iTunes Accepts PayPal

lemist writes "Apple Computer Inc. on Friday said customers of its iTunes online music store can now use eBay Inc.'s online payment service PayPal to buy songs and audiobooks, becoming the second major online music store to do so. Story here."

Comments

Damn it.

[canwaf]

There goes all the money I set aside for my Christmas shopping.

Re:Damn it.

[lxs]

It works for me. I click on "here", and that's precisely where I end up. I wonder what happens when I click on "there"?

Where?

[Anonymous Coward]

I keep clicking on the word "here" but I get no story.

Re:Where?

[boarder8925]

Well, I keep clicking "here," and all that happens is that the word gets highlighted.

Re:Where?

[spac3manspiff]

Now slashdotting removes the link?

Re:Where?

[dangerz]

Mine's even weirder. Every other click highlights that entire bottom line.

Perhaps we have a security issue here?

Re:Where?

[Anonymous Coward]

Shh, Secunia would probably call this a security flaw.

Re:Where?

[Anonymous Coward]

When I click on "here", I get 6 pop-windows asking if I need refils on my viagara prescriptions.

*shakes fist*

Stupid IE!!!!!

Rolling in the trouble?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hmm ... with paypal's not so recent trouble with customers, .... I wonder what it would do to Apple...

Re:Rolling in the trouble?

[Ron Bennett]

Obligatory link ... PayPal Sucks!

http://www.paypalsucks.com/

One should NEVER give their bank account number to PayPal - if forced to give more information, give them a credit card number at most... better yet, skip the PayPal nonsense and pay with a credit card directly at itunes.

Ron Bennett

Re:Rolling in the trouble?

[Cocteaustin]

Yeah, because credit card companies are completely above board and treat their customers with complete integrity.

Re:Rolling in the trouble?

[mjh49746]

Just checked that site out and read enough in 15 minutes to make me want to throw up. Then I went ahead and instructed my bank not to accept any more EFT withdrawals from my account without my authorization. While I'm at it, it looks like I may have to accept only cashiers checks and money orders from now on when I sell on eBay again.

Kinda wished that I knew sooner, but at least now I can put an end to that crap. With my debit card, I can simply tell the bank and say it was unauthorized and fill out a little form. Thanx for the link.

Re:Rolling in the trouble?

[Ron Bennett]

Your request may not apply to ACH reversals. So for example you *withdraw* say $100 from PayPal to your bank account ... PayPal could potentially reverse that payment up to 60 calendar days later - a way around that problem is request paper checks / use PayPal's debit card.

Ron

Useless

[-*Sex E. Beast*-]

They may be now accepting Paypal, however your Paypal account must be linked to a credit card, which makes it completely pointless.

Re:Useless

[tmbg37]

Not true, the article says that the PayPal account can be linked to a bank account or credit card, and you can also use funds already in your account.

Re:Useless

[cervisco]

Not true, you can link it to a bank account as well, thus eliminating paying those nasty finance charges and dealing with a credit card in general.

Re:Useless

[evil carrot]

I agree.

Mac news outlets were trying to play up the convenience of it all, suggesting bank account holders without credit (/debit) cards would be fine. I was disappointed, though not surprised, to find that's not the case.

Guess that means I'll just stick with store-bought gift cards, and coercing friends & family into sending the occasional gift certificate.

Re:Useless

[KingPunk]

or a personal checking/savings account ;) ..basically all paypal does, is provide an extra layer of "security" for you as the shopper.

Re:Useless

[evil carrot]

In order to take advantage of this method of payment, PayPal still requires a debit or credit card on file. Some people don't have either -- shocking, I know.

I've had a bank account tied to my PayPal account for several years. However, when trying to follow the steps necessary to enable PayPal as my payment method for iTunes, I was prompted to enter a credit or debit card. There's no "Skip" button there, only "Cancel." That button does exactly what it suggests.

Re:Useless

[Anonymous Coward]

Given PayPal's shady practices, don't you mean an extra layer of insecurity?

Re:Useless

[Enrico Pulatzo]

Can you obtain a Paypal card?

Re:Useless

[MyThoughts]

PayPal does have a credit card: http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_help-ext &eloc=1851&loc=1850&unique_id=414&source_page=_hom e&flow=

Re:Useless

[evil carrot]

The last time I tried to get a PayPal card, I was required to have a credit or debit card on file. I'll try again in the morning.

Re:Useless

[Phisbut]

PayPal does have a credit card

From the link you pointed to:

The PayPal ATM/Debit Card is available to users who:
* Have been a PayPal member for at least 60 days
* Have a U.S. PayPal account
* Register a credit card where the monthly statement is sent to a physical street address (not a P.O. Box)

So they have a credit card if 1- You're American, 2- You *already* have a credit card registered on your PayPal account.

Pretty useless if you ask me

Re:Useless

[Anonymous Coward]

I had the exact same problem. Hearing the news that they supported Paypal, I went to go make a purchase. But I didn't make a purchase because they wanted a credit card # for no damn good reason. I will wait for Apple+Paypal to fix this stupidity.

Re:Useless

[Anonymous Coward]

You can't use funds in your PayPal account. I have $157 in funds in my account, but Paypal requires me to have a credit card on file to buy iTunes.

Oh well, too bad for them all then. I cancelled my first test purchase. Jerks. I'm trying to move away from credit cards... that's why I use PayPal... duh!

Re:Useless

[Anonymous Coward]

It's totally annoying. If it were just setup that way for some temporary 2-6 week technical reason it wouldn't be that bad. But it starts you wondering... *why* do they insist on you having a credit card on file?

Who is tracking what and why?

Re:Useless

[karmatic]

1.5% cashback, and the ability to spend money people send you by paypal instantly instead of waiting 3-5 days for the funds to reach your bank.

Useful, just mainly for people who sell stuff on paypal, not people who buy.

Re:Useless

[mmkkbb]

For instant payment, a credit card is required to back up the transfer in case of insufficient funds.

Re:Useless

[zrk]

So these people who don't have a debit or credit card are spending money on iTunes? How?

Re:Useless

[mangee]

I do HAVE a credit card loaded on the account - but Paypal STILL asks for another one. I might have one.. but two? No skip sux!

Any idea to get round this?

Re:Useless

[mangee]

And Paypal sez i'm good to go.. how to tell iTMS that i am? Merchant: iTunes(Info) Billing Description: iTunes Music Store purchases. Date Initiated: Dec. 13, 2004 Billing Period Begins: 13(day of month) Total Billed This Cycle: $0.00 USD Payment Status: None Funding Source to Use After PayPal Balance: Credit Card Agreement Status: Active

Got outta PayPal fees?

[chrispyman]

I don't know how they can accept PayPal and still make a profit. Doesn't PayPal charge a per transaction fee on top of the percentage fee?

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[mordors9]

I had forgot about that. Apple was saying that they were charging a break even price for the songs already.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[AvitarX]

So do Credit Cards.

Thats why PayPal does it, they need to make money.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Wesley Felter]

So do credit card companies.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[kramer]

You don't think a business a company as big as Apple with a product as big as iTunes can't negotiate special deal with PayPal? Considering that PayPal wants desperately to be seen as a payment method as legitimate as credit cards, I'd bet they're damn near bending over backwards for Apple.

What I want to know is if Apple is going to have to deal with the craptastic PayPal customer service department.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[beef curtains]

For individuals who want to accept credit card payments, PayPal keeps 3.9% of each incoming transaction. I'm sure Apple was able to negotiate somewhat better terms.

Even if Apple makes less on PayPal-paid songs than on "normal" credit card transactions, I bet they're not too concerned...I would assume that iTunes' slim-to-none profit margin is considered an iPod-related advertising expense anyway.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[KingPunk]

honestly, i think its just to Hype up the itunes music store,
just before the big holiday break.
you know, free media exposure, etc..
we're here discussing this, aren't we? .. looks like their plan worked. ;x

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Goetterdaemmerung]

For premier accounts, paypal charges a transaction fee ($0.30 + some percent) to the seller. For personal (basic) accounts there is no fee. Basically the only difference between the two types of accounts is that the premier account accepts credit cards.

I would be amazed if iTunes didn't arrange a mutually convenient fee that is less than available to the public. It could even be smaller than the normal merchant credit card fee!

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[DAldredge]

No, apple said they where making between 15-20% profit per song. They never said they were breaking even, they said that itunes didn't have the same high margins as most other apple products.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[bikerguy99]

man, you totaly right on the money with this point - I had a funny feeling about this myself but couldn't precisely pinpoint it before - but it is really about the fact that the two sides involved represent two extremes of the modern online business - a rock-solid player on one side and pretty iffy/shaky/spotty currency dealer on the other... stange deal indeed...

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[mordors9]

I had read a couple articles along the lines of this one at http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8407 "Apple in fact makes no revenue from their online download service. Even though the tracks are digitally encoded online without any CD-replication costs, CD delivery costs and shops to run apart from the iTunes store itself the tracks are still very severely over priced by the music industry. Nearly all of the 99 cent one pays for an Apple iTunes download goes straight to the copyright holders. The small portion that Apple gets just barely covers the iTunes hosting and running costs, the credit card company cost per transaction as well as the iTunes webstore & client software development."

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[upsidedown_duck]

Credit card processing is expensive no matter how you slice it. That's why so many mom-n-pop restaurants and shops don't accept them.

