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iTunes Store turns 5: Can anyone break its dominance?

tgdaily.com — Apple's digital music store just celebrated its fifth anniversary and a Cinderella-like run so far.

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  • MurphyMac, on 04/30/2008, -6/+29With millions of iPods sold it's too easy to forget how many iPod users are NOT techies, and it'll take something like NBC leaving iTMS to get them looking elsewhere. Otherwise they'll keep coming back to iTunes. Many of them haven't noticed the DRM and don't care about saving a dime per song.
    The lack of movie rentals is a concern. And the 24 hour rental terms. But it looks like NBC will be back, since they haven't found a way to provide video content for the millions of iPod users who want it.
    It's hard to explain the reaction of the music industry and Hollywood to iTunes. They can't possibly be that stupid, but their maneuvers resemble panic.
    • nycmac247, on 04/30/2008, -6/+5:They can't possibly be that stupid:
      HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
    • foolishfool, on 04/30/2008, -7/+2"Cinderella"-like? I don't remember Cinderella being a story about market dominanace. How about "Monopoly Man"-like
      • abhiroop, on 04/30/2008, -4/+3Your name is very appropriate. What the description means is that it started out as nothing, and then it has grown very rapidly, almost magically, like Cinderella, it isn't a direct metaphor.
      • shortyjacobs, on 04/30/2008, -2/+5What does your Cinderella comment have to do with MurphyMac's comment?
    • astrosmash, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2Never ask a techie about music, they'll always give you a stupid answer.
  • krisscofield, on 04/30/2008, -11/+68Pirate Bay?
    • ileftfark, on 04/30/2008, -6/+4I hope not... where do you think we get many of the original files from?

      The more people buying stuff from iTunes = the more can be shared.
      • KibibyteBrain, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1No, the artists will make recordings no matter what. Look at all the small independent bands in your town who aren't published in stores or on iTunes who still pay to have their songs recorded in a studio for publicity. Basically, the purpose of a music recording to most bands/artists is to be an advertisement for their concerts and merchandising. For decades they have actually gotten people to pay a small sum for the recordings too, but it wouldn't matter either way.
        And in terms of where the files come from CDs or sometimes frankly recording engineers themselves. Look at all the high quality live rips from soundboards out there...
    • illt, on 04/30/2008, -3/+4what cd?
      oh...i get it, haha WAFFLES!!!!
    • fowleryo, on 04/30/2008, -0/+4Has anyone compared the amount of music pirated vs. the amount of music downloaded from iTunes... or other online music stores as a whole? I'd be interested to see who comes out on top..
      • KibibyteBrain, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1Something tells me it is much bigger just looking at average leeching going on at any given time and sort of pondering the integral at that rate in your mind. But something also tells me that The Pirate Bay is not too big of keeping statistics or information of any kind around, for the best...
    • Senj, on 04/30/2008, -0/+0Their back-catalog stinks
  • sindex, on 04/30/2008, -7/+5"I must break you."
    • dangerdooms, on 04/30/2008, -0/+4Dugg for getting the quote right. All my friends think it's "I will break you..."
  • GreyColumbus, on 04/30/2008, -14/+6Hold the ***** phone. People still BUY music?
    • LightSpeed4, on 04/30/2008, -11/+13yes, *****
      • luchid, on 04/30/2008, -4/+1Ohhh a homophobic slur. How redneck-ish of you. You should read this:

        http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retri ...
      • AceyS, on 04/30/2008, -4/+2Unless I'm missing a reference, how the hell does someone get up to +3 diggs with a derogatory slur towards homosexuals? This isn't "Insert a regionally well known area infamous for ignorance, hatred and/or stupidity" or "some historical era representative of similar properties."
    • orangefly, on 04/30/2008, -2/+6just good music....i wont waste money on something i'm not sure about....
    • astrotrain, on 04/30/2008, -0/+6yes, purchase good drm free music. Amazon and EMusic offer DRM free tunes.
      • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2DRM-free is always better. But remember while Apple created FairPlay, it was the only way the studios at the time would allow their content to be sold online. Now they offer it DRM-free on Amazon and other sites, but won't allow it on iTunes.
        If they REALLY want to break Apple's dominance in players and online sales, they're taking the wrong path. By forcing Apple to use DRM, they assure that the next player an iTunes customer will buy will be an iPod. If it was ALL DRM-free, then maybe the next time they would choose a different player since they could move their content to anything else that can play iTunes AAC files (which is most of the better players).
        Keep forcing Apple to use DRM on your content big studios, Steve Jobs laughs all the way to the bank.
  • bumcheekcity, on 04/30/2008, -13/+7Torrents? Hell yes.
  • mntbikeracer1, on 04/30/2008, -12/+9And it will continue to dominate because the mass majority of consumers are stupid and don't even know what DRM is.
    • meruru, on 04/30/2008, -8/+23I know what DRM is and frankly I don't care about iTunes' DRM. It hasn't stopped me from doing anything I want with my files (play them on my PC, load them into my Shuffle, and burn them to CDs). Until I actually have a problem with the DRM I will continue to not care about it. iTunes users aren't all idiots
      • JupiterSSJ4, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3TuneBite ftw
      • MarkusX, on 04/30/2008, -1/+3But you SHOULD care about it. Content providers drop their crappy DRM as they like it and when they do, your songs are stuck on the devices they were last transferred to. Essentially when that happens, you preciously puchased songs die with your old computer/iPod when you buy a new one.
        Haven't you read the latest Micro$oft DRM news? They dropped support for their PlayForSure DRM formerly used on MSN Music (see: http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/37087/118/ ).
        Unbelievably, Microsoft encourages their customers to commit a crime when they suggest to "burn the DRM ridden songs on a audio CD and then rip them back on your computer".
        What do you think will Apple do, when they drop their DRM crap.
        Why is it on the music in the first place?

