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Media (Apple) Businesses Media Music Apple

Apple Music Store Coming to Europe & iTunes in China 219

Posted by Hemos from the launching-into-the-new-world dept.
frankie writes "As reported everywhere, Apple is holding a press conference in London on Tuesday June 15. The entirely un-subtle official sound bite is "the biggest story in music is about to get even bigger", not what we've come to expect from Lord Steve." Or read through the Reuters report. In other news, it appears that Apple has struck a deal with China's second larger computer manufacturer to preinstall iTunes.
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Apple Music Store Coming to Europe & iTunes in China More

Apple Music Store Coming to Europe & iTunes in China

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  • More news! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Mz6 ( 741941 ) * on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:06AM (#9356968) Journal
    "In other news, it appears that Apple has struck a deal with China's second larger computer manufacturer to preinstall iTunes."

    In related news, Microsoft's appeal to the EU [slashdot.org] has been leaked to the press. It seems to consist of an attack against Apple. "Hey, if Apple can preload their iTunes "media player", why can't we? We should be able to do it too!", said an anonymous source close to the Microsoft legal team. Many legal experts seem to think Microsoft 5-year old kid "If he can do it, I can do it to" antics will fail miserably.

  • About bloody time! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by oberondarksoul ( 723118 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:07AM (#9356976) Homepage

    I've been using iTunes for Windows since release, and although I can't actually buy from the iTMS, I've found it an excellent tool for finding music I like - being able to listen to the samples directly from iTunes is a godsend. Personally, I don't see the problem with the DRM Apple use - sure, it's restrictive, but it's not as bad as some - and I can certainly see myself buying from the store upon opening.

    All we need now is for Pepsi to offer free songs too...

  • Japan First? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Rosyna ( 80334 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:08AM (#9356978) Homepage
    Didn't Jobs say that Japan would be the first non-US country to get the iTMS? Or did that change somehow?
    • Well, isn't Japan in a slightly different timezone from Europe? If they both launch on June 15th, they'll still be first...

    • Re:Japan First? (Score:3, Informative)

      by Paulrothrock ( 685079 )
      He could release it worldwide and that would still be true. Japan is the one of the first places where it's the next day. So if he says "By 12:00AM Local time, you can buy from iTMS," Japan is still one of the first major countries that can do it. This might be a good way of distributing the demand.

  • I doubt that Apple plans to launch iTMS China... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Karpe ( 1147 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:08AM (#9356988) Homepage
    But every machine that ships with iTunes, ships with QuickTime.

    • ipod (Score:5, Insightful)

      by millahtime ( 710421 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:15AM (#9357077) Homepage Journal
      iTunes store may not be accessible but there are over 1 billion people there and iTunes syncs with the ipod so imagine how many ipods they could sell there.

  • Canada, too! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Synesthesiatic ( 679680 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:11AM (#9357026) Homepage
    There are rumours that Apple may launch iTMS Canada at the same time [macrumors.com]. I guess that'd allow them to retain the element of surprise! Anyhoo, I've got my fingers crossed. Hopefully songs will run 99 cents CAD.

    • Re:Canada, too! (Score:2, Funny)

      by palpatine ( 94 )
      iTMS Canada will have songs at 99 cents CAD, but PLUS GST and PST or HST or QST or whatever insane sales taxes there are! Not to mention that every 5th song you buy will have to be from a Canadian-born artist. Go, Canada!

  • Stupid recursion (Score:5, Funny)

    by krem81 ( 578167 ) <(moc.oohay) (ta) (18merk)> on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:14AM (#9357060)
    I click on that Google News link, and lo and behold: this story on Slashdot is the first article in the list. So naturally, I click on that...

  • China will be an interesting experiment (Score:5, Insightful)

    by tji ( 74570 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:18AM (#9357101)
    I will be very interested to see how iTMS does in China. That's going into the core of the area where organized piracy has traditionally been the main music and software market.

    China has been gaining a large middle class, and a lot of wealth. So, I think there is a big enough potential market that is able to purchase music. We'll see if they are willing to purchase music.

    I went to China on a business trip last year, and while walking through an open market in Shanghai I couldn't take five steps without being approached by a kid wanting to sell CD's and DVD's for less than a dollar a piece.

  • Not Canada Yet (Score:3, Interesting)

    by nachoman ( 87476 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:27AM (#9357192)
    Now if only they would stop neglecting Canada...

    I still don't understand why they don't have iTMS in Canada yet.

  • Too little, too late? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Rikardon ( 116190 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:35AM (#9357271)
    I just discovered allofmp3.com over the weekend, thanks to others mentioning it on Slashdot, so I'm doing my part to spread the word. They have a good selection (though not as broad as Apple's), but the pricing is unbeatable -- $0.01 or $0.02 per MB.

    Best of all, the encoding is almost always selectable -- you can choose MP3 (including the LAME alt-preset settings), WMA, OGG, MP4, and a couple of others I've forgotten. You can even get the tracks lossless if you want.

    I can't remember getting this excited about an Internet site since the first time I streamed European radio via RealPlayer in 1997. Understand: I've been an AVLA-licensed DJ for 13 years. I rarely spend my own money on music; I get it all from the record companies (whose licensing terms, for DJs at least, are a lot better in Canada than they are in the States -- we can burn multiple copies for performance, are licensed to play directly from MP3, etc.), in exchange for a nominal fee. But last night I spent about US$17 and downloaded about 220 songs. About half of that was replacing CDs I've previously owned but that are now damaged or lost. Another 20% was probably old favorites from the 80s that I remember fondly but am not willing to spend a lot of money on (Sly Fox or Paul Hardcastle for example).