Pay Pal's processing is actaully relatively cheap for a very low-volume on-line business, but it ceases to be cost effective as volume increases. However, I'm sure Apple can work around that.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[DAldredge]

I refuse to debate economics with someone who doesn't know the difference between revenue and profit.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Lord_Dweomer]

I thought they made plenty by freezing accounts and making interest on all the money they hold.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Except that paypal is the default currency for eBay, and is owned by eBay, the world largest online auction site. I doubt they are hurting...

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

but guess what's the most expensive method of payment for a business? Cash. It's easy for employees to steal or make mistakes while making change. You have to pay for armored car pickup or take the risk of getting robbed while on the way to the bank, etc, etc.

It's still the easiest way to pay people though.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

quality

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

The charge is placed on your end, not on Apple's.

I just use my bank account linked to my Paypal account to avoid fees.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[LegionX]

yar well.. you don't mean this as a global statement? most stores in western europe accept credit cards.. i never actually go anywhere where they don't take my cards, and that's not even by choice..

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[upsidedown_duck]

most stores in western europe accept credit cards..

Most in the US do, also, but, especially in rural areas, it is common for small businesses to just not accept them.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only does Paypal make money through per transaction fees (taking x% out of each credit card transaction), but they also makes money on the float and the sum of balances in accounts by investing it in money market funds among other things. Paypal is a great service, although as much as we would like to think that paypal is a great community service, they do make their money.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[mkeroppi]

The point is Paypal is cheaper than most merchant account. Susceptibility to chargebacks are another issue.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

there's also payEnkrypt with low cost and POS-like debit transactions over the web. Mom and Pop can save some dough. *I put this site up for them a few years ago.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

that's only because they're too damn cheap/lazy to get a 2nd phone line and a CC terminal. You will find many of them in metro areas too. There are lots that won't take checks because they don't want to deal with bad checks or paying the bank fees for cashing them.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[AvitarX]

I was just pointing out that Apple is getting reamed with % fee + transaction fee already.

PayPals fees cover what they get charged, then they make money on the float (not the fees).

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[upsidedown_duck]

that's only because they're too damn cheap/lazy to get a 2nd phone line and a CC terminal.

When just the second phone line could be several hundred dollars per year, in addition to CC processing fees, it isn't a matter of laziness, it's a matter of the bottom line. Not accepting checks is understandable, too, since so many people don't have the money to back-up their checks that it just isn't worth the effort and money of collection agencies or small claims court.

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

PayPal Lowers Costs to Sell Digital Music http://www.ecommerce-guide.com/news/news/article.p hp/3286611

Re:Got outta PayPal fees?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wah! Wah! Look at me I'm DAldredge the RETARD!

Overseas Consumers

[fembots]

Can overseas buyers buy from iTunes USA @ USD 99 cents?

I've been looking for "useful" shops that accept PayPal so that I can use those money without losing on exchange rate.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[liangzai]

Can overseas buyers buy from iTunes USA @ USD 99 cents?

Nope. Here in China I usually buy a whole CD for slightly more than 99 cents (10 yuan) and rip it meself (no DRM). I am sure it is all legal copies, since China is about to enter the WTO and has said it is taking measures against piracy and all... wtf do I care.

I conclude there will never be a market for iTunes Store in China. Unless they charge a ridiculously small fee, say 0.1 to 0.5 yuan per song or so. And that is precisely why you need to use a "regionalized" service, because just like the DVD market, companies are going to squeeze you for as much money as they can.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Ph33r th3 g(O)at]

I don't think that it's unreasonable to ask intellectual "property" holders to give up regionalized markets in return for global enforcement. Of course, neither is ever going to completely happen.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[bikerguy99]

isn't it great to live in China!... Plus you get all the Asian girls!

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Calroth]

Can overseas buyers buy from iTunes USA @ USD 99 cents?

According to some other forums I've been reading, people outside the US with PayPal accounts have tried to sign up but have been knocked back. So I'm guessing that it's still US-only. (Maybe Apple will extend it to their international iTunes Music Stores in the future.)

Re:Overseas Consumers

[liangzai]

isn't it great to live in China!... Plus you get all the Asian girls!

OT: If I had some karma points, I'd mod you up +5 for being so insightful :) Yes, cheap living and the world's prettiest girls are reasons enough moving to China, at least for me.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Anonymous Coward]

Pretty girls is right, but at some point in the future, they become ugly ass women.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Shaklee39]

allofmp3.com

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Anonymous Coward]

That is so true. Asian girls generally look great, but the older they get, the worse they get. By the time you're at middle age, white women kinda tend to hold up a LOT better.

I think the exception is Japanese. I find Japanese women good looking across the board, but I think I'm weird so I better stop typing.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[gibodean]

No, you're not weird in liking Japanese girls. They are cute, and do definately hold their looks well. They don't do that thing lots of women do in old age, which is to get fat...

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Anonymous Coward]

What about buying from iTunes Canada for $0.99 CDN? Even better than $0.99 USD!

Re:Overseas Consumers

[burns210]

No, sorry, you can't.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Anonymous Coward]

Like your mom, right?

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Tim C]

But the point isn't to use PayPal to buy music from itms, it's to use PayPal to buy music from the American itms.

The UK itms charges around £0.79 per track; at the current exchange rate, that works out as about $1.5, or around 50% more for the same chunk of data. That's why people (in the UK at least) are interested in using PayPal to buy from the US itms - it's a fuckload cheaper.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[doodlelogic]

You can buy American music in the UK only if you pay import duties - that's why CDs have those little import stickers on them.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[FunkSoulBrother]

spoken like a man who has never been to Brazil.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[jmenezes]

Amen, Brother!

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Calroth]

But the point isn't to use PayPal to buy music from itms, it's to use PayPal to buy music from the American itms.

Right. As I said, people outside the US with PayPal accounts have tried to sign up but have been knocked back. So whilst you may want cheaper music, you're not getting it.

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, Chinese inflation must be crazy, I was buying CDs for 6 yuan in Beijing in 2001...

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Tim C]

I know that, but even import duty wouldn't take the price up to anything like what we pay from the UK itms. (Not that paying import duty on a download wouldn't feel completely wrong anyway, of course...)

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Ilgaz]

Its the most interesting question of all topic and deserves +5 interesting for sure.

Also it deserves +5 funny.

I am actively searching for legit, aac or at least mp3 downloads for my Mac right now and can't find any. As a sidenote, stay away from WMA based stuff, WMA is "stepchild" of microsoft media team.

We, morons(!) look for some way to purchase legal music since we don't care about 650mb of PCM and shipping/handling and WE CAN'T DO IT!

Isn't it completely amazing/stupid?

"You can't buy my product since you are from Istanbul, Turkey"... iTunes doesn't say it of course but it means that! :)

Than... Universal, Turkey office gone chap 11 :)

Re:Overseas Consumers

[Ilgaz]

Yes, looks like a solution but how can we be _sure_ the download is legit?

I am not a damn lawyer, I just want to make sure the artist gets the money.

I know it can be %1 or anything, I don't care, its their problem with producer company.

Nope

[Kukuman]

You don't need a credit card to use PayPal. Just having a bank account is enough. You can't become a "Verified" member without a CC, but you generally don't need to be Verified.

Re:Nope

[-*Sex E. Beast*-]

Yes, I know having a bank account is enough, however in order to create an iTunes account with Paypal you HAVE to have a credit card

Re:Nope

[Kukuman]

Really? Well, too bad for Apple, they are missing out on a huge potential consumer base - college students without credit cards.

Re:Nope

[nolife]

What other form of payment does iTunes take? If only credit cards, they never had the option of the non credit card population. If they take other forms of payment, those customers can still use that method and do not need a card or paypal anyway.

I thought there was more college students with maxed out cards then students with no cards.

Re:Nope

[generic-man]

When I was a freshman a few years ago, there were people lining up around the block to give me a credit card (and a free t-shirt) with a really low limit and few questions asked.

I'm pretty sure you have to be a U.S. citizen to get one of those free credit cards, but still it seems awfully easy to get a card in college.

Re:Nope

[jerw134]

I'm a college freshman, and I've got a Visa Platinum card with a $2000 limit.

Re:Nope

[Anonymous Coward]

Platinum with a $2k limit?

It's funny how they give the cards these 'exclusive' names & such, but then only give out a $2k limit.

When I was 22 and got my first "Gold" card (when a Gold card ment something), my credit limit was $10k, PLUS the merchant knew that your credit card would be accepted, and would not need to call to verify funds. (Back before instant-verification)

Re:Nope

[Kukuman]

It's easy to get a card, but from my experiences so far you don't need one. Debit cards are easier to manage, and here in Canada they are accepted almost everywhere, and you can get one even with just a savings account, which for whatever reason I can't do with my bank account back home in the US.

Re:Nope

[waynelorentz]

I know it's not exactly convenient, but is it possible to buy an iTunes card/gift certificate at an Apple store and then use it online without a credit card?

Of course, at that point you'd might as well go to the record store, but it's still a thought.

Re:Nope

[waynelorentz]

There are some transactions that cannot be done with a debit card. For example, many car rental agencies won't take a debit card. Only a credit card. I'm not sure how they know the difference, but they do. I got caught by this once.

Re:Nope

[bkr1_2k]

Some car rental places do accept debit cards, you just have to find out before hand. I've been caught by this in the past and then sent to another rental agency that had no problem with it. Hertz? I can't remember which ones will accept debit cards, but I know at least one does.