        DRM is the worst invention in the world !
        • wacomwacoff, on 04/30/2008, -3/+3Apple already dropped DRM, months ago.
          • vypergts, on 04/30/2008, -3/+5If by "Apple" you mean EMI and by "dropped," you mean on a few songs and charged more for drm-free, then yes.
          • wacomwacoff, on 04/30/2008, -1/+3Apple's DRM-free option, iTunes Plus, is available to any music label, including any independent record label or musician. Any musician can sell their music on iTunes without DRM if they want to, but so far, the only major label to use it is EMI.

            If by "a few songs" you mean "1/3 of the catalog of the largest music store in the world", then yes.
          • bizarrojack, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1You just said they dropped DRM, and then went on to explain how they did not drop DRM.
            I'm just being a picky bastard. You're alright with me, anyway, man.
        • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+5Actually you can have up to 5 computers linked to the same iTunes account. Since most people don't have 5 computers, it easy to just activate your new one, import your library, and you're good to go. Then, just deactivate your old one.
          It's good news that MSN Music lets you burn your content to a CD and then re-import it DRM-free. Just like iTunes has for years.
          • MarkusX, on 04/30/2008, -1/+05 computers, yes, as long as your computer knows what to do with the DRM. But what happens when Apple (like Microsoft and Sony before with their 'Atrac') doesn't support their DRM anymore.
            Then you can't tranfer the music to your new computer, because your new computer doesn't understand the DRM anymore and doesn't know how to unlock it.
            Read Microsoft's own words: '"If you attempt to transfer your songs to additional computers after August 31, 2008, those songs will not successfully play," said Microsoft in an e-mail.' (Quote from above article about MS PlayForSure DRM).
          • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2Since Apple has most of the market and content providers still insist they use DRM, at what point do you think they'll stop supporting FairPlay? Currently if you have previously purchased DRMed songs and a version without it available, you can get the one without DRM.
      • MarkusX, on 04/30/2008, -2/+1Oh... and MOST people DON'T know what DRM is or what exactly it does.
    • abhiroop, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2The whole DRM argument is similar to linux users religious debate over emacs and vi. To the average user who has an iPod it does not matter! Why pay more for a non-drm track?
      • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1It's a good thing that they don't, then.
    • wacomwacoff, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3iTunes doesn't use DRM in its high-quality files.
  • JupiterSSJ4, on 04/30/2008, -5/+18I use iTunes because nothing else (none of the other 3rd party programs) work as well and are as integrated with my iPod. I have never used iTunes to purchase music but I like its ability to add covers to my music and other organization abilities and it has become my main music program, although even on my fast laptop, 6000 songs makes it run a little slow.
    • DaveMN, on 04/30/2008, -5/+1I thought as you do until I discovered MediaMonkey (http://www.mediamonkey.com/). If you don't need video support, this is the best thing going. Not a resource hog like iTunes, and I can easily sych my iPod.
      • DaveMN, on 04/30/2008, -2/+3Sorry about the link: here's the correct one: http://www.mediamonkey.com
        • vypergts, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3I tried mediamonkey and it took FOREVER to load my songs. It's still installed but whenever I use it, my system just hangs (AMD 5600, 4GB DDR-800). I really want to like this program but I hate having to wait around for it to work. Miro for podcasts, however is WAY better than iTunes.
        • luchid, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1That's one ugly app.
      • JupiterSSJ4, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3I used avarok (i think it was called) and songbird (i think) and media monkey and most didn't work correctly or work with last.fm's audioscrobbling
    • ExSlashdotter, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3I have to say, the performance of iTunes can leave something to be desired (my iTunes library is >600GB).

      But then again, I really haven't found a flow thats easier than torrents -> iTunes -> AppleTV.

