Slashdot Mirror


Apple's 500 Million Songs

Paul H. writes "Apple is giving away an iPod Mini and a 50-song gift card to whomever purchases every 100,000th song on iTunes, until they reach 500 million downloads. The person who downloads the 500 millionth song wins 10 free iPods, a gold 10,000-song gift card, and 10 additional 50-song gift cards for the iPods. To top it off, the winner gets 4 first row Coldplay tickets with back-stage passes."

27 of 418 comments (clear)

  1. Free Entries by NickCatal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Find a song, do the "tell a friend" feature and type in "itunes500@apple.com" as the friend to email. Each time you do it, it is an entry. -Nick

    --
    -nick
  2. Re:Is this verifying a rumor? by Anonymous+Crowhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Rumor had it that they had overstocked their inventory of iPods and needed to get rid of them. Is this just a quiet way of getting rid of them

    Yep. They overstocked by 10 units and they need to unload them stat.

  3. Let's slashdot the itunes servers! by tktk · · Score: 5, Funny
    Hey, just for fun, everyone go buy one song right now. That'll burn the iTunes music servers and the credit card verification system to the ground.

    Sincerely,

    Jeve Stobs.

  4. Meanwhile... by The_Rippa · · Score: 5, Funny

    The RIAA will be handing out lawsuits for every 100,000th download on a p2p network, leading up to the public beheading of the person who download the 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000th song.

  5. easily expoitable by i_should_be_working · · Score: 4, Funny

    much like the bottle caps you could see the bottoms of before buying, this scheme has an obvious flaw.

    Just buy 100,000 songs and hey, free ipod!

  6. Re:10 free ipods???? by Crudely_Indecent · · Score: 5, Funny

    10 iPods make you 10 times as cool.......which is, of course, why I need so desperately to win.

    I HAVEN'T HAD A DATE IN 6 MONTHS!

    --


    "Lame" - Galaxar
  7. Apples bobbing in the chocolate river by Stanistani · · Score: 5, Funny

    >The person who downloads the 500 millionth song wins 10 free iPods, a gold 10,000-song gift card...

    ...and gets to visit the iPod factory run by the mysterious Steve Wonka?

  8. Heh...Good luck, Apple. by Pantero+Blanco · · Score: 5, Funny

    We already know of a way to get 10,000 free songs. Your gimmicks ain't flyin'.

  9. Taxes? by Neil+Blender · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Not sure I'd want to win this. You get what "$10K" worth of music, $3K worth of ipods, probably a grand for the concert stuff. Boom - you owe the IRS 20% of $14000.

    1. Re:Taxes? by scovetta · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Are 10,000 songs automagically worth $10k? Seriously, how is that determined? If Starbucks gives me a free lifetime supply of coffee, do I owe them 20% of $infinity?

      --
      Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. --Nietzsche
  10. Re:10 free ipods???? by BlogPope · · Score: 5, Funny
    Spoken like a true Slashdotter.

    Sorry, the proper Slashdot response is "Finally, I can make a Beowulf cluster of iPods", or Cool, now I can stripe them together for a fast yet tiny battery powered web server!

    --
    My other car is a Popemobile
  11. Re:Is this verifying a rumor? by UnknowingFool · · Score: 4, Informative

    Currently at 478 million downloads, the max amount of iPods would be about 230 (10 + 22million / 100K), but your point is valid.

    --
    Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
  12. iTunes API by Krankheit · · Score: 4, Funny

    iTunes API comprehensive?
    while (totaldownloads != 500000)
    {
    download_random_song(Mother_in_Law_Creditcard_Data _Structure);
    totaldownloads++;
    printf("Now I can havea beowulf cluster of iPods!\n");
    }

    --
    Powered by caffeine and sugar; BSD
  13. Re:Is this verifying a rumor? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Oh sure, when Apple gives away 500 million songs it's called a promotion but when I do it the RIAA gets involved.

  14. Re:Hmmm by Osiris+Ani · · Score: 5, Funny
    Imagine that... a business attempting to do business.

  15. I don't care... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I never win anything anyway. Hell, I can't even get MOD points and look how they give those away.

  16. Date me, win an ipod! by XaXXon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I can just see the personal ad now:

    Go on a date with me, win an ipod.

    1. Re:Date me, win an ipod! by beaverbrother · · Score: 5, Funny

      Or even better: 1. Date Me 2. Refer 5 friends to do the same 3. Get a free ipod. Oh, yes the pyramid dating scheme.

  17. Re:10 free ipods???? by Nugget · · Score: 5, Informative

    It's convenient. I can go surfing around in iTMS, find a song I want, and be listening to it 20 seconds later. All at three in the morning from the comfort of my home.