Re:Nope

[TykeClone]

Debit cards are usually issued either with the Visa or MasterCard logo - meaning that you are (or at least used to be) able to use them like a credit card at any merchant that would accept a Visa or MasterCard credit card.

The Walmart lawsuit changed that and places like Walmart will not accept your debit card as a credit card.

I think that they have a big database of "BINS" (account number prefixes) in the sky that will tell them if a card is a credit card or a debit card and will handle the transaction appropriately.

Re:Nope

[geoffspear]

Many car rental places won't give you a car unless you're 24 or older, anyway, so that's not going to affect the average college freshman.

Re:Nope

[tepples]

You need to set up a credit card before entering an iTunes gift card number.

Re:Nope

[Anonymous Coward]

Not true. When they introduced allowances and gift certificates, Apple was advertising that you don't need a credit card to have an account anymore. This is so that parents can set up iTMS accounts for their kids without allowing the kids unrestricted access to the family Visa, but it also works for people who don't have credit cards period.

Re:Nope

[magefile]

But you can't start an account without a CC. Believe me, I've tried, emailed, begged, pleaded ... nope.

Woohoo!

[Anonymous Coward]

Works from my PayPal account, and I'm australian!

of course, I also have US info on it. But don't tell.

The shiznit!

Re:Woohoo!

[michaeldot]

Works from my PayPal account, and I'm australian!

I'm calling BS on this, especially as you're posting AC.

I made a US info based PayPal account and even got as far as getting an iTunes based buyer ID for it, but as the credit card you HAVE to use to verify the account for iTunes was addressed in Australia, iTunes detected the country and rejected me.

It seems the only way to set up an iTunes valid PayPal account from Australia, is to BE an American with a US credit card, visiting Australia.

In which case, take your yank hands off our women!

Re:Woohoo!

[mangee]

Yeah I reckon BS as well..

Even with my US Paypal it still asks for another credit card. Looks like i'll have to stick with gift certs off ebay (via paypal)

iTMS in NZ please. Or just accept non-US credit cards.. via Paypal even :)

Time for the 18 crowd

[l33t-gu3lph1t3]

Since paypal accepts debit payments to my knowledge, this opens the itunes market to those under the age of 18 in the United States. Not that they would pay for music...

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[MBCook]

Don't forget you can go down to local stores and buy prepaid iTunes "gift certificates." I saw a $15 dollar one at my local Target yesterday. All you have to do if pay $15 plus tax to the retailer and then buy 15 songs. Surely Apple stores (and I would expect other computer stores) sell them too.

PS: I would assume that the artists/Apple get more money this way since you don't get PayPal taking their cut.

PPS: Not to mention that with all I've heard of PayPal, I wouldn't trust them with anything but a credit card in the first place.

PPPS: You can buy prepaid Visa cards (work just like debit cards and are accepted wherever credit cards are) easily too. So really this doesn't change anything.

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[Anonymous Coward]

I just bought an iTunes card at Target a little over a week ago.

No tax for me, just a plain and simple $15. It was kind of weird to pay an even dollar amount like that. :-)

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[HeghmoH]

PS: I would assume that the artists/Apple get more money this way since you don't get PayPal taking their cut.

Say what? You think that Target, which has to pay for a living cashier, a huge store, electricity, overhead, security, etc., is going to be less expensive than flinging a few bits down the wire? For traditional CDs, the store itself typically gets half the price. They probably won't be quite so ridiculous with a paper gift certificate, but I would be shocked if the percentage were anywhere close to what they have to pay to the credit card companies and to PayPal, much less lower.

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[oudzeeman]

You usually don't pay tax on a gift card. You would be double taxed because you'd pay sales tax on the gift card, and then you'd pay sales tax on purchases with the gift card. But now that I think about it, Apple collected sales tax when I ordered a $25 gift card online. And then they will probably collect tax on the iTunes as well. It's only supposed to be one or the other. Now I'm mad!!!

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[oudzeeman]

I haven't checked yet, but why would they choose to collect tax on the giftcard purchase (something that usually is not node) instead of collect sales tax on the purchase of the iTune (which is what they do with credit card payment)?

I doubt they are screwing up and double taxing, but why not do it the way everyone else does, and only tax the purchase made with the giftcard, not the purchase of the giftcard (I mean they already tax the purchase of the song for credit card orders)

Re:Time for the 18 crowd

[oudzeeman]

Got my credit card statement and although the apple online store added tax into my purchase when it displayed my transaction recipt, my credit card statement did not include any tax for the purchase. (so my apple recipt said $26.50 for the $25 card, but my credit card statement said $25 exactly).

Cheaper Alternative

[lotsofno]

.
AllOfMP3 has accepted PayPal payments for a while now, and also won't limit your options with formats/encoding/drm--not to mention that it's much, much cheaper.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[spagetti_code]

No they dont. Service was pulled for unspecified reasons mid this year.

Conspiracy theorists have had a field day as to why (think: RIAA). Its been really inconvenent because no-one wants to hand their CC # to russians. Although having said that, its a damn good service.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[bikerguy99]

they do now.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Ph33r th3 g(O)at]

This is what services like Webcertificate were made for. It creates a stored value MasterCard which you could use to limit your exposure when using something like this. As an added bonus, last time I experimented, there's no verification of the recipient's name, providing a layer of obfuscation (not anonymity, since I'm sure Webcertificate would give you up in a heartbeat if anyone with a badge asked).

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Captain Trolltalk]

I just checked. "Temporarily unavaliable".

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[VoxCombo]

Just in case you didn't know, allofmp3 exploits a loophole in Russian copyright law, thus they PAY NOTHING for their content from non-russian artists.

You might as well use Kazaa...It's ripping people off just the same.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

Ripping off who exactly? The record labels who pay the artists virtually nothing?

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Llywelyn]

...and if I purchase music through them how much money goes to the artist?

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

Its been really inconvenent because no-one wants to hand their CC # to russians

So you're racist too?

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

Great way to try to rationalize your hatred and bigotry.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

Hate? I admire the fuckers. But I'm still not giving them my credit card info.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

All credit card companies and bank issuers have some kind of zero-liabaility policy, on top of the federally mandated $50 policy.

Try again, racist.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[cpt kangarooski]

Well sure, but it's generally illegal. Usenet and the various P2P networks are cheaper still.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[bikerguy99]

sorry Captain - just checked it again - it works (at least in russian lang-based version) and fresh U2, Eminem, etc are coming my way...

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[marsonist]

Very little of the money goes to artists. They pay a small pittance to an organization that allows radio stations to broadcast music without a per song royalty fee. This service however "broadcasts" in the form of downloadable files (mp3, ogg, flac... etc). The "product" is legal in Russia, and as there are no export restrictions on music files importing them is also legal. Just like buying a German book on Amazon.de might be cheeper than buying it on Amazon.com.

I have used the service and find it to be absolutely outstanding. The artists aren't getting a lot of money from the deal, but I'm not paying a lot for it. If this service can provide a song ripped however you choose at $0.01 per MB, how can a service like apple ($0.99 per song) not pull a profit? Because the RIAA is raping them, and us. They use loopholes in the system to limit the music we purchase and to inflate the prices we pay. Services like this allow us to legaly get what we want.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

Sorry liar, it does not work, in either language.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Sikmaz]

My Citicard offers a virtual credit card number, I think other cards offer similar services, that might be a good way to protect yourself.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[fuck nwbvt]

Oh, I get it. Ripping off artists is okay, as long as you're ripping off record execs at the same time. Thanks for the clarification!

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[VoxCombo]

Did you actually read your first paragraph before you wrote your second paragraph?

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[kyouteki]

Virtually nothing is better than actually nothing.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[russint]

Just in case you didn't know, nobody gives a fuck.

People download music from sites like allofmp3 because they don't have to worry about *AA. Not to do the "right thing".

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

It appears from my reading and Google searching, a lot of details about this concept have got chopped down to a one liner stating exactly what you have stated. Basically, through word of mouth, if stated enough times in enough places, it becomes an accepted fact. There are also accounts that state, the non Russian artists should (not shall or actually do) receive a percentage also. I really do not know myself but my skeptisim comes from the fact that this seems no different then the typcial /. arguments of some company losing money on every piece of hardware they sell (PSX, Xbox, Nintendo, etc..). All comments are based on the momentum or gradual buildup of potential truths from other persons comments without any real concrete facts or figures. Look how many people claim iTunes makes money, loses money, or just happens to breaks even for Apple.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[jdreed1024]

AllOfMP3 ... won't limit your options with formats/encoding/drm--not to mention that it's much, much cheaper.

Largely due to their unqiue intellectual property model, which is surpsingly under-utilised elsewhere on the 'net. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's called the "Ha ha, fuck you - we're all the way over in Russia. Come get us! :-)" model.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[MMMDI]

Out of all my time on /., that comment ranks up as #1 on my laughter chart.

-8723 OT

Oh wait, I pointed out that I'll get modded down... now I'll wind up +5 Informative.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[VoxCombo]

Here's an excerpt I copied (haha, irony shmirony) from the legal info link on allofmp3.com's web page:

Users are responsible for any usage and distribution of all materials received from AllOFMP3.com. This responsibility depends on the local legislation of each user's country of residence. AllOFMP3.com's Administration does not keep up with the laws of different countries and is not responsible the actions of non-Russian users.