      And before you anti-pirate people start digging me down, I have no problem paying for content. I *do* have a huge problem with buying DRM-restricted content. If iTunes was DRM-free, it would be my one-stop-shop more than likely.
    • SilverNakamura, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2iTunes seems to run alright on my computer and I've got 11,000+ songs in it.
  • LightSpeed4, on 04/30/2008, -11/+61Amazon.com
    • BurnTees, on 04/30/2008, -5/+7we'll have to see...right now their market-share is nothing
    • pseudo.hero, on 04/30/2008, -1/+11I love amazon.com music store. I think in many regards better than iTMS with it's easy to use system. Download and automatically added, no freakin issues with transferring or sharing to other computers.
    • NebCanuck, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2I'd probably have moved towards them, or some other music site that allows Mp3 downloads rather than the restricted Apple ones (I don't have an iPod), but I haven't found a good music store that allows for purchases in Canada. The only two are iTunes and Napster, and since both are restricted to a format my Palm Pilot doesn't play, I'm stuck with burning and ripping iTunes files, which come far cheaper than Napster.
      Hopefully rights open up in Canada about these things!
      • Amazetbm, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2I've been pretty happy with them, so far. A lot of the stuff that I would normally in iTunes is duplicated in Amazon.com so I end up buying from them.
    • superkendall, on 04/30/2008, -0/+9Even though Amazon.com has a great store, it's also an example of the value of proximity to sales - the Amazon store has very little in sales compared to iTunes still, not because people do not want DRM free music but simply because it's easier to buy where you are managing your music from - or right on the device itself, now that they have the ITMS on the iPhone/Touch! I have to admit that even I have given up going to the Amazon store for what music I purchase, as I just figure now it'll all be upgraded to iTunes Plus sooner or later...
    • darkism, on 04/30/2008, -9/+2I hope you're suggesting using Amazon.com to buy actual CDs. Because paying for something intangible is just dumb.
      • danielsan1701, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3How is purchasing digital music transcribed on a perishable, breakable plastic disc any better than purchasing digital music transcribed on my hard disk? Especially when buying singles? Don't even try the cover art/booklet argument, either, I can't look at either while driving or at the gym.
        • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1...because you can pretty much always get the CD as cheap, AND make infinite, unrestricted, digital copies of it (at full quality if you want), AND have everything else?
      • imikedaman, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2The only thing tangible about an audio CD is the disc itself, and that's worth what, two cents? The music is just as intangible as always. If you buy music tracks online, you have the option to purchase only the tracks you like instead of having the buy the entire album at the store.
        • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1The music is basically just as cheap. It's also full-quality instead of crimped. You also have the physical extras, any included non-song disk extras (which is reasonably common), the ability to play it in a CD player in places which have no line in to hook up your media player...

          The true advantages of the digital medium are in immediacy (I won't even say "convenience," because getting something mailed to you is no less convenient than downloading it, it's just slower) and indeed the ability to purchase only specific tracks and ACTUALLY save money. Last time it was mentioned, though, it seemed 50%+ of people's digital purchases were of full albums anyway, though, so a substantial percentage of it is exactly the same as buying the CD... but worse.
      • Amazetbm, on 04/30/2008, -2/+1You mean like paying for your yearly subscription to your virus protection software of choice? Those virus definitions aren't delivered in a box.
    • ByrcheWroot, on 04/30/2008, -1/+7Likewise. I've started using it as opposed to recently. DRM is for suckers.
    • Senj, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1Amazon's store is nice enough (if you live in the US), but it's an enlarged prostate addled piss compared to the ocean that is iTMS' sales volume.
      You or I may like it, but it is patently /not/ breaking Apple's dominance in this space.
  • FozzDog, on 04/30/2008, -3/+4Well I download from bit torrent and if I like it I will purchase it, but carry on using the DRM free version. There aren't many TV shows to buy/rent here in the Uk though :(
    • kraftj, on 04/30/2008, -3/+2So, let me get this straight: you illegally download the song w/ bittorrent, listen to it, and IF you like it THEN you decide to go pay for it, but keep using the DRM free "illegal" copy you have? Let me be the first to call ...

      *****.
      • FozzDog, on 05/02/2008, -0/+1Yes actually, I like supporting artists I like... I wouldn't listen to nearly as much new music if I didn't download it first, I'm not paying for something I haven't sampled.
        And as for carrying on using the non DRM versions yes, I hate being restricted in what I can and cannot do with something that I own.

        Thanks anyway
  • voodoochild461, on 04/30/2008, -14/+7Seriously, who doesn't know about torrents?
    • zzz@tkz, on 04/30/2008, -5/+14People who actually support the artists that they listen to.

