iTunes: everything’s brilliant, except the music
Spent my first serious time last night playing around on iTunes music store (iTMS as its friends call it). I’m Desperately impressed with the way it fits with the iTunes software and your own playlists, your iPod etc. A really beautiful, end-to-end digital music solution as the brochure would probably say. (bar the wirelessly connected Hi-Fi base unit - which I’m sure is on it’s way…after all, they don’t want to leave it to Sonos, do they?).
But, without the music I want, it’s rather like someone giving you a beautiful wardrobe, but stealing all your clothes.
So, here’s what we know. We know they’ve had a row, or at least can’t agree, with the indies.
Apple apparently didn’t realise just how important the independent labels are here. They account for 1/4 of sales, much higher than in the US and making them effectively a major in their own right. Not only that, but they account for loads of bands that are very, very suited to the iTunes market (ie: me).
Also, apparently, they only sent over the contracts to all the indies at the very last minute, so everyone is kicking up a fuss, and negotiating: well, why wouldn’t they?
[So last minute was the whole thing that Apple, apparently, had the wrong German words for ‘Choose store’ when it opened.]
Someone who seems to know, tells me that the labels want a better wholesale price for each track sold. The price currently on offer is 50-something pence out of the 79 pence, but they also want to see some of the spoils if Apple puts the price up (although whether they’ll be happy to see a cut if Apple has to drop prices is unclear).
All of this sounds like a necessary bit of posturing on both sides. The indies obviously have to prove from the outset that they need to be factored in before Apple moves. Apple needs to prove that iTunes can be a success without them.
The irony is that you would imagine if there is a strand of music that Apple as a brand should most identify with; or a sector of the industry that is most likely to have Macs in its offices: it’ll be the indies. I’m sure they’ll kiss and make up. But if they don’t, I sense iTunes will be the loser.