“Contrary to some of the more breathless headlines this week, the debut of Apple Computer’s online music store is not the definitive answer to the Internet file-swapping controversy. Sorry not to participate in the general swooning, but I don’t think any of the current music services–legal and illegal–offer enough to satisfy the people and special interests on both sides of this digital divide. Still, credit Steve Jobs and Apple for creative thinking and elegant implementation. The iTunes Music Store lets users buy the music they want at 99 cents per song downloaded. As it has the active participation of all five of the major record labels, the service is kicking off with a library of some 200,000 titles. That’s not going to include everything under the sun, but it’s a good start. Even more important, Apple’s not treating folks as if they were prospective criminals,” opines Charles Cooper in a commentray for CNet News.com.
The interesting thing is that Cooper offers no real explanation as to why he thinks the iTunes Music Store is “not the definitive answer to the Internet file-swapping controversy.”
Full article here.
“The interesting thing is that Cooper offers no real explanation as to why he thinks the iTunes Music Store is “not the definitive answer to the Internet file-swapping controversy.”
That’s simple. Because he works for Ziff Davis, and this is Apple he’s talking about. That article is probably about as glowing as the ZD editors will let him get.
Nick, you nailed that one. No need for any more comments.
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”grin” style=”border:0;” />
Why criticize something if you can’t offer a better solution or explanation???
I think he does hint at his reason, & it is a valid one: No service as yet fulfills the big promise of internet based distribution, which is to service all tastes with an economically workable model. A 200K entry catalog from the big 5 is a good start, but a lot depends on how involved Apple & Jobs will be willing to get with indie labels & even individual bands.
Only 20% of recorded music is available in all the catalogs of all the labels – 80% is either out of print or has never seen wide distribution. The ultimate answer would be a model that let’s anybody offer their tracks in whatever kind of licensing deal they choose.
Who knows, there might be an untapped market for polka-jazz fusion!
” width=”19″ height=”19″ alt=”smile” style=”border:0;” />
Dumbass. This is a 1.0 service – and it’s FANTASTIC. There had to be some jealous, PC-using prick to jump in with a negative vibe. I laugh. Labels are calling Steve Jobs 24/7 to get signed up! Viva la Apple!