      *****.
    • nycmac247, on 04/30/2008, -7/+3people who work for a living and dont have time to make love to their computers?
    • davidlow, on 04/30/2008, -1/+4What's a torrent?
    • logan074, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3A lot of people know about them but they believe in paying to receive something. I know about stealing gas too, but I don't.
    • exscind, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1I'm stealing your thunder.
  • Dunhamzzz, on 04/30/2008, -4/+6Anything that syncs with my ipod but doesn't make me have to install quicktime wins...
    • BloodInsomnia, on 04/30/2008, -3/+3Songbird works well. Just download songbird and the addon for ipod interface ability and your good to go. Now you know that iTunes converts some music into ipod friendly formats, but if you run into any of those problems there are other free converters you can use. I just like the whole no quicktime stuff, along with the bad ass little bird that rummages through your music. Anywho heres a link for it http://www.songbirdnest.com/ [Mozilla based]
      • Tyr7BE, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2Why are you being buried? Songbird's great!
  • OrangeCrush, on 04/30/2008, -2/+11Easy as pie. Just release a more stylish and easier to use media player with a relatively reasonably priced music store with a vast and fairly comprehensive selection. It helps if your company already has a reputation for making fashionable gadgets.
  • turbopro, on 04/30/2008, -4/+11Yes I have an ipod, but I choose to buy my music from amazon. I can put my Amazon music where I want, be it my ipod, or any other MP3 player out there. Itunes is to restricting.
    • tadpoleontheweb, on 04/30/2008, -2/+4That's great if you live in the United States. Otherwise, that's not relevant to anyone else.
  • freshgrease, on 04/30/2008, -3/+8So because something is popular, works well enough with the most popular MP3 players (Apple), and has had success for this long....we must break it/find an alternative. Whatever happened to "If it isn't broken, don't fix it."? It may not be perfect, but for Ipods it is king,
    • nekochan, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1also, for macs. i'd welcome an itunes alternative for macs. songbird is close, but sluggish.
    • skidooer, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2iTunes is fine, but I'm sure we can do a lot better. Why settle?
  • cadmiumpaint, on 04/30/2008, -2/+8I know all about DRM. I'm pretty tech savy. I still use iTunes. Its easy. I only listen to music via my iPod whether its in my car or at home...so its not really a big deal for me. Its the easiest legal solution that I use.
    • astrotrain, on 04/30/2008, -6/+2Now just remember when you quit iTunes, all that music you have on your iPod will be useless. Apple will yank your right to play music as soon as you click the cancel account button.
      • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+4When you "quit" iTunes? If you mean quiting the program, that's nonsense. If you mean uninstalling the program and have an iPod, that's just crazy. If you insist on getting rid of the program, then take anything purchased with FairPlay and burn it to a CD. Re-import it to whatever you want to use as your library for whatever player you prefer and you're done.
        Let me ask you something, if you have a music subscription and you cancel it, what happens to all those songs? POOF!
        Anything purchased without DRM in iTunes will still be there and will play in any player than does AAC. Any DRMed songs, yes you must get rid of the DRM first and if you don't and then cancel your account, then why should I apologize or feel sorry for you when you did something colossally stupid?
      • cadmiumpaint, on 04/30/2008, -0/+4um no. do you not know how iPods and iTunes work?....i don't think you do.
      • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1The truth is out there...! (Just not in your post.)

        (Mmm... X-Files movie...)
  • giraffedude, on 04/30/2008, -3/+10I still miss OiNK :(
  • Kireblade, on 04/30/2008, -2/+12I prefer low cost non-DRM mp3 stores like AmazonMP3. Whether other people will wise up or not is a different story.
    • tadpoleontheweb, on 04/30/2008, -1/+8So what if you live outside the US?
    • abhiroop, on 04/30/2008, -4/+2low cost? Its cheaper than 0.99 a song???
      • danielsan1701, on 04/30/2008, -1/+3Some songs are actually 0.89, and they don't get you for the $0.01 tax like Apple can if they have a store in your state.
      • astrotrain, on 04/30/2008, -2/+7Its DRM free... and you OWN it once you pay for it. Unlike iTunes in which your "renting" your music. And you don't have to tell Amazon where and what you will be playing your tunes on. Again unlike Apple you have to tell Jobbs what you will be playing your rented music on.
        • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3Do you actually read what you write before you hit the "Submit" button? Much of iTunes is DRM-free which you can play on any compatible player. It ridiculously easy to remove the DRM from the others. How are you "renting" it?
        • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1It's the studios who've been telling people what to do with their music. Apple, in fact, snagged an annoyingly liberal DRM policy early on that the labels objected to, since they certainly worked out more restrictive DRM everywhere else.

          Meanwhile, it's Apple's stance and statements on the matter that finally got the "Big Four" to blink, and EMI blinked on iTunes first. First at a premium, and then dropped to the standard rate--both before Amazon MP3 launched. And the only reason that Universal/Sony/Warner are not offering their songs DRM-free on iTunes is because it's the last piece of leverage they've got to try force competition and reduce Apple's influence over them.

          As such, I certainly wouldn't buy Amazon MP3 songs from the three big RIAA labels, because they're not openly licensing their DRM-free tracks, but are still playing the kind of monkey-***** games they were when they caused the DRM debacle to begin with.


          Also, you certainly well own the music you purchase from iTunes. The only "rental" music is those with auto-expiring DRM attached, which iTunes music certainly does not have.
      • imikedaman, on 04/30/2008, -0/+4Yes, yes it is. All you had to do was go to Amazon.com and check.

        http://www.amazon.com/Madonna/dp/B000QJP7VW/ref=pd ...

        Each song is 89 cents.
    • wacomwacoff, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2iTunes doesn't use DRM in its high-quality files.
      • mlavergn, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2... which account for about 5% of available iTunes music store content. I have several Macs, I have an iPhone, I like iTunes, I like the iTunes store, but I don't like the non-DRM selection. Yeah, the DRM is non-intrusive, but I refuse to support the concept, so I shop the Amazon MP3 store 99% of the time.
        • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1Try more like 1/3rd.