I think we can all read between the lines here.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Blue_Nile]

actually if you ask them about it they'll give you a paypal account to work with. then you just give them your allofmp3 account name and they automatically give you a gb of download. I recharged my account a week ago and this took about 4 minutes from the paypal transaction to the recharge of the account.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

yeah but at least you dont have to ass around to get the song you want

most of the artists on allofmp3 are raking it in anyway by the billions of ppl who do buy cds - and who will continue to even if they were offered allofmp3 as an alternative

the record companies and the artists who *choose* to sign up to them can bloody well fix their distribution models when enough ppl get fed up and choose other methods

im sick of hearing about the poor artists - people in heaps of different industries relgularly get screwed because someone brings out a better way of doing their job or offering their services, and thats just business.

i would have thought you capitalists would be happy for the entrepreneurial russians, who bloody well have it harder than poor starving artists.

you hate commies but when they out-sell you you cant hack it. bah!

ok rant over.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[tarunthegreat2]

Hmmm sounds like the same way I feel about the Nazis and the Nigerians.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[Anonymous Coward]

True, but if we don't call the assholes out on it and if we don't inform those who may want to use the service and actually are honest, moral people (yes, they exist despite your pissy world view), then we're doing a disservice to society.

Just because some people like to pull mankind into the dregs doesn't mean we all have to submit to that. Everyone's life is markedly improved when you do the "right thing." Try it some time.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[burns210]

"it's called the "Ha ha, fuck you - we're all the way over in Russia. Come get us! :-)" model."

So THAT must be what "Step 2 ???" is.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[HuguesT]

You know what? good for Russia. The ol' US of A used to be the biggest IP thief in history around the times of Charles Dickens. Have a read at this.

Having no IP protection to speak off (including patents) was a great way to exploit other countries works of arts and inventions without having to pay for royalties. For a while it helped make the US what it is now: the richest country in the world by far.

For the last 50 years or so the US have turned around and want to make everyone pay through the nose for Hollywood films, pop music, brand-name drugs and sport shoes.

It's only fair that the US and the West in general gets a taste of it's own medicine. I feel for the RIAA but I won't be so sad if it flounders and goes away. Music will not stop. If worse comes to worse you can always make your own or go to a local concert.

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[marsonist]

Maybe I'm just missing something, as I just came off of a 12 hour nightshift, but where did I go wrong? I explained the system and why it is legal, and then explained why I felt that we were just to use it. I'm sure it's me missing something, but I have no idea where :-/

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[bikerguy99]

refresh your page, you coward, before calling me a liar... Register, go to MyBalance and you'll see that PayPal is AVAILABLE then come back and apologize

Re:Cheaper Alternative

[VoxCombo]

In the first paragraph you explain how allofMP3 rips off the content providers (artists, labels, songwriters), and then in your second paragraph you go on to say something to the effect of: "Well, if these guys can sell it so cheap, it really shows us how bad iTunes prices are".

Also, it is not a legal way to get what you want. It is quite illegal outside of Russia, and still quite immoral in or out of Russia.

Buying music from them is like buying a used car stereo from some guy on a street corner

Nothing new

[Wesley Felter]

Debit and prepaid Visa/Mastercard have existed for years, and they work with the iTunes store.

Re:Nothing new

[mikeg22]

That was my reaction...I've been using my debit card with ITunes. Don't you need a credit/debit card to sign up with Paypal in the first place? Why not skip the middle man and just use your credit/debit card with ITunes?

Monopoly

[Kipsaysso]

All of your money are belong to us -Paypal

Re:Monopoly

[Stevyn]

Parent brings up a good point though. Paypal money really is monopoly money. It's not guaranteed by the FDIC. I read somewhere a while back, maybe on /., how people's money is spread out amongst many regular bank accounts. If they went belly up, would customers lose their money. I think the only guarantee they can give is by faith, but not legally backed.

Re:Monopoly

[Cerlyn]

Actually, there is some insurance via FDIC passthrough insurance, described here. Note this only applies if you keep a balance in your PayPal account, and do not choose to use their money market option.

This does assume that PayPal keeps accurate records so the FDIC can determine who owns what in the account. It also assumes that it is a FDIC-insured bank that fails, and not PayPal becoming insolvent. If PayPal goes under, they presume their user agreement protects users' money. See the above link for details.

Re:Monopoly

[ISEENOEVIL]

If you are casually selling something on PayPal, you need to stop and read the fine print in detail. I had not dealt much with PayPal and I found someone on Craigslist who was willing to purchase my old Powerbook.

We both lived in the Dallas Metroplex so agreed to meet in a well known and trafficed area. He liked what he saw and then and there I watched him log into his PayPal account and transfer the money into my account. Pulled up my account and verified it was there and thought we had a done deal. Handed over the laptop.

Thought the money was safe in the PayPal account so I could use it for a purchase the next month. Logged in weeks later and found that this person had notified PayPal that I had frauded him (the buyer) and PayPal reveresed the money. Only way I was contacted by PayPal was through an email that got picked up by the Spam Filters of my ISP.

Dealing with PayPal's customer support was not pleasant. I received no sympathy and they treated me like I was the criminal in this case. They only contact customers via email and it is assumed you have received it if you don't respond within 4 days. I as a seller would only be protected had I shipped the laptop with tracking and signature verification. Turns out even if I had known they were processing my account for fraud it wouldn't have even mattered and they automatically assume the seller guilty. Seller beware of the fine print I say..

Moral of the story, know what you are doing and the rules of PayPal if it involves an amount of money you would prefer not to lose.

BTW- This person sells on eBay through the same name as his PayPal account (all fake contact info) and was brave enough to sell my Powerbook under the same account. I have documented everything and the authorities are involved now, lets hope that gets somewhere.

-Stormy
http://www.stormyshippy.com/

Re:Monopoly

[CountBrass]

Just to second this: I stopped accepting PayPal for payment after I shipped someone a bar of silver and then they claimed to PayPal that their card had been used fraudulently and got a full refund.

PayPal are a bunch of fuckers you simply cannot trust with your money.

Re:Monopoly

[Alrescha]

"Paypal money really is monopoly money. It's not guaranteed by the FDIC."

If that's your criteria, then most people's money is 'monopoly' money. Those mutual funds and stocks where people have their retirement are 'not guaranteed by the FDIC'.

A.

Re:Monopoly

[tepples]

Paypal money really is monopoly money.

And U.S. Federal Reserve Notes aren't?

Not really

[ravenspear]

Too bad it's against the Paypal TOS for people under 18 to have accounts.

Re:Not really

[Anonymous Coward]

Who listens to that anyway? Ive had a debit card from them since I was 15

Re:Not really

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude, you are *such* a bad ass.

Re:Not really

[Anonymous Coward]

Both my brother and I both had PayPal accounts before we were 18. We used it mostly to buy things on Ebay, which you have to be 18 for too.

Re:Not really

[gl4ss]

* Who listens to that anyway? Ive had a debit card from them since I was 15*

well. people who would like to *keep* their money.

or do you often give money to strangers, with contracts that say "we own j00r money kiddo".

if you do, could you please send me some, i could even spell "your" properly in your contract!

Re:Not really

[per11]

PayPal does not for your age or birthdate when creating an account. How would they know how old you are?

I'm so broke

[TehPi]

Great! Now I can send them the money I don't have with paypal too.

Yawn.

[Anonymous Coward]

DRM-locked music vendor takes new payment form. News at 11. Oh, wait--it's our beloved Apple?! OMG Why didn't you say so? +1, FP!!!!

Re:Yawn.

[99BottlesOfBeerInMyF]

DRM-locked music vendor takes new payment form. News at 11. Oh, wait--it's our beloved Apple?! OMG Why didn't you say so? +1, FP!!!!

I think DRM-locked is an overstatement. Apple's Fairplay is more like DRM-speedbumped. DRM that legally allows you to burn a non-DRMed CD, is about as good as you can hope for, for legal, mainstream tunes. That said, no DRM, and indy tunes are a better solution yet.

The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shades!

[grungebox]

First Paypal then...eBay itself! Imagine being able to auction off iTunes songs you thought were badass but now think are just ass (I'm talking to you, Incubus fans) via the iTunes music store interface. Oh yeah, and Apple could control supply of super-popular songs to prop up its eBay side in a sort of DeBeer's-ish artificial price inflation mechanism. What? Little Miss Jailbait's latest hot-hot-hot single is burning up the charts? Too bad, only 100 people can buy the song directly. I guess this would be a good time for one of those trez-fashionable Slashdot "1)X 2)Y 3)?? 4)Profit!" sort of lines.

Re:For amusement

[Anonymous Coward]

i don't see the button

Some Restrictions Apply

[o'davy]

Article sez:

Also, Apple said, the first 500,000 customers to open a new iTunes account in the United States using PayPal as their form of payment before March 31 will receive five free songs. Apple said some restrictions did apply to that offer and referred questions to the PayPal.com Website for information.

Dang. So I have to open a new iTunes account, and I am referred to PayPal for the details (probably need a credit card).

They Might Be Giants sell songs for $0.99US, too, and the $$ goes directly to the artists. Sorry, no PayPal.

Re:Some Restrictions Apply

[cdcarter]

I very much prefer the TMBG interface over the iTMS interface. Can get songs on linux, no need for a client, no DRM etc...

