“Apple Computer Inc.’s hugely successful iTunes music downloading system is about to launch in Canada, establishing a powerful competitor to the Internet-based music services already in place in this country,” Richard Blackwell reports for The Globe and Mail. “Apple’s iTunes on-line music store, already up and running for customers in the United States and Europe, is expected to be open for Canadian audiophiles in the next few days. In October, Apple said it would launch in Canada in November, and a company spokesman said [last] week the company intends to meet that deadline.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Today was originally our best guess, since the Friday after Thanksgiving wouldn’t have given Apple much U.S. media bang for the non-buck. As we explained, media coverage in the U.S. is important, as even the news of iTMS for Canada would generate much U.S. press – helping iTMS and iPod sales there, too. Anticipation for the debut happening tomorrow grows with each minute that passes with silence from Apple’s PR machine. Tomorrow is a distinct possibility since it’s the last day of November and could coincide with New Music Tuesdays.
I can’t help but wonder how well the iTunes Music store will actually do in Canada.
Canada has very liberal file sharing laws, actually making it legal to download copyrighted content.
Also the price point will have to be right. It can’t be higher than 99 cents CDN per song or I just can’t see it flying.
Thoughts?
Just as long as no god awful Bryan Adams promotions work there way into US or EU iTMS markets…
$1 us equals $1,177 CAD. Hope they’ll won’t sell songs over 99c
Songs will sell for $1 Cnd. The Canadian Apple online store sells the U2 iPod with the same $50 off coupon as the U.S. store.
Peter P.
It’ll kick ass..
Remember, the reason legal downloads WORKS on the iTunes store is because 90% of ppl consider p2p way to messy and complicated.. (some of them don’t know it exists or where to go find the stuff etc)
MOST people are not geeks and will consider online music only if it’s safe and idiot-proof…
As such, despite the laws, the ITMS store will do great.. with 33million people expect 1/10th of US sales right?
My guess is that George Bush is coming to Canada (Nov 30th) to present ITMS – Canada. Why else would he come here?
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Due to Canadian content rules all the iTMS Canada will offer is Rita McNeil, Bryan Adams, Bare Naked Ladies, Celien Dion, and a lotta crap in French.
Fat Tony,
Crappy French music, I can’t wait.
P2P is legal. Can you say LimeWire?
iTMS has it’s work cut out for it up here. If more than 99� CDN it could be the first iTMS failure.
Don’t believe Fat Tony, French Canadian music and musicians are probably among the best all over the French speaking countries.
Hopefully The Canadian ITMS will provide a place for such talented artists to be appreciated by all of the English Canadian community.
Fat Tony,
I can’t say Limewire, but I can say Aquisition. Check it out, you’ll never go back to Lamewire again.
fat tony…
way to cue up examples of music from like 10 years ago.. rita mcneil?!
how about this decade, moron.. sum 41, nickelback, avril lavigne, diana krall..
if you don’t recognize any of those names, shoot yourself..
seriously..
Only 1 day of November left now – so launch is tommorow not today MDN.
Fsck the image text.
Has Canada contributed more than it’s fair share of musicians?
Alanis Morissette
Bruce Cockburn
Buffy St. Marie
Rush
That Vegas-style singer lady with the big nose (?!)
…?
something’s up, iTMS from Ca-Nada used to point to the other counties (lil’icons w/flags).
Today, she just loops on “The iTunes Music Store is not available in your country yet.”
Something is in the air, does it smell like moose?
Jb
Don’t forget the latest release from…
William Shatner…
It’s Canada. Who cares?!!
. . .
Bare Naked Ladies
The Guess Who
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Rush
The Nylons
Niel Young
. . . yeah . . . that lady with the big nose (?!)
. . . what’s her name?
. . . speaking of what’s her name . . . how about
“Buddy Wasisname and The Other Fellers”
http://www.canadiancelebs.com/music.html
Fat (clueless) Tony:
“Canadian content rules” only apply to broadcast . . . not what is sold in a store.
ITMS kicks the crap out of file sharing. For one, you get an entire album, with the tags already in their proper places. Two, the quality is higher. Three, the downloads are immediate and consistant. Four, the searching is much better and easier. Five, the artists who made the music get payed.