    Don't want to give your credit card to the Russians? Fine -- they take PayPal. I paid $10 for 1GB of download, and when it was obvious I was going to blow past that amount, I added another $10. Simple and painless.

    iTUnes and all the comparable services (PureTracks, etc.) use DRM-encumbered formats. These are unencumbered MP3s that work great on my 15GB Archos Jukebox Recorder.

    In short, allofmp3 is pretty much exactly what I've been wanting in a download service. They claim it's legal in Russia (see the site and some discussion forums), and it's legal for me to download here in Canada (heck, my wife will be burning half the music to CDs that we've paid the CRIA licensing fees for -- most of our CDs are used for backups and/or digital photos), so for as long as they're around they've got my business.

    • What's an AVLA license? (Score:4, Funny)

      by swb ( 14022 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:46AM (#9357381)
      Does that mean you're trained not to play "Wild Thing" or "Mony Mony" more than once per wedding?

    • Great if you hate musicians. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) * on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:52AM (#9357436)
      If you like stiffing artists that's your business. I'll stick with a system where at least a little money get's back to the artists I like.

      Apart from the ability to select music quality, I don't really see where allofmp3.com is any different than downloading a song from P2P.

      As for iTunes "Encumberment" - perhaps you missed out on Hymn [hymn-project.org]?
      • AllOfMP3 pays licensing fees to the Russian equivalent of the RIAA, when then distributes the money to the artists.

        Will the artist see less money from a download off of AllOfMP3 than a download off of iTunes? Probably. But at least the artist still gets something, compared to downloading off of a P2P where they get nothing at all.

        • Except that a lot of the works that they distribute fall out of copyright under Russian law, and so no money goes to the artist for those. I also haven't seen any evidence that the "Russian equivalent of the RIAA" actually gives money to any RIAA bands for those sales either.

          It is also questionably legal, at *best*, for use outside of Russia. IANAL, but I seem to recall there being trade laws to prevent exactly this sort of business operation from being legal.
    • They claim it's legal in Russia (see the site and some discussion forums), and it's legal for me to download here in Canada

      What specifically points to it being legal in Canada? Has the CRIA blessed this?

  • International Music (Score:4, Insightful)

    by philoticjane ( 771475 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:38AM (#9357291)
    What I want to know is if they're going to be making all the music in all regions available to all the other regions that have itms available. I would KILL to be able to buy some J-Pop and local rock and folk music from parts of Europe in AAC (yes, I know, .ogg r0x0rz your s0ckz0rz, but AAC is readily available and still high quality). It would be so easy to access tons of new material (especially stuff that you just can't find in Texas, or most other states for that matter), which is one of the secondary purposes of itms (the first, of course, I won't argue is making money).

    You know you're commenting on Slashdot when... you have to make several provisos to be sure you're understood.

  • New iPod (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Mr_Silver ( 213637 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @11:55AM (#9357466)
    Whilst this is good news, it would be nice if in addition to the iTunes store, Apple also sped up their time to market for new iPods in the UK.

    We still have no sight of the iPod Mini and when Jobs announces a new iPod (which the rumour sites seem to think will happen - anyone got any further information?) then it'll be another six months before we can get our grubby mits on them.

    Personally, I'm going to see what the new iPod will be like before deciding whether or not to wait ...

    I am of course assuming they are going to announce one that is, however the last update was October 16th 2003, which was a fair while back now - especially in light of all the other entrants to the HD MP3 player market who are all vying for top spot.

    • Granted you have no Ipod Mini....But damn you have the MINI COOPER which is much better!

      I would take the Mini Cooper of the Mini ipod anyday.


  • I can already predict one album that will never be sold via the Chinese version of iTunes*:

    "Chinese Democracy," by GNR (or The Offspring).

    Granted, it'll have to be released first, and the way its going, it'll also be the official soundtrack to Duke Nukem Forever.

    *Yes, yes, I realize that the annoucement is not for the iTunes Music Store to be released in China but just the software so please do not flame me over it.

  • It's _been_ available in Europe....sort of. (Score:3, Informative)

    by wedding ( 618458 ) on Monday June 07, 2004 @12:05PM (#9357577)
    As a test, I sent a giftcard from my account to a friend in Manchester. Worked like a charm, and he never had to use a CC (which is part of the trigger process to kill Euro users.)

    ITMS has been available in Europe for a while, you just had to pay from the US.
  • This is just in... Steve Jobs announced Airport Express at "D"
    http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

    True to Apple's vision, Computers not Media Centers become hubs for your media!!! Absolutely freaking right on the spot... ! Now we know why Apple's not licensing the DRM to other players... You can bet that 50% of people who bought an iPod will buy this...

    Here's Jobs describing the gizmo...

    "We looked at the most popular place people listen to their music," said Jobs during his keynote at "D." "The first p
    • You know, I instinctively wince when I see a post like that, but... you're right. I'd buy that. It does what I've been wanting to do, in a few different ways.

      Huh. It's weird to believe something.

      If Jobs can come through with a comparably elegant car angle, he's got me for that too. Tape adapters kind of suck, FM transmitters are so weak they lose signal strength from the dashboard to the antenna on my rear window. I want a little cradle or something, and not one with wires straggling all over the place.

  • In China you can buy FULL DVDs, Audio CDs and software CDs for about a buck. So you're saying they will pay a buck for every song? Get outta here!

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