Re:Some Restrictions Apply

[clifyt]

You know its comments like this that show where /.s groupthink head is.

$$ goes to the artists on Apple's side as well. Its just it goes to the guys that the artist choose to market and distribute them. And for some reason folks seem to think that means nothing.

As much as I respect TMBG, I would have never heard of them other than the fact back when their first album came out a good friend a Musicland had gotten some promos from their label and gave me one. Few artists can afford to send their albums to all the music stores in the nation as well as all pertinent radio stations, nor have the logistics to do this even if they wanted to.

I still think their first album was their best -- the fact that I got it for free withstanding -- I had to dub my tape to CD years ago and I still don't have a good copy of their stuff. I might have to go check out their site and buy it again. But again, without the major labels, I would have never heard of them or if I did, it would have been a lot past the time in my life when music like this appealed to me.

Re:Some Restrictions Apply

[o'davy]

And, to top it off, Firefox is TMBG preferred browser. Nice!

Re:Some Restrictions Apply

[mrkslntbob]

Well, the no DRM is an important aspect to this too. DRM punishes people who actually pay for content. I'm don't understand why companies keep insisting on using these restrictions. People who steal music, games, software, etc. get it without any restriction. If i buy it from iTunes, i can't use it on Linux, or anywhere other than in iTunes or on an ipod. It's stupid.

I'll continue to buy cd's and rip them myself instead.

Stop punishing your PAYING CUSTOMERS, or maybe we won't pay anymore.

TMBG has gotten it right, good for them.

Re:Some Restrictions Apply

[o'davy]

As much as I respect TMBG, I would have never heard of them other than the fact back when their first album came out a good friend a Musicland had gotten some promos from their label and gave me one.

Yeah, yeah, and (although it's cool you had that "in" at Musicland) if it weren't for /. you would never hear about artists like MC Frontalot. Word-of-mouth is definitely a good thing that will be around forever. Go ahead and click the link, the worst that can happen is you won't like it.

Paypal is giving away 5 free iTMS songs

[da_anarchist]

If you don't have an iTMS account yet, Paypal will give you 5 songs when you create a new iTMS account and link it with a Paypal account. Only for the first 500,000 people, but the promotion just started days ago so should be good for a while. I signed up Friday and got my 5 songs without any problem. Here's the link to the details on Paypal's website: 5 free iTMS songs

Re:Paypal is giving away 5 free iTMS songs

[da_anarchist]

And why is this a troll? Five free songs isn't bad and its not like I'd actually use Paypal over a regular credit card to buy iTMS songs in the future.

No lossless no deal

[Anonymous Coward]

Great prices and offers et all, but cya in about 5 years once iTunes Music Store starts offering the Real Deal(TM) in form of AAC lossless format.

That's great...

[SilentT]

but all the improvements in the world won't do me any good until iTunes will run on linux.

Re:That's great...

[TravisWatkins]

I'm working on it.

Re:That's great...

[o'davy]

So what do you use? gtkpod? gnupod? ephPod? Or are you waiting to buy an iPod just because you use Linux?

I've just been copying stuff over with gnupod myself. Works fine.

Re:That's great...

[mh101]

The parent post isn't about transferring music to an iPod. The point is that you currently can't access iTMS without using iTunes, and there's no iTunes for Linux.

Re:That's great...

[fuck nwbvt]

Interesting, but you know, most people probably have the opposite perspective: Linux won't do them any good until it's capable of running iTunes. Sorry, just the way it is.

Re:That's great...

[Anonymous Coward]

All the improvements in the world won't do you a fuck bit of a good until you decide to stop trying to shoehorn home user needs into a power user OS.

Linux is fine, but use the right tool for the right job. If you want the best of home user need covered, use the OS that was intended for that.

That's not hard to figure out.

Re:That's great...

[Anonymous Coward]

It does, on Xandros 3 (using the new Codeweavers Crossover Office).

Re:That's great...

[Nebulaeus]

I have to admit I find it a bit disingenuous when Steve Jobs starts talking about the "great karma" of buying music online, yet with their DRM and their refusal to support Linux systems, there is no legitimate way for Linux users to join in on their little "revolution".

Re:That's great...

[mjh49746]

...and even if it did run on Linux, I still wouldn't get it. Not that I have anything against Apple, but I just don't see the point in paying for DRM'd music files from anybody. I further don't see the point in buying any CDs anymore. I also don't even see the point of pirating them or putting them on p2p if the music sucks hairy rocks, either.

Either the quality of music has taken a sharp nose dive in ten years, or it must be because I'm now 31 instead of 21. Nah, I don't think my age has anything to do with it as I once knew 40+ something friends that were more 'hip' to the music scene back in the day. Nowadays, nobody my age will even touch the shit. Hell, I don't know anyone in their 20's that want to listen to it, either.

Nah, it must be the kiddies or something. Or maybe it's that those teenage boys just get to masturbating over either those Brittney Spears or Jessica Simpson's CD covers because neither one of those bitches can sing worth a damn.

Maybe I am an old fart. Who know? But that's the only opinion that I have on the subject.

Faithfully submitted,

Douglas C. Neidermayer

Sergent of Arms

Re:That's great...

[cherokee158]

Y'know, I've been seeing people whine a bit about Apple's DRM, but it is far more liberal than most online music providers DRM, and, frankly, after using iTunes for a couple years now, I have yet to bump up against it. I have had no problem burning as many CD's as I like.

What's the big deal?

And, Doug, I am sorry to say, you DO sound like you're getting a bit grumpy in your old age LOL. Look around a bit. There is more good music out there than you might think...most of it below the pop radar. iTunes is, in fact, a great way to find it.

And now that they take monoply money, you don't even have to feel bad about it :-)

Re:That's great...

[Anonymous Coward]

>I have to admit I find it a bit disingenuous when Steve Jobs starts talking about the "great karma" of buying music online, yet with their DRM and their refusal to support Linux systems, there is no legitimate way for Linux users to join in on their little "revolution".

Linux users, PLEASE get your head out of your asses. No, I'm not flaming, please read on...

First of all, the iTMS would *NEVER* have existed without DRM. If you listen to the keynotes, Steve Jobs even winks about it (try watching the one where he introduces the Airport Express). The media industry has an incredible fear of putting their stuff in digital form without any DRM (the audio CD format is so old, nobody could've ever imagined the repercussions, computers with GB's of storage space, lossy compression to shrink media files, the internet, etc). If YOU want to release/author media without any DRM, you're still free to do so (even in Apple's own AAC or Lossless format, if you choose to do so).

Second, Apple will not release iTunes for Linux, just like they're not releasing iTunes for Windows 98. It's called installed user base, it's called tech support, it's called possible revenue.

With Linux heads so used to get everything for free, how much sales do you really think Apple would make from the iTMS on Linux?

Another reason is that iTunes for Linux would require a lot of coding simply to run on different graphic drivers, different audio drivers, different CD drivers, different filesystems, etc.

I'm sorry, but until Linux gets its act together (I.E.: ONE way of doing things at the OS level (that doesn't exclude customization of that one component), nobody will jump in Linux (that includes games).

Maybe I just said a bunch of stuff that was nonsense to you, but that's the image the Linux crowd is projecting.

Re:That's great...

[Anonymous Coward]

Q: How can you tell if an internet consumer will make a crappy customer?

A: They run Linux.

How?

[The Cisco Kid]

Ok, so I went to itunes.com, and poked around, and found all sorts of info on how great it was, and how easy, yet nowhere can I find a link to actually select music to check out with for download.

Re:How?

[Anonymous Coward]

You actually need to download iTunes as it is the only way to access the music store (through the Music Store link). The music is not accessible through a web browser.

Re:How?

[rsmith-mac]

Just to cover the stupid questions, you're using iTunes itself to browse the store, right?

Re:How?

[jxyama]

you need iTunes.

right in the front page of www.itunes.com, referring to iTunes:
The best digital jukebox, with the #1 music download store inside.

Re:How?

[The Cisco Kid]

No, I have a perfectly good browser. I dont want to download any software, just music.

(Yes, I'm being sarcastic)

Re:How?

[kfg]

Ya I'm a girl - do you have a problem with it, bub?

I don't know. Let's have a look at your code.

KFG

Re:How?

[Anonymous Coward]

Is that some sort of crappy humor that only ugly geek chix understand?

Re:How?

[stefanb]

You have to go to itunes.co.uk.

Re:How?

[mangee]

Yeah.. you need iTunes on your computer. :)

http://www.paypalsucks.com/

[Anonymous Coward]

I wouldn't touch PayPal with a 46.5 foot pole. Even over 99 cents! Hooking their "service" up directly to your bank account, now *that's* scary.

Re:http://www.paypalsucks.com/

[Anonymous Coward]

When people listen to complete strangers and do what they do and stop to think for themselves, now *that's* scary.

Re:http://www.paypalsucks.com/

[adzoox]

And of course those that do reasearch on Paypal and find the paypalwarning.com and paypalsucks.com websites - also don't realize:

- Posts that praise paypal are deleted [often]
- Posts that try to assist users with problems are deleted
- Paypalsucks.com is sponsored by the competition - yowcow
- You are allowed to post anonymously and as registered
- There's a disporportionate # of comments to registered users

Paypal Ain't My Buddy

/. behind the times

[fearx]

Does anyone else notice how /. is getting behind the times? This news is 2 days old at best.