          Of course if you go by "desired tracks" then it certainly seems like a lot less, since a lot of the music people want comes out of the Universal/Sony/Warner libraries (rather than EMI and the independents), and they're still playing games with their DRM-free licensing.
  • nads, on 04/30/2008, -2/+4No one will break its dominance when you have companies like Microsoft, Virgin, MLB providing DRM services and then pissing off after a while abandoning its customers.

    Someone needs to come up with a intuitive media manager that will automatically synch with any media device not just restricted to itunes. People will buy, but not when they have to work for it.
  • FredFredrickson, on 04/30/2008, -0/+34I buy all my music from Amazon now. MP3 file format, no DRM (aside from the "watermark" thing), and a nice selection of tunes that's usually cheaper than iTunes. Love it.
    • becknell, on 04/30/2008, -0/+6Same. I've gotten everything from there recently, and I've usually been able to find everything barring one or two obscure albums.
    • BurnTees, on 04/30/2008, -0/+13is amazon just not marketing this correctly? most people are completely unaware of amazon's mp3 marketplace
    • BossKey, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2I've heard some people have issues about the sound quality compared to iTunes, I assume you're quite satisfied but what do you think of it?

      I'll probably start buying from Amazon until iTunes opens up its selection of non-DRM tracks.
      • danielsan1701, on 04/30/2008, -0/+7Amazon has a higher bitrate than non-Plus tracks on iTunes.
        • BossKey, on 05/01/2008, -1/+1I didn't ask about bit rate, I asked about sound quality. The reason that's an issue is because I've also read claims that iTunes AAC at a given bit rate can sound just as good as MP3 at a higher bit rate. So I'm supposing that simply listing bit rates may not be a reliable way to answer this question.
      • FredFredrickson, on 04/30/2008, -0/+7Amazon does indeed have a higher bitrate than non-Plus tracks, and they're generally cheaper than non-Plus tracks as well. They use joint-stereo, but from what I've read about the technology, it's not a quality detractor.
  • gquaglia, on 04/30/2008, -7/+3Nope
  • mailbox01, on 04/30/2008, -5/+3Zune, MCE, Fairuse/Handbrake. Everything I need from Music, TV Shows, Movies/DVD's, Podcasts and soon games.
    • jbmcb, on 04/30/2008, -2/+1MCE is a bit -- heavy -- if you just want to move music onto your player. Not that it affects the fifteen people who use Zunes out there.
  • Emachine, on 04/30/2008, -8/+3I have about 10-12 newb friends who use iPoos, and none of them use iTunes...
    • sodade, on 04/30/2008, -3/+1I thought you had to use iTunes to load music onto iPods? That's the main thing that's kept me from buying one. If the thing will show up as a drive that I can copy files directly to, I'd probably buy one...
    • superkendall, on 04/30/2008, -1/+4They all laugh at you behind your back due to your 1337 lingo.

      Did you ever think if a whole bunch of other people are doing something they may just be onto something? Perhaps you are the "newb", or a stick in the mud...


  • offcenter, on 04/30/2008, -0/+8Stop thinking of the market as "killing" and "breaking" the opponent -- think on the margins. The iTunes store will be here for the foreseeable future -- who will shave points from it is the real question.
  • kidal25, on 04/30/2008, -3/+8When will they get rid of DRM?
    • tadpoleontheweb, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3When the record companies say it's okay. But they won't do that till they manage to knock iTunes from the top spot by helping iTunes' competitors and continuing to stab Apple in the back.
    • superkendall, on 04/30/2008, -1/+4Done, iTunes Plus. Just waiting for more studios to join in, right now they are punishing Apple and only providing DRM free music on Amazon.
      • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2They aren't punishing Apple at all. They just think they are. Since iTunes is the dominant online store and so many people have iPods with DRMed music, all it does is make sure the next player they buy will be an iPod. Apple makes most of their money on the hardware, so they don't really care where the content comes from.
    • wacomwacoff, on 04/30/2008, -1/+3They already did. iTunes doesn't use DRM in its high-quality files.
    • GhostFreeman, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3When the labels say so.
    • goonbaggins, on 04/30/2008, -3/+1I call ***** on the "when the labels let them." Amazon is selling a lot more DRM music fine. This shouldn't be an issue with the labels. Apple DOES NOT want you to be free from their DRM. It locks in the market share. Even if people see a different company's music player that they like, they think "well, I can't play all that music that I've bought on iTunes on it.

      Yea, there is the iTunes plus stuff, but it's not even 1/5 of the music in the store. They have no reason to change their whole store to DRM free anytime soon.
      • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+5You can call ***** on it if you want, but that doesn't change the fact that the studios allow Amazon to sell DRM-free and doesn't allow Apple to.
      • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+2How could it NOT be an issue with the labels? They're the ones who have to allow their music to be licensed, and in what manner. They're the ones who only allowed their music to be sold online at ALL with DRM attached. Apple constantly stated their full support of selling tracks without DRM (after being constantly accused of using "monopoly tactics" with the DRM forced on them, and not capitulating to the labels' demands about how the license their DRM or what other DRM they should support), and brought the matter out first with the EMI deal, and normalizing iTunes Plus tracks--both before Amazon MP3 was out.

        The ONLY thing going on here are the big three labels wanting to leverage the desire for DRM-free music against Apple, and force competition--which SHOULD be competing on things like "price" and "quality"--through keeping the playing field uneven.