The choice is an easy one for me…
Itunes Canada will feature a new section called “Weed Music” for every 10 tracks downloaded you get 1.5g of Canadian weed.
It’s been delayed for some technicalities I’m guessing.
It will not feature any song from Celin Dion and Shania Twain will have to cut on make up if she wants her music iTuned.
peace out!
The artists get a cut of the sale of all blank media in Canada. The Government calls it a tax but in reality it is a fine on all blank media users who have been found guilty of stealing music just because they purchased blank media. So, the artists do get paid in Canada.
If I have to pay an extra $25 for my iPod and 21� for my backup CD’s I am going to download enough music to cover the fines I have already paid to the artists for downloading their music.
I have been eagerly awaiting the iTMS up here ever since Steve announced the US store in April ’03. This is in spite of the fact that I have both LimeWire and Acquisition installed. While it is legal up here to share songs (for the moment), I would prefer to get my music in a hassle-free way. I’m big on movie scores (the instrumental music as opposed to the soundtracks that contain vocals) and they are next to impossible to find on P2P services.
As for the price point, I can see 99� per song. U2’s latest album is selling for C$9.99 in the stores right now. Add a dollar and you get a second disc with DVD content. If they can do this for hard copies at brick & mortar stores, then Apple should have no problem with a similar pricing structure.
Note to Fat Tony: Canadian Content rules (CanCon) only apply to broadcasting of music on radio or TV, not to a retailer selling it. Some stores, like HMV, do identify Canadian artists on the shelves, but there is no legal requirement to do so. I would expect local artists to be showcased but not to the exclusion of all others.
One thing I am looking forward to is the reaction at the other music services that are up here but that do not support the Mac platform. Puretracks.com won’t even let you see their site unless you are using a PC, and flatly state that the service is incompatible with the Mac. Not incompatible with the iPod or iTunes, but with the Mac platform as a whole.
I am planning to write them an email after the iTMS opens and ask them if they got the license number of the truck that just ran over them. Should be fun.
I have decided what my first purchases will be: The Barenaked Ladies live concert recording and movie score for The Incredibles.
Have any other Canucks on this board decided what their first purchase(s) will be?
As a Canadian my first purchase will be “Paradise Skies” by Max Webster. Then something by Billy Talent. To get the ultimate Canadian Song I might just download Battlescar. (Max Webster with Geddy Lee). And I think that the Tragicaly Hip iPod will be coming out. It’ll be white with a Toronto Maple Leaf click wheel and come with the iPod touque and feature New Orleans is Sinking/Killer Whaletank version. Looking forward to Itunes finally making it to Canada. Price will be the determining factor. If it’s 99 cents. then i’ll be buying a ton. Hear it on wazee.org buy it on iTunes Canada.
My, our Canadian friends do get their noses out of joint when we pick on them…
Guys, when Americans pick on Canadian musicians, just mention:
Britney Spears
Christina Aguilera
Justin Timberlake
That usually shuts them up.
The Tragically Hip
Rush
The Band – Robbie Robertson
Neil Young
Sarah McLachlan
The Guess Who
Bachman Turner Overdrive
Daniel Lanois – Could anyone esle produce Peter Gabriel and U2 better?
The Headstones
Blue Rodeo
Sum41
Toronto
Burton Cummings
Barenaked Ladies
54-40
Alanis Morissette
Sass Jordan
Rough Trade
Jann Arden
Nelly Furtado
k.d. lang
Holly Cole
C�line Dion
Joni Mitchell
Loreena McKennitt
Michelle Wright
Jane Siberry
Shania Twain
Amanda Marshall
Avril Lavigne
Our Lady Peace
Wide Mouth Mason
Sloan
Prairie Oyster
Great Big Sea
The Moffatts
Corey Hart
Junkhouse
The Rankin Family
Glen Gould
Big Sugar
Kim Mitchell
The Crash Test Dummies
I Mother Earth
Roch Voisine
The Pursuit of Happiness
April Wine
Ashley McIsaac
Moxy Fruvous
Stompin Tom
Bruce Cockburn
Moist
Bryan Adams
Gordon Lightfoot
Leonard Cohen
Paul Shaffer
Loverboy
Honeymoon Suite
Platinum Blonde
The Cowboy Junkies
Spirit of the West