Re:/. behind the times

[Anonymous Coward]

Since /. is an aggregate of news, most "news" you find here has been posted somewhere else first.

Re:/. behind the times

[fearx]

I understand that, but it used to be up-to-date news. I remember back in 199x that I would read most of the news first here before other places because either people were quick to report it and it was posted right away, or maybe there just were not as many news sites and not as many are submitting news these days. On the other hand, I suppose it could be that there is just so much more news topics that /. covers/reports these days that it is harder to keep up. Whatever the reason, it certainly has changed. I have noticed it on quite a few article recently.

Re:/. behind the times

[buttersnout]

Yes. Interestingly I've submitted articles which apparently are not accept and then find 12 to a day later that what I was submitting was accepted but not the submission I sent in. Have no idea why. Am I that bad a writer?

Re:/. behind the times

[beerits]

A), Interestingly I've submitted articles which apparently are not accept and then find 12 to a day later that what I was submitting was accepted but not the submission I sent in.

Am I that bad a writer?
Yes. I offer Exhibit A in evidence. :)

Re:/. behind the times

[Anonymous Coward]

Give the editors a break. It's a lot of work posting a story. They thoroughly fact-check each submission for accuracy. They also make sure to report balanced news without bias. On top of that, they monitor the rest of the site's submissions to ensure the same story isn't posted twice.

(+5, Funny)

Re:/. behind the times

[freeweed]

This news is 2 days old at best.

1999 called. It wants its complaint back.

Ah, the irony of using an old comment to complain about less than timely news updates :)

The Online Currency?

[ethzer0]

It would be really neat to see where paypal could take a currency system. For now, many online stores prices are posted in the local currency in use, whether it be American or Canadian Dollar, the Euro, etc. If any form of online trading becomes universal and widely adopted, prices could be posted in paypal dollars; call them Paydols (I dunno... work with me). If prices were posted in Paydols it might transition to the physical world---you could pay for goods at a store with X amount of Paydols instead. If you could buy most things with a Paydol account, people might accept payments. You could transfer money from person to person with cell-phone administration of your paypal account. Obviously, I'm getting carried away, but having a system like iTunes accepting paypal transactions could be a big step on a long-road to a universal currency.

Re:The Online Currency?

[liangzai]

I believe the US-onian dollar is already a de facto universal currency. I am all for standards and such, but an independent universal currency will never be.

Re:The Online Currency?

[Ron Bennett]

At one time it could have happened, but PayPal has long since squandered that opportunity.

PayPal's TOS/AUP outlines numerous exceptions / limitations of their service, such as:

Academic Software, Aggregators, Alcohol, Animal and Wildlife Products, Artifacts, Grave-Related, and Native American Crafts, Authenticity Disclaimers, Autographed Items, Automobiles Batteries, Bootleg Recordings, Contracts and Tickets, Counterfeit Currency and Stamps, Counterfeit Items, Credit Cards, Drug and Drug Paraphernalia, Electronics Equipment, Embargoed Goods, Prohibited Countries, Event Tickets, Faces, Names, and Signatures, Firearms, Ammunition, Replicas, and Militaria, Fireworks, Food, Freon and Other Refrigerants, Gambling, Games Software: Sony, Sega, and Nintendo, Government IDs and Licenses, Hazardous, Restricted, and Perishable Items, Human Parts and Remains, Industrial Solvents, Importation of Goods Into the United States, International Trading - Buyers, International Trading - Sellers, Lock-Picking Devices, Lottery Tickets, Mailing Lists and Personal Information, Malls, Mature Audiences, Medical Devices, Mod Chips, Money Transfer Companies, OEM Software, Offensive Material, Pesticides, Plants and Seeds, Police-Related Items, Postage Meters, Precious Metals, Pre-Paid Debit Cards, Pre-Selling Products, Prescription Drugs and Devices, Promotional Items, Pyramid, Multi-Level Marketing, and Get-Rich-Quick Schemes, Real Estate, Recalled Items, Satellite and Cable TV Descramblers, Slot Machines, Stocks, Bonds, Securities, and Related Certificates, Stolen Property, Surveillance Equipment, Tobacco, Travel, Unauthorized Copies, Used Airbags, Warranties, Weapons and Knives ...

Wow, that's a heck of a long list ... what does that leave left? LOL!

For more details see URL below - each item in list is clickable - imagine if one had to consult such a list every time they wished to buy/sell an item - cash is going nowhere anytime soon.

http://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=p/gen/u a/ use/index_frame-outside

Ron Bennett

Re:The Online Currency?

[Anonymous Coward]

Beenz and Flooz called. They're laughing at the fact that you believe their business model might still work in the real world. However, they are happy that you've coined a term ("Paydols") that sounds even wackier than "Beenz" or "Flooz" did.

(Search for them on Fucked Company if Google fails you...)

Re:The Online Currency?

[Anonymous Coward]

e-gold

DMT Rand

Re:The Online Currency?

[Cloud K]

Ooh, you could have fun with that list.

Precious metals 200 credits
Plants and Seeds 4 credits
Human Parts and Remains 22 credits
Weapons and Knives 168 credits
Medical Devices 592 credits

Coming out of hyperspace and being shot to smithereens - priceless

Re:The Online Currency?

[Anonymous Coward]

Or, instead of making everything complicated, maybe we just need a Mozilla extension to do local currency conversion in page.

Re:The Online Currency?

[Anonymous Coward]

Hahahah, that page is a joke, and if they really officially go by the words printed on those pages, then they're more stupid than I thought. Quote:

• Nintendo:
  * All Nintendo games are on cartridges and very few have been released with multiple games on one cartridge
  * Any version of a Nintendo game that is not on a cartridge is an infringing copy

Guess they don't allow selling of Gamecube games.

No conspiracy (theory)

[poptones]

Of course it's due to the "undefined" legal status. Paypal wants to be seen as legit and allowing people to pay for "illegal" MP3s isn't going to fly with them any more than allowing themselves to become the gold standard for porn and child modeling sites (which they also shut down some months ago).

I've had zero issues with allofmp3. Of course I don't have a high cc limit and I don't look to change it, and I keep it close to maxed out all the time so it's not like they could rip me off.

My only beef with allofmp3 is their selection of russian artists is (ironically) pretty limited, their selection of techno even more limited, and their rip quality seems pretty bad even for the what they claim are "lossless digital" originals. My guess (based on my own experiences with "original" russian CDs) is they don't even have ready access to non-pirated "originals" - which means their own "masters" are simply bootleg CDs which were, themselves, authored from someone else's MP3 rips.

Now Magnatune...Magnatune has awesome quality and a good selection of music I like and a great support system.

And... they also take paypal.

Useless???

[MyLongNickName]

I always pay with a credit card. I get no service fees. I get no annual fee. I pay it off every month. It is like having 30 days free use of money.

And on top of it I get 2-5% back on purchases.

And on top of that, my monthly budget can be downloaded and auto-categorized. Saves me many hours of work.

And on top of that, it is nice to be able to dispute a charge when you don't get what you paid for.

And on top of that, I am much more protected from fraud (all my cards have 0 liability).

So why wouldn't I want to use a credit card?

Re:Useless???

[-*Sex E. Beast*-]

I'm not saying that you shouldn't use a credit card, I'm saying what is the point of using paypal for iTunes when you are just going to end up using a credit card.

Re:Useless???

[Cocteaustin]

The point is convenience -- it's much easier to pay with PayPal than it is to have to type in your credit card number each time you buy something.

Re:Useless???

[Peter Cooper]

Hmm, but with the iTunes Music Store you don't have to type anything in each time, except your password. It remembers your CC number and bills you at the end of each day where you bought tracks.

Re:Useless???

[Anonymous Coward]

>So why wouldn't I want to use a credit card?

Because credit card companies charge the vendor between 2-5% for each transaction. So, in using your credit card you are actually increasing prices for consumer goods by that same 2-5%, even for people who choose not to have or use credit cards.

Re:Useless???

[MacGod]

So why wouldn't I want to use a credit card?

Because THEY can use it to track you! Make sure you never get one of those in-the-pipeline smart-card-equipped credit cards. That's how THEY know your location at all times-the smart card beams your location back to the mind-control satellites.

Re:Useless???

[DogDude]

Because with PayPal, you get to try out all of those nifty anti-fraud features on your credit card!!

Re:Useless???

[Anonymous Coward]

It's OK, I have my tin-foil hat to block the mind control beams.

Re:The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shade

[LostCluster]

Topps is actually doing this kind of scheme with baseball cards through a program they call eTopps.

When you buy an eTopps card, you get an actual baseball card. However, unless you ask for it they never send the card to you, it's locked up in a secret vault where Topps maintains it in pristine condition. As long as you let your card stay in the vault, you can sell it on a special section of eBay.

New cards come out in "Intial Player Offerings" or "IPO"s where the cards are offered for direct purchase, but if too many people request the cards some get it and some don't, causing there to be an instant pent up demand for the card on the eBay trading floor.

It's almost exactly the scheme the parent poster is describing...

Apparently anyone can use it - in the USA

[NotQuiteReal]

Paypal only requires a Bank Account to get the high-limit "verified" status.

You can even use a "Matricular Consular" card, issued by the Mexican Government or any back-alley forger worth his salt, as ID to open a valid US bank account - US Citizen or not.