        Frankly, it's a big "***** you" to them until they stop THESE tricks as well, just as DRM was their prior effort to exert their personal control over the marketplace. If you object to one, you pretty much have to object to them both.
    • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1...before anyone else? (At least regarding the big labels.)

      Sony, Universal, and Warner are still specifically not licensing their music as iTunes Plus tracks, though, as it's the last card they have left to play to try to reduce Apple's influence. I don't plan on rewarding their current games either, just as I wouldn't reward their DRM games before.
  • captdonno, on 04/30/2008, -5/+4HA!, paying money for stuff....
  • etx313, on 04/30/2008, -2/+3What is this fancy iTunes you speak of?
  • garryw, on 04/30/2008, -11/+5Zune+PirateBay
    • etx313, on 04/30/2008, -7/+4= Win.
    • GQCarrick, on 04/30/2008, -7/+2I agree. I prefer my Zune over the Cult of Apple.
    • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2If you really want the Zune to be a bigger factor with DMPs, then purchase your content legally.
  • TwoLOUD, on 04/30/2008, -8/+3Its dominate b/c theres alot of dumbass/lazy people in the world. Buried b/c itunes just...well sucks!
    • logan074, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2If it works perfectly for them why change? That doesn't make them dumb or lazy, you don't like it but many do so why insult them?
  • nullcodes, on 04/30/2008, -3/+4Amazon needs a nice uncluttered UI for buying songs,

    Can Itunes domance be broken any time soon? Yes.

    Will anybody do it any time soon? No.
    • astrotrain, on 04/30/2008, -0/+5Amazon's GUI is easy to use, and allows you to quickly preview your choice before buying it. Nothing wrong with it, and it allows you to see how many covers of a song there are along with the original.
      • jbmcb, on 04/30/2008, -1/+5Amazon's GUI is awful. Here's what I see when I search for music using the "MP3 Downloads" search item:

        1 - Standard amazon header and search box with logo, bits about logging in, gift certificates, cart, and search box.
        2- An advertisement for Pepsi (Not even a contextual ad?)
        3 - A bunch of "Related Searches" that have nothing to do with what I'm searching for
        4 - Big chunky album graphics on the LEFT SIDE of what I'm interested in looking at - the list of songs I'm looking for. All 24 out of 200. It takes up maybe a fifth of the total screen real estate.
        5 - A box asking for feedback
        6 - Another advertisement (for cell phones)
        7 - A list of help links and ANOTHER search field (Can't have too many search boxes!)
        8 - A search history listing with more chunky album art
        9 - MORE LINKS to other amazon pages, basically the same that are on the top of the page

        Why do I need to see all that crap when I'm just looking for music? On iTunes, I search the music store, and it lists all the stuff I'm looking for on the bottom of the page with details on the top. Short and sweet. It's not the best interface out there but it's much less cluttered than Amazon's.

        If you want to see how to do a lean and mean web search interface - see Kayak.com. (I'm not an employee, but a fan.)
        • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2One thing you can do is use iTunes search and preview features to find the content you want and then just go buy it from Amazon.
  • GQCarrick, on 04/30/2008, -6/+1What is this dominance you speak of? Isn't everyone still using Napster and downloading songs for free? Wait........its illegal.....no way, really?
  • airj1012, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1Mmmm, typo...

    "Back in April 2008, memories of Napster and file-sharing networks such as Grokster were still alive and Kazaa was still thriving on illegal music file-sharing."

    Only reached the second paragraph and it's inaccurate.
  • mliving, on 04/30/2008, -6/+1Easy! Just file an anti-trust lawsuit against Apple for creating a walled garden monopoly and locking consumers into their products (iPods) which only play the locked ACC files that every seems to forget are just Apple's version of DRM!
    • DJNephilim, on 04/30/2008, -1/+5You fail at facts.
    • cjvino, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3DRM that the record companies made them develop as a condition for selling songs on iTunes. Apple would love to sell songs without DRM. The iPod is successful because it's a damn nice piece of hardware, not because of any lock-in. Hell, 90% of the songs on my iPod come from CD's I already own. iPods don't only play locked AAC files, but then most people know this.
      Oh and AAC is a standard and is not tied to iTunes DRM and is not an Apple specific codec. It's the successor to the MP3 codec and most modern players support it.
    • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+5Your comment fails on so many levels
      1. Anti-trust and monopoly lawsuits only work if the company involved actively prevents competition.
      2. You can burn your own CDs to iTunes, put any MP3/AAC file (other formats as well) that you have received from...well, anywhere.
      3. You can purchase content exclusively from Amazon if you wish, Apple has done nothing to prevent competion.
      4. The DRM you speak of is there because content providers won't allow Apple to sell their content without it. Again, Apple has no control over what content has DRM.
      5. Much of iTunes audio content can be purchased WITHOUT DRM. You can move that content to any player that will play AAC files (which is most of the better ones.
      6. Your entire library that doesn't have DRM can be moved to and played on any player that will accept common audio formats. No walled garden.

