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Apple 100,000,000 iTMS celebration
beef curtains writes "From Apple's iTunes Music Store Countdown page: 'When the number of songs downloaded from Apple's iTunes Music Store crosses 95 million, Apple will begin the countdown to 100 million songs by giving away 50 special 20GB iPods -- one to the purchaser of each 100,000th song downloaded between 95 million and 100 million songs. In addition, the person who downloads the 100 millionth song will receive a 17-inch PowerBook, a 40GB iPod, a gift certificate for 10,000 iTunes songs to create the ultimate music library for the iPod, and the opportunity to create a Celebrity Playlist to be published on the iTunes Music Store.' Check out the countdown on Apple's front page, and get ready to drop stupid amounts of cash on iTMS over the weekend. I'll see you in the ramen noodle aisle after the count passes 100 million!"
I was watching Wimbledon yesterday, and there was an interview with Maria Sharapova, the 17-year-old "next big thing" from Russia.
The interviewer asked her what she did in her spare time and she said something along the lines of: "I'm always listening to my iPod, always listening to my iTunes ".
I'm not sure why but I found this quite sad. It's as if, to her, the artists and even the music itself has lost any uniqueness or individuality. The songs are just a collection of different products on "my iTunes".
I suppose it's no different from someone saying, ten years ago, that they like listening to the radio. I just felt... resentful? I think that's the best word to sum it up. I feel that people should consider each artist/song as something special, not just "my iTunes". Nobody would say "I like listening to music from HMV" or "I like listening to music from Walmart", so why do people have this fondness for iTunes? It's just another store with the single goal of making money.
It's an odd form of brand loyalty, and I have to say that I don't like it.
I hope you posted this same comment on the Dell DJ story on the front page.