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eBay Running Trial for Downloadable Music
supersandra writes "Looks like eBay has been inspired by all those millions of iTunes song sales. They're running a six-month test offering downloadable music through authorized sellers, who would have to 'ensure copyright protection for the content and meet service-level agreements.' Also of note, 'music buyers won't be allowed to resell the files on eBay.'"
I find this more than a little hypocritical, since the entire concept of eBay is about reselling physical goods. In an entirely digital world, eBay's own policies would preclude it from selling anything.
If this is their best idea for how to grow the business, I'm worried. iTunes Music Store had a 'small profit' last quarter - but it really exists to sell iPods - what equivalent business model does eBay intend to use, or for that matter , what better model do they intend to use?
Never pet a burning dog.
I agree. eBay is an auction service. If they are going to sell music then they should do it at the price that people want to pay, instead of a fixed fantasy price from the RIAA companies.
I buy and sell equipment and 'things' on eBay. I'm toying with the idea of offering some of the specialized wire-wound specialized electronic prototypes that I have been able to get working.
When I want music that I haven't heard before, I check audio CDs out from the library. When I want a specific song, I use KazaaLite to get it from one of millions of people who are sharing billions of files. I don't have any need for music download services that charge large amounts of money for audio data in restricted and semi-encrypted formats. The only way that the music sellers can compete with Kazaa is to be better than Kazaa. Nothing else is going to work.
Actually eBay should sell movie tickets by auction. Say the $250 million blockbuster ShitheadMan II will be released this friday. The local theatre can auction tickets for the first show that might go up to $30-$40 a seat. However a Wednesday evening showing of Return of Bozo III that was released a month ago might only bring an auction price of $1.35. Still is better than an projecting a film to an empty seat.
Finding and buying specialized things on EBay seems to be just an American phenomenon. I can't see something like this in Germany, where it's still illegal to have stores open on Sunday or for individual stores to have sales on overstocked items. It seems that law was passed in the late 1930's because storeowners of a certain group where liquidating their merchandise at reduced prices in order to leave the country before being liquidated themselves. This was considered an affront to good German shopkeepers who never had sales so laws were passed making it illegal to reduce the price of an item unless all the local shopkeepers reduced the price of the item at the same time. After the war, the laws remained to promote 'order' and remain in effect to this day.
Can you imagine eBay taking off in such an environment? I often feel sorry for the Germans (I'm not Jewish, otherwise I wouldn't), they think that they're so free, and yet they have all these insane laws that prove otherwise. Generally the USA is the best place to buy things because they have the widest selections, the best prices, and honest merchants who are seriously interested in making it easy for to actually buy what you want. And Oregon is the best place to buy stuff in the USA because there is no sales tax. No VAT, No GST/PST, no nothing. You buy something that costs $99.95, give the clerk a hundred dollars, and get back a 5 cent coin with polite 'Thank You, Have A Nice Day'. Try doing that anywhere else in the civilized world!