      The only part of the "garden" that isn't open is the iTunes sync capability to the iPod. Since it's Apple's software, they don't have to open it up to any other player if they don't want to. Since they are in the business to make money off hardware and the iPod is a big part of their business, why should they have to open it up to other players?
    • cadmiumpaint, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3you're an ignorant idiot.

      ipods play other formats like Mp3. You can put gigs worth of music on your iPod that was never purchased from the iTunes store.
  • sodade, on 04/30/2008, -5/+1What about Russian download sites? They are the only place I have seen the right pricepoint. A buck a song is more of a rip off than $15 cds are.
    • darkism, on 04/30/2008, -6/+1The only right pricepoint for digital music is free.
      • sodade, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2I disagree - I have spent >$100 on CDs at ~$2 each.
      • logan074, on 04/30/2008, -0/+0I don't mind paying a buck if I like a song or want to support an artist.
    • eternalsnows, on 04/30/2008, -1/+5Hopefully you're aware that none of the money you pay to Russian download sites goes to the artist(s). If you like giving your money to thieves that's your business, but you might as well just pirate the music yourself and cut out the middleman.
  • naio, on 04/30/2008, -7/+2Now way I'll make that sonofawhore Steve Jobs richer than "it" already is.
    • Smoozle, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1What's with the animosity towards Steve Jobs? Did he run over your cat or something?
  • davidlow, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1"Earlier this year, the iTS climbed to the number two spot in US music sales. During Jan-Feb, the iTS actually surpassed Wal-Mart to became the largest music retailer in the US"

    So which is it? Is iTunes number 1 or 2?
  • jboswell2000, on 04/30/2008, -4/+11-800-MUSIC NOW will rise again!!!

    (Press 3 to here Jane Child's "Welcom to the Real World")
  • skylarsutton, on 04/30/2008, -7/+11Buried for inaccurate title. BitTorrent still dominates...
  • astrotrain, on 04/30/2008, -6/+1iTunes has and always will be the evil child of Digital Music. If all the iTune customers were told they are only renting their music when they think they are purchasing it, iTunes would be dropped like a hot potato.

    Educated iPod users need to know there are other choices not only for purchasing digital DRM free music, but also there are far better players then the iPod. The iPod reminds me of the designer jean craze back in the 80's... if you didn't have a pair, you were not hip and in with the in crowd.

    Apple should be forced to post and inform the users that they will not own the purchased song, but merely renting it for as long as they are with iTunes.
    • DJNephilim, on 04/30/2008, -2/+6You fail at facts. If I wanted to, I could buy every song from the iTunes store and then "leave" (iTunes is not a subscription service so I find this term laughable) iTunes and STILL have my music! Holy *****! Wow, i can even burn them to disc! How is Apple EVER going to erase them?!

      Knowing about something before you talk about it is a glorious thing.
    • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3You keep saying iTunes content is renting, but you really just sound like a petulant child while doing so. It isn't renting anymore than any other digital file is other than subscription based which Apple doesn't do. Video is a different thing altogether, but again DRM is up to the content providers NOT the retailers
    • cadmiumpaint, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1you're a joke. You're just making ***** up because you're an anti-apple fanboy.
    • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1Am I "renting" all the games I've purchased through Xbox Live? Or PSN? Or Nintendo's service? Or Steam? Or Direct2Drive?

      They all have usage restrictions. They all have the POTENTIAL of being unsupported by their companies at some point or another. But I'm pretty sure you're only looking to label iTunes media in this fashion.

      What about Amazon's Unbox? Are you just renting from there?
  • eternalsnows, on 04/30/2008, -2/+3Is there any company that can break iTunes dominance? Yep: Amazon. I haven't used iTunes in months, and in fact I don't even have it installed on my new computer. Amazon has everything I need, has a great interface, unbelievably good customer service, and offers DRM-free music. It's a no-brainer for me.
  • boobsbr, on 04/30/2008, -5/+3i miss allofmp3. ***** the riaa for destroying a good business.
    • ExSlashdotter, on 04/30/2008, -1/+2Agreed. I spent a nice amount of money on there. Sure, it wasnt totally legit, but proves that IM WILLING TO PAY FOR NON-DRM'd CONTENT AT A FAIR PRICE.
  • OfNumbers, on 04/30/2008, -7/+2I really love Digg-cabulary. Things like DOMINANCE tend to go hand in hand with iTunes, whereas SUPERIOR or OVERCLOCKED go with Apple/Ubuntu in general on here. There's also the political terminology, things like SHOCKING, reporters SLAMMING subjects. Then there are subjects that get posted all over the internet, and make it here under Breaking! headers. How about all of those BUFFONTS that PROPOGANDIZE the general public in to sharing in their ideas that they're the best? Dominance, get the ***** out. I haven't let iTunes sit on a single computer I've owned, even after years and years of trying to force myself to deal with it. Just because of some belief that everyone uses it. Perfect marketing.