So, I see no obstical to becoming a full-fledged on-line citizen either (an appearing as a USA bank account holder).

Re:The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shade

[unitron]

Can I mod this as strangely insightful but hopelessly naive?

Seriously, though, I'm sure there's something buried in the fine print that says you can't resell iTunes songs. Remember, the product comes from the same recording industry that wanted to ban the sale of previously owned CDs so that you had to pay full price for a new one (which, if they'd been successful in banning sales of used CDs, would have suffered 100% depreciation the instant you bought it).

first one?

[Tablizer]

PayPal to buy songs...becoming the second major online music store to do so

Uh, what's the first?

Re:first one?

[Blue_Nile]

that would be www.allofmp3.com

Re:first one?

[Anonymous Coward]

Napster

Why bother with iTunes....

[rsilvergun]

when their's Ebay? I'm serious. I just bought 30 CDs for ~$100 dollars (expensive japanese CDs no less). At 10 songs average (give or take) that's ~300 songs or ~.33 cents a song. Beats the hell out of iTunes. Yeah, you can't get everything one ebay, but you can't get everything on iTunes either. And I've got liner art, lyrics, and high quality pressed CDs that aren't nearly as susceptible to bit rot.

I guess it's nice getting _exactly_ the song you want, but still, I just don't get the appeal of iTunes. Unless the content providers start craming it down our throats by phasing out CDs (yeah, they probably will), I can't see it as being more than a passing fad after the novelty wears off.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[batkiwi]

I am not an itunes user, but I can see its appeal:

1. INSTANT gratification. You want it now, you've got it now.
2. Granularity. You paid 100$, but what if you only wanted those CDs for 40 total songs? In your example, you're buying what I'd call "specialty" CDs and don't follow the traditional model. Most people want a CD for 1-3 songs, which raises your price to about a buck a song, if not more (for the average person buying 30 cds for 100$)
3. Preview. Could you LEGALLY listen to clips of songs off of those 30 cds before buying them?
4. Plays on your IPOD/whatever. It'll take you at least 2-3 hours to rip all those cds if you're just sitting at the computer ripping.

Stuff like ebay, used music stores, hell even a NEW cd off amazon.com is great for expanding your CD collection when you know what you want already, but that's not the itunes use case.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[94229a]

EBay's advantages: cheaper, no DRM, physical media

iTunes advantages: instant gratification, a la carte shopping

And don't dismiss those advantages. I buy the song, I listen to the song. No waiting for the CD to arrive. And suppose I only like 3 songs on an album - then the cost difference is negligible.

And I expect there's an addictive quality to iTunes. You listen to a song, you click, its yours. Then you see the songs other people liked, and you listen to them, click: you've bought another. Then you click on related artists, hear a couple of those songs, "click", you've bought another. Your 99 cent impulse buy has just turned into $20 in purchases.

And nothing says you only have to buy music from one source.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[ThousandStars]

I needed a specific song for a party mix one night. I logged on to iTunes and downloaded it in less than a minute; the process was quick and painless, and by using Hymn I later removed the DRM.

There are times when iTMS is very, very helpful. That isn't to say I don't buy CDs, because I do, but sometimes speed is an issue. Also, if I only want one song, buying an entire CD is wasteful.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Fancia]

Are you sure that they're not pirated copies? In my experience, most Japanese albums being sold on eBay are actually Taiwanese knockoffs, and the price you give there seems suspicious for expensive Japanese albums.

Check the label; if it's Son-May (SM), Ever Anime, Smile Face, Xu Shing or Ho Son it's definately pirated. Those are the most common piraters, and you can find their knockoffs everywhere. Naturally, the artist didn't get a penny; so if your 30 CDs for 100$ were pirates, then it's no wonder it was cheaper than iTunes.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[AnimeFreak]

Sigh.

Those companies are not "knock offs," they're just labels in Japan that have the licence to reproduce music from Japan. They're perfectly legal in Taiwan, but are not to be sold outside of that country.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Anonymous Coward]

That's not true either. They're legal in Taiwan because international copyright laws don't apply there (China threatens to invade them if they sign up to the treaty). SonMay et al don't have the licence from the Japanese companies, because they don't need them.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[a24061]

Naturally, the artist didn't get a penny; so if your 30 CDs for 100$ were pirates, then it's no wonder it was cheaper than iTunes.

So much of that $0.66 per track difference would have gone to the artists!

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[bs_02_06_02]

Itunes... you buy the songs you want. That's it.

If you buy the latest craptastic teenager album out there, maybe 1 or 2 songs get airplay on the radio, the rest combined aren't worth $.05. So, by buying 2 songs at $.99, it's way cheaper than your $3.00 for an entire disc.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Anonymous Coward]

>I guess it's nice getting _exactly_ the song you want, but still, I just don't get the appeal of iTunes.

Well, that's kind of what I used it for. You know, when you only want a few songs from a CD?

Example: Aero, by Jean-Michel Jarre. The CD is 30$CAN at Amazon.ca, the album is 10$CAN on iTMS. It's already 1/3 of the price. But I really only wanted 3 tracks, so that's 3$CAN. I only paid 1/10 of the price to get exactly what I want.

That's why iTMS works (IMO).

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Octagon Most]

"I guess it's nice getting _exactly_ the song you want, but still, I just don't get the appeal of iTunes."

OK. The appeal of iTunes is "getting _exactly_ the song you want."

I can browse, click "Buy Song," download, and sync to my iPod before you can grab the car keys and get in the car. I'll be listening to the songs I wanted at US$0.99 each long before you will drive to the store and buy them at somewhere around $16 for an average of three songs you want per CD. At that average you just paid $100 for 99 good songs through eBay. If you like more songs than that then congratulations, you came out ahead on a per song basis. But I seriously doubt that you would have selected all of those songs and paid for then individually. Even at $0.33 each.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Anonymous Coward]

That's why you shouldn't buy Japanese CDs on eBay without a close-up picture of the cover/back of the CD box, so you can check wether it's a knock-off or not.

Re:Why bother with iTunes....

[Fancia]

To be more precise, *some* international copyright laws apply in Taiwan. Works published by U.S. nationals, or created by nationals of the U.K., Hong Kong and Spain are also protected. Works created in other countries aren't; but, as you of course imply, it's not legal to export the Taiwanese knockoffs outside of Taiwan.

PayPal rocks.

[rice_burners_suck]

It's about cottonpickin' time that other sites besides eBay begin integrating with PayPal. I mean, seriously, how the devil is PayPal to be taken seriously if it's an eBay-only technology?

Re:PayPal rocks.

[Anonymous Coward]

PayPal is the reason I buy from NewEgg.com, WiredParidise.com and TechOnWeb.com. Unfortunately too many sites won't even consider PayPal, Think Geek for example.

oooh neato

[iamweezman]

Hey this is such great news! Can you also let us know about every new song they put up too. Every little bit of iTunes news is just so enthralling!

Re:oooh neato

[r3dx0r]

actually they don't have to.

because you can customize an rss feed here http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa /MRSS/rssGenerator and get all recentlyadded songs you want delivered to your rss reader of choice.

A thought:

[NeuroManson]

As someone who draws erotic cartoons for a living, I learned early on about how Paypal refuses to perform any payment transactions involving adult material (in fact, they'll fine sellers $500 for adult material).

So how does that differ from iTunes, where any variety of "Parental Advisory" labeled music can be dowloaded?

Re:A thought:

[Kris_J]

All you need is a big, well funded industry body behind you. Of course, they'll take 90% of your profit, but at least you'll have artistic freedom so long as you do what they tell you to do.

Re:first one? - www.allofmp3.com

[necro2607]

http://www.allofmp3.com/

Would you like some cheese with that WINE...

[michaeldot]

WINE is not an enemy to your desire to run iTunes under Linux

whoo hoo

[Exter-C]

that is awesome. I personally prefer to use paypal on the internet if possible. It keeps everything nice and separate from my other bank / credit cards.

Dear Paypal User

[mrshowtime]

What is going to be funny is when Apple gets the standard Paypal "HA,HA, we just suspended your account and hijacked your money for six months." -form letter that paypal seems to send to just about everyone these days.

"Dear Paypal user APPLEITUNES INC.

We have noticed some unusual activity regarding your paypal account. For your saftey, we have limited your account access. To restore access, please complete checklist below and your account will be reviewed in 7-30 business days, when we will simply ask you for more extremely personal info, even though we have already made the decision to limit your account access indefinately, even though you have done nothing wrong.

Please complete the following steps to restore access:

1. Provide proof of inventory and invoices for all 1.2 million songs you provide.

2. Provide the names and phone numbers of all companies that provide you with your 'inventory'

3. Provide us with your Social Security number.

4. Provide us with copies of your utility bills at 101 Apple Ln.

5. Provide us with copies of your bank statements for the past year.

6. Change your password and password hints

7. Confirm your credit card

8. Confirm your bank account

Once this checklist is complete, we will still ask you for the same info over and over again, with no valid reason, and we will hold all funds in your paypal account for 180 days and then release them to you.

Thanks for choosing Paypal
Sincerely
Mark
Paypal "Investigations"

Re:Dear Paypal User

[Anonymous Coward]

Ha! This message is clearly a phishing scam; look at the misspellings and poor grammar.

Re:Dear Paypal User

[mbbac]

Provide us with copies of your utility bills at 101 Apple Ln.

