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iTunes(UK) Targeted By The Office of Fair Trading

Posted by timothy on from the they-say-that-ones-cow-is-a-man dept.

dreadz1 writes "It seems that Apple is under fire for overpricing it's iTunes music for UK customers. This story from the BBC says that here in the UK we are charged 20% more for music on iTunes than the French and the Germans. Should Apple lower its initial price so that the cost+VAT is equivalent to prices in the EuroZone or should we grow up and get used to the fact that things are priced differently in different places?"

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Everything is more expensive in England. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the music companies in the UK charge more, then Apple will charge more.

    Simple economics.

  2. Price too high? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If your prices are too high from taxes, might I suggest throwing boxes of tea into the Thames?

  3. Re:just switch to the bloody euro by silicon+not+in+the+v · · Score: 5, Funny
    They would have an argument if they were overcharging on real CDs. However, a digital download costs the same to send to Germany or the UK, so why the discrepancy? It's profiteering isn't it?
    The UK is on an island. Of course it's going to cost more for them to import the files across the ocean/channel to the local Apple servers. Remember, as the RIAA has told us, a download is the same as a physical CD.
    --
    We may experience some slight turbulence and then...explode. -Capt. Mal Reynolds
  4. Why iTunes Music Store? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Why is iTMS being singled out? The whole thing reeks badly. Conspiracy theorist in me thinks that there are companies behind this call for probe.

    Consider these 3 paragraphs from a Reuter article


    - Targeting iTunes is an odd choice. In Britain, Apple's music service is cheaper -- in some cases more than 20 percent cheaper -- than rivals Napster and most of the online retailers that resell the catalog of music download firm OD2.

    - Graham Vidler, head of policy for the Consumers' Association, said he was not aware of a single complaint from a British consumer about Apple's pricing scheme. "What we are saying is we believe iTunes could be made cheaper," he added.

    - The Consumers' Association said it had no plans to investigate the pricier download services.

    Basically, they summarized that consumers did not feel ripped off by iTMS and yet TCA called iTMS a rip-off. There are other music services with much pricier songs, but they are not rip-offs; iTMS is. Instead of praising iTMS lower price, they called for a probe with words such as "rip-off" while ignoring the pricier download services.

    TCA totally ignores that Apple licensed the songs from the labels which is different from a country to another. Price difference may be the result of the British labels' greed and judging from other services, that is the case. Tell me I am paranoid, but I bet if you look carefully who's behind the complaint, you'll find Microsoft or Napster or the likes of them.