    My advice: Open up a p2p app, use isohunt or piratebay to run a search, download some *****, and watch it with VLC or WinAmp. Use third party software to apply media to iPods, and choke a ***** Mac lover.
    • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2WOW! You're one tuff SOB here in an anonymous discussion!
  • nightwing2000, on 04/30/2008, -2/+3I still do not use iTunes Store because I don't like the DRM. Even though I am very technical, the DRM as described sounds like a pain in the posterior. I have 3 MP3 players, only one of which is an iPod. I have 3 active computers in the house, and 3 more that I could use and configure - so already I hit the 5-PC limit. Does it work with Ubuntu? I don't know, I doubt it. Too much like work.

    So, it's disc ripping and our old friends, the (late) Napster, Morpheus, and Limewire.

    I don't blame Apple, they have no choice if they want to keep selling someone else's music. They just aren't selling it to me. You gotta do better than this if your competiton is "free-as-in-beer".
    • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1iTunes doesn't currently have a Linux client, no. So hey, that removes a computer right there, eh? Lucky! ;-)

      You can technically disk-rip entirely through iTunes, too, though you'd have to spend some time at it. An extra headache to be sure, but at least possible.

      Apple, meanwhile, would love to sell it to you. It's Universal, Sony, and Warner who are keeping it from you, which is why I won't purchase their music through any other distributor yet either. They're still playing monkey-***** games, only this time not against "the consumer at large" but against Apple specifically, to try to reduce their influence.

      EMI and any of the independents, though... I'll shop around anywhere. (Though frankly for independents I'd rather use eMusic.)

      I'm not a habitual digital media purchaser yet, though. I still want to buy and rip CD's, as I get the most value out of it. I just purchase the occasional solo track... but even that total is under 10 right now. I'm not beholden to anyone, and don't plan to be. ;-)


      I've tried the DRM-laden "all you can eat" services, though, and wouldn't be averse to using them again if I want to consume music in bulk.
  • Trixrox, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1As "different" as this sounds, I do like the Zune Software and Hardware. Granted, it is still a closed program, where you are tied from end to end, but it is pretty nice. I am waiting for someone to have an more open platform though, maybe user customizable firmware, so one could add support for other formats like .ogg...etc.
  • magicpotato, on 04/30/2008, -5/+1The hideous piece of software that is iTunes should be a huge target. Apple's much lauded user interface expertise is not in evidence here. Junk like Cover Flow just tarts up an awful, unintuitive, clunky interface. I hate it.
    • usingpond, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3PROTIP: You can turn it off.
    • exscind, on 04/30/2008, -0/+3Cover Flow is fantastic. The jukebox navigation looks great, and having the covers readily available makes for easy browsing. If you don't like it (or can't run it), there two other views that are less glitzy and don't tax system resources.

      The problem with iTunes is the store, not the interface.
    • ExSlashdotter, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1My biggest problem with iTunes' interface? Try importing, say, 10 videos into iTunes at once (a season of TV shows)

      Okay, now tag those as TV shows (as opposed to movies). You'd think you could select all and tag it, but you cant. One. At. A. Time.
      • MacParrot, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2I agree that is annoying.
      • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -1/+2You just nailed my biggest annoyance with iTunes. Heh...

        Of course if they DO change that, they'll probably have NBC/Universal bitching at them again, because you KNOW that the only reason someone wants to batch-label TV shows is if they downloaded them from offline or "illegally" (to them) ripped it off their DVDs.
        • exscind, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1I batch stuff all the time to keep everything on a consistent system. I'm talking in terms of music, but the same would apply to other media.
          • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1That's the point, though. Some things CAN be batch-relabelled, but the identifier that tells you to whether a file is "television" as opposed to "movie" is not one of those.
  • userperson, on 04/30/2008, -1/+3Drop the DRM and up the quality, otherwise Amazon and other sites like http://hdtracks.com will gain SOME ground.
    • cthellis, on 05/01/2008, -0/+1They already did. But Warner/Universal/Sony are not joining iTunes Plus yet, because even though it would be great for all of US, it's something they can leverage against Apple.

      So again, the consumer takes the back seat to their business shenanigans.
  • CptnObvious, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1If AllOfMP3/MP3Sparks was still around and accepted credit cards they would probably be the top player...
    Instead we are stuck with low quality DRMed *****. :(
  • dtzitz, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1iTunes is good.. amazon.com integrates with iTunes so its really not a problem, you can have your cake (iTunes) and eat it too (no DRM)
  • roosterjack, on 04/30/2008, -0/+2Anything that is (almost) free and a great idea needs to be shared. iTunes will still rake it in for some time...
  • skunks, on 04/30/2008, -1/+1Yeah, the DRM sucks, but the worst thing about iTunes is its bloat. It installs all kinds of crap I don't need (iPhone support), requires a new install every time they add a new "feature", and now rams Safari down your throat. And don't get me started on its annoying habit of sticking a quicktime icon in my systray and quicklaunch.
  • crazysamz, on 04/30/2008, -0/+1Anyone mentioned Zune yet??? I say, if you like a subscription service, go with Zune. If you like to purchase music, go with Amazon, cheaper+ No DRM, (Zune has no DRM purchases too, but they're about 10 cents more... It may be easier to just buy 'em through Zune though).., but if you use Amazon for purchasing, you may as well get a Zune, the software is awesome (it's not for everyone though), and the players are great.
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