Come on, guy. Don't you know Apple's address is 1 Infinite Loop? That's got to be the coolest address for a technology related company.

Re:Dear Paypal User

[Anonymous Coward]

>Come on, guy. Don't you know Apple's address is 1 Infinite Loop? That's got to be the coolest address for a technology related company.

I guess that explains the "once a Mac user, always a Mac user" part.

Re:Dear Paypal User

[Anonymous Coward]

> Come on, guy. Don't you know Apple's address is 1 Infinite Loop? That's got to be the coolest address for a technology related company.

Come on, guy. Don't you know Apple's address is 1 Infinite Loop? That's got to be the coolest address for a technology related company.

Re:Dear Paypal User

[Anonymous Coward]

Come on, guy. Don't you know Apple's address is 1 Infinite Loop? That's got to be the coolest address for a technology related company.

Re:Dear Paypal User

[mrshowtime]

I was not making fun of the phishing scams, I was making fun of the real horrorshow that paypal is and the fact that they have ruined countless businesses because of overzealous "fraud" screening.

PayPal are evil!

[NaveWeiss]

While I like very much the concept of PayPal - which allows me to quickly send money without revealing my CC number, they do behave like nasty monopolists and terminate accounts without telling the reason why.

Look what they did to Clay, the artist of Sexy Losers - they terminated his account just like that, without explaining anything besides claiming he violated their TOS.. and they did that to many other people.

Re:PayPal are evil!

[Threni]

How do you know that the people complaining about PayPal don't have an axe to grind for some reason they're not telling you about? Banks get accused of doing bad stuff too but...so what? As long as they stick to the contract then there's no problem. I don't do other people's boycotting for them.

Re:PayPal are evil!

[NaveWeiss]

It is different.
While banks do many things, like charge people and put them in debt, PayPal is supposed to do only one thing: Transfer money. And yet they cause problems with it.

Re:This is awesome..NOT

[Anonymous Coward]

Damn right, Pay"Pal" is an nice Orweillian name for the pinnacle of financial services sector corporate semi-legalized removal of people's right related to their money.

Even though they are doing plenty of illegal and immoral crap to people, the law enforcement people don't care (and probably protect them from other financial sector companies who want to reign them in) because PayPal bends their customers over for the criminals in cop's clothing.

Better solution

[Anonymous Coward]

Buy used CD's.

Way cheaper than iTunes, better quality, and you get liner notes.

Oh. And the artists gets roughly the same amount as from itunes, too.

WTF?

[Anonymous Coward]

Who the hell doesn't have a debit/check card these days? If you don't, that's your problem, not Apple's or PayPal's.

Re:WTF?

[hyperstation]

me, you insensitive clod

Depending on PayPal is hazardous to your health

[echocharlie]

Slashdot reported on a October 11 about some server problems caused by a software update. The problem lasted for several days and cause a lot of grief to people on eBay who depended on PayPal as their primary source of income. When PayPal resolved their problems, they offered to refund some money for lost income, but it wasn't enough to smooth over hard feelings created from the incident. Luckily, Apple doesn't depend on PayPal as it's sole means of payment. Those that do should look into secondary payment processing as a back up.

Congratulations

[amichalo]

so I went to itunes.com, and poked around, ... yet nowhere can I find a link to actually select music to check out with for download.

You are officially the dumbest person on Earth.

Re:Congratulations

[The Cisco Kid]

Uh, no. You are, for not recognizing sarcasm.

Their model is obnoxious - I dont want to download their stupid software (Nor do I have or use any platform its available for anyway), I just want to download music.

There is no functionaility required for finding, downloading, or playing music that requires special software.

Its like going to a Blockbuster to rent a movie, and finding that each movie is embedded into its own TV set with its own player, and you cant take it home and play it on *your* tv, with *your* player.

Re:Congratulations

[amichalo]

Uh, no. You are

Are you serious? Did you really just "I'm not, you are" me?

Re:Congratulations

[Anonymous Coward]

Rumor has it that he is made of rubber and you are made of glue, too.

Re:Congratulations

[The Cisco Kid]

So you are both unable to recognize saracasm, *AND* unable to recognize when I point out that you are unable to recognize sarcasm?

So much for the average IQ of the /. readership.

Re:Congratulations

[Anonymous Coward]

Well, in his defence, you *are* acting like a huge wanker, and your original comment was pretty fucking stupid.

Wrong address...

[MadAnthony02]

. Provide us with copies of your utility bills at 101 Apple Ln

What? You didn't know that Apple's address is the rather ironic 1 Infinite Loop?

About "those that hard hard feelings"

[adzoox]

I think Paypal did a good job - they didn't have to compensate "us" at all.

It was a nice gesture on their part and for you to assume that Paypal - with its ENORMOUS bandwidth/customer service burden - should be up up 365 days a year without a single glitch is just ludacris.

In case you haven't noticed, the new front page is more user friendly and transactional searches are almost 50% faster. That was compensation to me.

I also listed more than normal the day they gave transactional fees.

Hijacked Paypal accounts?

[bs_02_06_02]

Let's face it. Hijacked Paypal accounts are common. Most of them are used to try and steal expensive electronics, shipping to 3rd party addresses. The easiest way to stop this is to match the ship-to address to the billing address of the account.

Think about online music purchases for a moment. They don't care about the ship-to address, so there's not going to be any address verification. And even if there was, there's nothing to ship!

If you think Paypal is going to eat the loss on hijacked accounts, you've got another thing coming. The only thing Paypal is concerned about is Paypal. Apple will eat a lot of losses from stolen Paypal accounts. The only question is how many Paypal hijackers are music thieves? Maybe not many, but while they're waiting for their electronics scams to materialize, they can certainly buy a crapload of music.

Which is why you....

[fallen1]

Yeah, which is why you get your bank to create a special PayPal only account for you. If you sell a lot, just make sure to pull out the money at the end of day. If you buy a lot, you transfer money from your REAL bank account to your PayPal account, send the money to the person you're buying from and that's it.

Basically, this always leaves NO MONEY in that account. Of course, it helps to have a no-fee checking account that doesn't require $500+ balance or something like that. Even a low-fee account (say $2-5 per month) would suffice. If PayPal tries to grab that account - fsck 'em. They can have the $20 or whatever is in there.

Re:The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shade

[geoffspear]

Or, more likely, there is no vault, and they'll just print the cards on demand if anyone actually wants them.

Ironically ...

[Heisenbug]

I'm afraid Slashdot being behing the times isn't really a new development. Sorry, fearx.

Re:first one? - www.allofmp3.com

[superpulpsicle]

I was wondering if this site was truely legal? The price was absolutely insanely cheap. It seems way too good to be true.

allofmp3.com

[FreeUser]

You may be looking for allofmp3.com, a perfectly legal digital music seller (RIAA propoganda notwithstanding), accepts paypal and will sell music to anyone, in any country, in just about any format you care for (including unencumbered versions of Apple aac if that's your thing).

They are located in Russia, licensed by the Russian eqiuvelent of the RIAA, and with current favorable exchange rates the music costs pennies on the dollar compared to iTunes or other western resellers. What's more, they have a better selection of music one cannot find at iTunes.

But why? They already accept credit cards.

[Animats]

PayPal is for sellers so small they can't qualify for a merchant account and take credit cards. Why would anyone use PayPal to buy from Apple?

Not everyone has or wants to use a credit card.

[saddino]

Why would anyone use PayPal to buy from Apple?

All it takes to open up a PayPal account is an exisiting bank account. For those who either can't get credit (too young, bad credit), or are worried about using credit on the Internet (my grandparents), a PayPal account is an excellent alternative for online purchasing. Simply put, Apple wants these users to prefer iiTMS (and thus iPod) when it comes to buying music online.

When porn is not porn

[freeweed]

Take a look at the porn industry at large.

Sound and printed text has a much higher threshold before it's considered "adult material" or "objectionable content". Cartoon and video, being more visual, seem to have a much lower threshold.

Go browse the books in your local grocery store sometime. I first learned the term "throbbing manhood" while waiting in an express line.

Re:The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shade

[dave1212]

It's actually from South Park, from the Underpants Gnomes episode.

Artificial inflation sucks, but there's no way they're going to let us resell the songs to anyone else.

Re:The future's so bright, I gotta wear used shade

[unitron]

I wonder if the second moderator agreed that I was a troll but thought that I was an underrated one? Does that mean that I was very good at being a troll or very bad?

allofmp3.com

[FreeUser]

You may be looking for allofmp3.com, a perfectly legal digital music seller (RIAA propoganda notwithstanding), accepts paypal and will sell music to anyone, in any country, in just about any format you care for (including unencumbered versions of Apple aac if that's your thing).

They are located in Russia, licensed by the Russian eqiuvelent of the RIAA, and with current favorable exchange rates the music costs pennies on the dollar compared to iTunes or other western resellers. What's more, they have a better selection of music one cannot find at iTunes.

(reposted in defiance of censorship)

One problem with getting _exactly_

[rsilvergun]

what you want. When I first got Blondie's "No Exit", I only liked one or two songs. About half a year later I was board, so I listened to the whole album, and found I really, really liked the rest of the songs when I finnally sat down and listened to them. Yeah, you don't get this with the latest Britney Spears Opus, but then again I don't buy Britney Spears albums. If I just bought the 2 songs I wnated on iTunes, I'd probably never realized how great the rest of the album was.