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iTunes Store Available in Australia Very Soon
tintub writes "New Zealander Russell Crowe has probably infuriated Apple by revealing the launch date of the iTunes store in Australia. Apparently it will be open as early as tomorrow (Thursday), selling tracks for AU$1.80 each. Personally I think this is too much, but I'm glad it's finally available in Australia. Now, when's Amazon coming?"
that even though we have something that is truly global such as the internet and the web, we still find citizens of the web denying access to services based on real-world geographical location?
Doesn't that defeat the all-encompassing nature of the web?
Why paying A$1.8 per song when you can buy a
:7 555 6.html
whole unprotected CD at www.allofmp3.com for
the same amount ?
And legally as well
http://smh.com.au/articles/2004/04/26/10828314
When everyone learns how to read upside-down!
I agree with the fact $1.80 is too expensive.
I would be much more inclined to purchase tracks if they were $1.00 or at least $1.10 or $1.20.
A lot of traditional distribution costs don't apply and I think they are not really passing on these savings as they should.
If you really could get cheap fast track downloads with high bitrate in a flexible format you would cut out a lot of piracy.
The whole anti-freedom effort on the part of the RIAA (A as in Australia) is really chafing. I'm glad someone out there is finally fighting for the rest of us, and it makes me happy that it is Apple, of all companies.
iTunes may not be the best solution, but as far as a halfway point between music slavery and music freedom, a for-pay music download site is a great step and a great way to give the finger to our rights usurpers. I'd love to have a system that didn't require any pay at all, but Apple's pioneering of this type of business method is absolutely wonderful.
And now, to have it spread to Australia, it is great to see freedom on the march. I hate to sing the praises of any company, but Apple deserves it this time.
According to XE.com, US$0.99 = AU$1.27. Why then are they asking almost almost $2?
From the article:
iTunes is the only site where iPod users can legally download songs.
Is this really the only site where iPod users can legally download songs? It's a shame that the mass media can get away with spouting complete falacies such as this :(
There are many sites to get free, legal, mp3s from:
In This Defiance bandOnline Tonight
John Peel sessions
The problem with slashdot is that most of its users were bullied and stuffed into lockers as kids!
You cut out the middleman and a whole lot of manufacturing -, distribution and logistics in the process and I - as the consumer - want at least a part of that savings reflected on the price.
Whilst you can want that, there's no reason for you to get it.
The cost of production has little to do with the price of the songs. The price is simply the highest amount that consumers will let Apple get away with. Although they could lower their prices and therefore sell more songs, if you add it up, they wouldn't make more money this way.
Now, the actual issue isn't this simple in real life, of course. Also, Apple only makes a tiny amount of money from music sales (at the moment, the store is only there to make iPods more attractive). But it's useful to remember, in the real world, we have real world economics.
1.80 Austrialian dollars? What is that 15 US dollars and about 1.5 Euros?
1.8 Australian Dollars, at today's currency exchange rates, are about 1.40 US $, or about 1.08 €.
What are you doing telling everyone that Russell Crowe is a New Zealander???
We've been doing a pretty good job up till now convincing the world he's an Aussie. The Aussies can have iTunes if they promise to keep Russell Crowe.
Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird -- Proverbs 1:17
> As long as you don't sell MP3 / Ogg files in 320kb - / very high quality however
Most people listen to MP3 files though headphones or in a car. The quality of the sound though headphones is so bad that it doesn't really matter if it's only 128K - you're never going to tell the difference anyway. Especially if you don't upgrade from the crappy white headphones that came with your iPod.
we'll see a rise in "Men at Work" downloads now...
1.80 AUD Australia Dollars = 1.39636 USD US Dollars
A 40 cent difference just for living 'dahn undah'?
Now is anyone actually going to download Russell's songs without being totally inebriated first?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
It's actually $1.69, not $1.80 as predicted. See this Sydney Morning Herald article
Why the hell does everyone think that taking the US rate and doing a currency conversion is a valid comparison in price? Do you morons think that the Australian (or other countries) record labels have the same cost structure? They're negotiating the price with the record labels people, not picking a number out of a hat and deciding that it's fine.
Something intruiging...