Japanese Companies Set to Compete with iTunes
psiph writes "'Japan's two major online music distributors said [Thursday] they have agreed to tie up to push the distribution business... The tie-up accord was reached in the wake of the Aug. 4 launch of Apple's Latest News about Apple iTunes in Japan.'"
Except for the arrival of a 600 pound gorilla.
Sony later described the main reason they decided to compete was because the iTunes slogans had a sensible grasp of the English language and would not fly with the Japanese public. Sony PR Manager was quoted saying their slogan would be "Music Sample Download in You!"
"I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
-Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
tying up accords? Didn't know Honda had anything to do with music sales...
antipaucity
Except for maybe the arrival of Godzilla.
Guess I'll just have to keep buying import CDs (wink wink)
Do you even lift?
These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.
All Sony needs to do now is leverage their video expertise into audio. I'm thinking they'll do something along the lines of an audible FBI warning and promos playing before the start of every song...
I'm no iTMS user, but it's pretty obvious that if these companies had any clue whatsoever, they'd have been selling tons of song online for years in Japan, building a solid user base and market dominance without competition. Suddenly, now that they have Apple to compete with, they're finally 'working' on it? Given the overwhelming popularity of the iPod in Japan, why not save their investor's money and focus on something that won't be a complete waste of money ?