Exchange Rates Play With Online Music Prices

EconolineCrush writes "Those looking to purchase songs online may find that the price of music downloads varies quite a bit from country to country. Most vendors seem to be favoring 0.99/track pricing schemes, but $0.99CDN is worth quite a bit less than 0.99 British Pounds. When indexed to the US dollar, Canadians using Puretracks are getting a bargain with tracks costing only $0.76US, while UK residents using Coke's new music store are getting ripped off at nearly $1.80US per song. iTunes and Wal Mart sit between the two, with tracks selling for $0.99 and $0.88, respectively."

Comments

How funny

[ObviousGuy]

Why pay at all?

Re:How funny

[Monkelectric]

I'm sure someone will point to me to a new service that is currently 'cool' because it is undiscovered

I was going to, but with that attitude, forget it buddy!!!! :)

Re:How funny

[DashEvil]

If I had the money I'd buy 500 Good Charlotte CDs and hope that they invest the money into music lessons and some fasion sense.

Re:How funny

[ElAurian]

No, no, we're not thieves, matey, we're pirates! Arrr! Avast the mainsail! Keelhaul the cabin-boy! Tighten the sea-dogs! Ye scurvy scum, board that merchantman and bring back plenty of mp3s!

Umm... yeah.

[Tokerat]

+1 Obvious

Hosting charges!

[Sanga]

Probably the companies spend more/less money in hosting website in those countries ... and are passing on the cost/savings to the customer.

Oh wait ... we are talking about the music industry

Okay, so...

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm in the US. Am I getting ripped off, or are foreigners?

And if it's foreigners, why should I care?

Re:Okay, so...

[basingwerk]

I'm in the UK. You are a foreigner.

so...

[pvt_medic]

go to canada download the songs on a service that allows you to share the files or burn them to a cd and then head back to the US.

Custom Officer: and what is the purpose of your visit today sir.
Me: to download music

Great, thanks, the secret's out now!

[bc90021]

Since now the Canadians are going to realise they should charge more, my tactic of shopping at eBay.ca won't work anymore! Gone are the days I could bid 7/8 of what I'd pay in the US and win!

Thanks a lot Slashdot!! ;)

Re:AllofMP3.com

[ATAMAH]

You are probably about right. However you fail to mention that $15 is 15% of an average monthly salary in Moscow.

URL of store in Japan, Mexico, or Italy please?

[jayveekay]

I'd love to pay 0.99 yen, pesos, or lira per song!

That'll teach those Redcoats

[charlesbakerharris]

Just remember, Brits: We Americans have a loooooong memory. If it took us 220+ years to get you back for the tea tax, just imagine what we have planned as a retort for burninating Washington in 1812.

2 key points:

• We now have a preemptive doctrine, and our intel clearly shows that the Brits have the bomb.
• "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." An old adage, and who has America kept closer than the good old U.K.?

Look out, limeys.

Re:Seems to reflect CD pricing bias

[Bill Currie]

0.99 yen? As far as I can tell, 1 yen is equivalent to 1 cent. ie, the Japanese don't seem to have a dollar (that's why the yen to dollar exchange rate is so extreme).

That said, 0.99 yen would be a hell of a bargain :)