downloadable songs in its first week, was more significant than the unexpected expansion of the sharing function to the Internet. These executives, who asked not to be named, are waiting to hear more from Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple about the issue.

The record labels should be happy with the sales of 2 million songs online, many other download services are still fighting to excist while the Apple service has proven itself. Apple offers the songs for 0.99 USD, and the files are restricted to play on 2 Macs.

Source: Sunspot.net

By Rhelic, Thu 15 May 2003 16:17

[reply]

Limited use? Don't be ignorant. You can play the tunes all you want, they don't "expire" like the RIAA wants DRM to allow. And you can burn them all you want (as long as you don't try to mass produce burnt copies by burning the same CD 10 times in a row). How can it get any better? Let's not forget that 99 cents is a great price as long as you get a 30sec preview before you buy a song (is Apple doing that?). Especially since when CD is usually 12 songs and 12 x 99 cents is not the 17 dollars stores charge... and if you can preview then you won't buy the songs you won't like.. so expect your band's new songs that you actually like to cost you like 4 dollars. You're never going to get legal & unrestricted MP3s off the net for like 5 dollars per CD in 320kbit quality with a LAME codec. Get off the idealistic thrown and take a good offer when it comes
[edited by Rhelic on 15.05.2003 16:19]

By Crabbyappleton, Thu 15 May 2003 16:46

[reply]

This idea is the best thing to come along yet. You can pick and choose what you want. In the fall it is my understanding that this service will be available for the windows platform. Three cheers for Apple and Steve Jobs. This could be the wave of the future. Smilie

By GristyMcFisty, Thu 15 May 2003 18:10

[reply]

Rhelic, you obviously havn't heard of shopping around... So you're paying 12 bucks for an average CD, add on the cost of the CD-R, CD Case, the materials to print a quality CD Label and case inserts and all of a sudden you're pushing on towards 17 bucks. If you really want to be pedantic add the cost of the electricity to run your PC during downloading and burning a CD, plus a percentage of the cost of your web link. Also take into account that any MP3 regardless of bitrate is compressed and therefore there will always be a degree of degradation; even though on many hi-fi systems or playback devices you might not notice it. You've then got a product costing the thicker end of 17 bucks, that's not as good as the original, for not very much less than an original. Therefore this service is hardly good value for money. And ofcourse it's restricted "and the files are restricted to play on 2 Macs." Hey you may well have bought into it for a dollar, but I certainly won't be buying into it for a dollar! Perhaps try 50 cents...

By dentman42, Thu 15 May 2003 22:55

[reply]

Hmm...2 million and it's restricted to Macs? I suspect there is quite a bit of shilling going on here to make it look like the service is a success. The limited selection makes me even more skeptical. Let's see where it stands in 6 months or a year. Hmm...maybe each Mac had a 32x CD burner and therefore counts as selling 8 songs? :-D
[edited by dentman42 on 15.05.2003 22:56]

By Ytsejamer1, Fri 16 May 2003 18:39

[reply]

Interesting...I wonder what the sound quality is like. Also...are the artists getting a cut from these tracks. I have a funny feeling that the $$ is going in both Apple and the music company's pocket without any going to the artist. I don't know for sure, but I remember that huge lawsuit (100s of millions) the record companies won and never read anything from any artist or newsource saying that a piece of that pie went to the actual artists that the companies were trying to "protect". But aside, it's good to see a successful business in this economy. It kind of undermines the RIAA's big stink about all music sales are down due to pirates...these "pirates" are buying music...as was likely all other file swappers.

By onlinetracker, Mon 19 May 2003 00:05

[reply]

Its a great deal, at 99 cents a song, I get what I want at a reasonable cost. There are rarely 12+songs on a CD that are worthwhile to the normal listener, a fan will call every Eminem song great. [cough] Anyway, I'd rather pay 6 bucks for 6 songs, and be able to rip them when/where I want. If this service hits the PC market, you can bet your ass that someone will create a patch that will let you rip the file out of the interface and into a format best suited for burning at any time. Prediction: Slow Death

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