“An agreement with one major record company stands between Australian iPod users and their Holy Grail – the long-awaited Apple iTunes Music Store,” Jennifer Dudley reports for The Courier-Mail. “A source said yesterday Apple had planned to launch an Australian version of its popular online music store last Thursday, as widely touted, but the launch was thwarted by one unnamed major record company that refused to sign an agreement in time.”
“The hurdle reportedly forced Apple to cancel radio advertisements ordered for the date, and it is expected to delay iTunes’s launch by days, or possibly weeks, as song and album prices and payments are negotiated with the holdout label,” Dudley reports. “Even though the Australian iTunes Music Store was not officially launched last week, some Internet users were able to access the work-in-progress, some even buying songs before their accounts were suspended. Visitors reported that individual songs cost $1.69, and the price of albums varied from $11.35… to the maximum price of $16.99.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
People are already buying tracks from Apple’s Australian iTunes Music Store – April 27, 2005
Russell Crowe spills the beans: Apple to launch Australian iTunes Music Store on April 28 – April 25, 2005
Report: Apple to launch Australian iTunes Music Store by mid-June – April 10, 2005
RUMOR: Apple to launch Australian iTunes Music Store by ‘end of April’ – March 29, 2005
Report: Apple to debut Australian iTunes Music Store tomorrow – January 10, 2005
Apple Computer to launch Australian iTunes Music Store on January 12? – December 27, 2004
!#$^!%#@ greedy record labels…
Why does Apple have to wait for a lone holdout record company to sign?
Open the Store with the ones willing to participate and let the public outcry shame the holdout into agreeing with Apples terms. If they don’t sign on, in the long run it’s the record company that ends up losing out and looking like a fool.
When a service is released a lot of publicity goes to the “songs I couldn’t find.” Apple made a good decision.
“Why does Apple have to wait for a lone holdout record company to sign?”
Because, if the Australian iTMS does not have Men at Work, what’s the bother?
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Its sad that one company is holding out. Been using iTMS UK (as based here now) this last week & must say its pretty good apart from the prices.
Men at Work???????? Pleeeeeeese save me.
MW: love (as in love the people here but not the weather even if it is sunny (a bit) today.
Guess I’m Eurotrash now.
sarcasm
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Release the name of the bloody stinking greedy scum record company so Aussies can quit buying CDs on that label.
Ten dollars it’s Sony.
Fot the iTMS to succeed in any territory it must have a complete music catalogue. I think it is better to further delay it until it can be launched with maximum impact.
Keep going big business – keep Australia in the dark ages b/c of your own needs to keep those massive profits coming in from old, out of date technologies.
Sony huh gzero? Maybe, but given Apple’s relationship, why would the Oz arm decide to hold out?
Hey Tel$tra, do you have better than 512kbps ADSL yet for a reasonable price yet?? Maybe I’ll bother coming home when it hits 3Mbps. Still got download limits? Ah, forget it. (for those in countries like the US who don’t know, Australia’s Tel$tra charges per mb downloaded – thus most, if not all, internet accounts have some type of download ceiling – it had been as low as 1Gb for some “cheap” accounts, although I think it’s up to like 3Gb now.) They claim this is b/c most traffic comes into OZ from the US, Asia and Europe, but not much goes out, thus they are paying more.
Anon,
You’re right. Telstra is a Joke. 3gig limit is a joke. I could download that in a couple of days, and then what? They switch you back to modem speed. For the price they charge you’re better off just sticking with the dial up modem connection. Maybe slower but at least you can stay on, and on, and on…
Right on anon and wally,
Currently stuck in South Korea for two weeks and the internet connectivity is to be believed … Oz was ahead with Internet/WWW things for a while preceding the mid-90’s … then everybody got greedy (e.g. Telstra) and stupid (e.g. the Oz Government) and we have the shambles we have now … I had better Internet connectivity in 1991-1994 than I have now (except that I’m in Internet/WWW heaven in South Korea right now!)
Oh well, I live in hope … though I think Australia is going to lose it’s 4th-world technological status soon (and slip lower!).
MW is death, as in most of the government and business types in Oz have no clue (let alone two clues to rub together) and are the DEATH of innovation DownUnder!
Oh, I also agree with Max:
“Release the name of the bloody stinking greedy scum record company so Aussies can quit buying CDs on that label.”
I’d love to know, so we could put out the word on these bottom-scum-feeders!
MW is fall, as we’d hope they’d fall hard … as deservedly do others in the way of worthy technological progress! (Telstra makes Luddites look good!)
Anon,
You’re right. Telstra is a Joke. 3gig limit is a joke. I could download that in a couple of days, and then what? They switch you back to modem speed. For the price they charge you’re better off just sticking with the dial up modem connection. Maybe slower but at least you can stay on, and on, and on…
That is somewhat better than NZ where we are RULED by Telecom NZ’s socalled limitations of “cost and distance.”
Telecom considers 128kbps as its Jetstream “starter Package” with a 1Gig cap. It max’s out at 256 kbps with a 3GB cap and about $49.95 a month I think. (but dont quote me on the pricing!)
This is what we consider to be a “good deal” by Telecom NZs standards.
Order Xtra Broadband and get one month FREE DVD Rental.
Can I Get Broadband?
Enter your phone number to check Broadband availability in your area
eg. 041234567
Broadband for Business
All Xtra Broadband Plans
Xtra Broadband
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DISCOVER Xtra Broadband
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ADVENTURE
$39.95
Up to 6x faster
than dial-up
1GB per month
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Find out more…
$44.95
Up to 24x faster
than dial-up
1GB per month
Order Xtra Broadband Discover
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$49.95
Up to 6x faster
than dial-up
3GB per month
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$69.95
Up to 50x faster
than dial-up
10GB per month
Order Xtra Broadband Adventure
Find out more…
These prices are for customers who have a Telecom home line and all of their direct dial calling with Telecom.
Contact them here: http://telecom.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/telecom.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
I’d been expecting this. Record have been taking their pound of flesh from musicians and music lovers for years
As a former legal representative for musicans this story might give an insight into what the companies are like.
One musician was between gigs and was offered a studio gig. So he thought why not, it would be easy money.
According to the Award (the industry wide union contract) he was supposed to be paid within fourteen days of the performance, but the cheque didn’t arrive.
I was then called in and the company (Sony Records Australia) and was politely told by the relevant manager’s secretary that they had a practice of paying after a period of five weeks. I was then told that if the musician insisted on the legal payment schedule he’d never get any work from the company again.
I then contacted the musician and he said: “Look I’m a live musician you’re the union so screw them.” So I did!!
I next sent a letter of demand threatening legal action and then the money was paid.
Itunes Australia will happen, and it will be worth waiting for, we just have to be patient. But let me also assure you all that as a former Australian musician, venue representative, and union legal advocate the industry is as hard as nails.
I guess that may be one reason why A’stralia churns out so many international acts…by the time they hit the international market they’re c.25 years old and industry veterans.