    With CDs the best case is that I order it from amazon.com and get it a few days later, along with 10 other tracks on the disc which I may or may not want. Worst case, I have to drive to the store and stand in line to pay.

    iTMS wins the convenience and simplicity battle hands-down.

    I never resell CDs, they just aren't worth enough to make it worth the bother. With iTMS tracks I don't waste space on storing physical media I never use.

  18. No purchase necessary by tepples · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, it'd just be following the law. In the United States, giveaways like this have to be on a "no purchase necessary" basis so as not to run afoul of federal and state gambling laws.

  19. Re:iRiver is better than iPod, iTunes = high risk by American+AC+in+Paris · · Score: 4, Funny
    Also, beware of iTunes and using your credit card for it. I know a number of people who had their credit cards stolen through iTunes.

    I know a number of people who posted lies as Anonymous Cowards and had their testicles explode. Absolute, unimpeachable fact, my friend.

    I wouldn't be playing so fast and loose with the boys if I were you, AC.

    --

    Obliteracy: Words with explosions

  20. Re:iRiver is better than iPod, iTunes = high risk by tfoss · · Score: 4, Funny

    Really? A friend of mine told me that this guy once used iTunes and woke up in a bathtub of ice without one kidney.

    -Ted

    --
    -=-=- Quantum physics - the dreams stuff are made of.
  21. Re:10 free ipods???? by The+Lynxpro · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "I don't know anyone who buys downloadable music online. I was just wondering if I could hear some pro arguaments about downloadable music against actually having the CD. (I know you don't technically own the music, but it's still there in your hands and I feel that means something.)"

    I do. But mainly through Pepsi/Mountain Dew and 7Eleven promotions.

    I don't like buying CDs because often times, I only want one song. Buying that one song online "rewards" the artist a little, but definitely more than downloading that same song via a P2P network. Buying music online also will hasten the demise of the CD, and hopefully increase the strength of Apple to negotiate the fees the RIAA charges, or ultimately cuts the RIAA/labels out since artists would not longer need those middle-men if all music were commercially available online. Buying the CD only props up the RIAA's business model with sales statistics. Plus, I listen to music through my iPod, and it seems like every music label is trying to thwart the person's legal right to back up their media purchase and/or convert/transfer the music over to a more portable digital format such as MP3, OGG, or unencrypted AAC (FLAC, ALAC, etc.).

    --
    "Right now, somewhere in this world, Scott Baio is plowing a woman he doesn't love," - Peter Griffin, *Family Guy*
  22. Re:$0 marginal cost by Shakrai · · Score: 5, Funny

    I could give them to my girlfriend, but she works for the music industry and gets her music for free

    The true slashdotter in me doesn't know if I should hate you for sleeping with the enemy or just plain hate you for sleeping with a member of the opposite sex.

    You would have made my life a lot easier if you were sleeping with a male indie-artist who got screwed over by a RIAA company.

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  23. Enter FREE online : No Purchase Necessary. by ayeco · · Score: 4, Informative

    NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. - but you still need itunes .

    How To Enter. You will automatically be entered into the Promotion by: 1) downloading a song from iTunes (any free downloads will be deemed an ineligible entry); or 2) a free alternative means of sending an e-mail to Apple at itunes500@apple.com via the iTunes "Tell a Friend" feature (a song download or Tell a Friend e-mail will be deemed an "Entry(ies)"). The "Tell a Friend" feature can be easily accessed at iTunes by selecting a song, and clicking the "Tell a Friend" link that is displayed for that song. One Entry will be automatically submitted for each song downloaded or Tell a Friend e-mail sent. The Promotion begins following the downloading of the 480,000,000th iTunes song, and ends with the downloading of the 500 millionth Entry ("End Date"). Only Entries submitted in this time period will be accepted.

  24. Re:Hmmm by RichardX · · Score: 4, Funny

    Cynical side of me sees attempt to drum up more sales.

    Realistic side... sees attempt to drum up more sales.


    That's because you're outside of the Jobs Reality Distortion Field(tm). If you were inside it (where you're *SUPPOSED* to be) you would in fact see this for what it really is - a selfless attempt by Apple to bring about world peace.

    Come. Join is. Everything is happy here. And made of white plastic - which is a bonus.

    --
    Curiosity was framed. Ignorance killed the cat.
  25. Re:Have you tried AllOfMP3.com? by Senjutsu · · Score: 4, Informative

    They were only ever possibly technically legal in Russia (those madatory licensing laws don't give the rights for world wide distribution, as the Russian rights holders for the works do not hold the copy rights for the works in other jurisdictions), and even there, Moscow Police & the City Prosecutor have concluded that they are violating Russian law, as those same mandatory licensing laws are not held to cover online distribution. However, as it is a civil matter, the individual rights holders are going to need to file suit against the company.

    In short, I have very little desire to give my credit card information to a Russian outfit that is violating both international and local Russian laws.