iTunes to drop catalog songs to 69¢ on Tues. Apr. 7th

[Touchdown]

Popular songs will go to $1.29, while many stay at 99¢. Everything will be DRM free.

.. Jim Guerinot, who manages such bands as Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt and Offspring, said the industry's pricing was moving in the wrong direction if it hoped to compete with still rampant music piracy.

"Wouldn't it make sense to try to price it cheaper instead of squeezing the handful of people who are still willing to pay for music?" he said.

Apple Inc. set the 99-cent-per-song rate in 2003 when it launched the iTunes Store. The company long resisted pressure from the music industry to allow flexible pricing, arguing that it would inhibit sales. Apple changed its tune in January, however, announcing that it would begin selling music at three prices: 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29, based on wholesale costs set by the labels.

In exchange for flexible prices, the digital tracks will be offered free of anti-piracy software, enabling the buyer to make unlimited copies and play the songs on any device, which is not currently possible.

True to supply-and-demand economics, the price of music downloads will be geared to the artist's popularity. Releases from new artists would receive the lower pricing, while tracks from popular acts would get slapped with the higher rate. Even classics, such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA," could retail for the higher price. Most of the 10 million songs in the iTunes catalog are expected to remain at 99 cents.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cotown-itunes26-2009mar26,0,5579880.story

[DS1]

1. Make movies in HD for 5.99 and I'll sign up

[Soylent Brice]

3. +1

[Touchdown]

6. At 1.5 gig, it's not HD.

It may be 1080i, but it ain't quality.

Until you can download a full 50 gig Blu-Ray quality movie from the nets, REAL picture and sound quality is a pipe dream... so to speak.;)

[Deja Q]

11. *ding* *ding* *ding* *ding* We have a winner!

:thumbsup:

[DS1]

12. I downloaded QoS at 8.16 GB over the weekend

Looks and sounds great. 1.5 is ridiculous, most decent regualar DVD rips are 1.4

[Touchdown]

16. Looks great on what? an 18" quicktime window?

Try a 65" HDTV, 8 gigs is DVD quality, not near the 50 gigs of a Blu-Ray.

[DS1]

20. How do you know the blu-ray is using all 50GBS?

It's a 24" 1920x1200 12x10 monitor.

And why so snarky?

[Touchdown]

21. Your 1st response was snarkiness. I was just playing the game.

I posted good news, and you, post number 1 decided to shit all over it by demanding an HD movie for the ridiculous price of $5.

Now, on to the supposed "HD" downloads.

When I see a downloaded movie, even if it's 1080i. I see digital artifacting, moire, pixel hell, sound drop offs, washed out color, serious lack of contrast, bland, washed out faces, and car chases that are so pixellated that it's impossible to follow.

HD, true HD, allows you to sit 8 feet away and still see the pores in an actor's skin, each blade of grass, color and contrast so vibrant the picture looks like real life, and sound quality that will put you in the action, provided you have a serious set audio equipment.

I think it's different for you and me. I'm into home theater. Nothing I've seen downloadable is worth $5 for me. Picture and sound quality is what I require, and downloading is just not ready for prime time yet.

Most Blu-Ray films come in at 40-56 gigs, depending on how long the film is, and what goodies the disc has on it. An hour and a half film may only come in at 30 gigs, but it's by far higher than any download I've seen.

[sharp_stick]

2. That might not be bad for me

Nothing I hate more than today's popular music. I must be showing my age (GET OFF MY LAWN!!!). A lot of the indie bands may get a decent boost if the tracks are only 69 cents.

[Posteritatis]

4. Thank goodness I hate most popular songs (nt)

[Systematic Chaos]

14. Since about 1987, "popular song" has become more and more an oxymoron.

Grunting, groaning and titillation set to a mechanical beat generally doesn't make a "song" in my book.

But there's loads of awesome shit out there which practically nobody's ever heard of! We'll just keep it our little secret and pay the 69 cents.

:hide:

[Cha]

5. Good to know,

thank you, Touchdown.

[leeroysphitz]

7. Usenet to keep all songs free, forever.

Wonder who will win that price war?

[Touchdown]

8. Whichever one doesn't get shut down by the FBI would be my guess.

:shrug:

[leeroysphitz]

15. How could the FBI shutdown Usenet?

:shrug:

[Touchdown]

18. Ummm. Like this...

[Posteritatis]

19. To be fair, if one person in a thousand here knew what Usenet was anymore I'd be surprised

I give folks a bit of a pass for talking about it as though it's an it for the most part. ;)

[sharp_stick]

10. I guess

if you're listening to DJ Lance Rock the quality doesn't need to be that great ;-) I've got to get me a Muno avatar (don't bite your friends... I keep my hands to myself, I keep my hands to myself)

Can you tell I've got kids?

[Deja Q]

13. That's stealing; the artists put effort into their music.

Some bands are garbage and some pop is so pre-manufactured it's less than garbage, but I still have to respect what they do.

The RIAA thieving the artists is a slightly different issue, however.

[leeroysphitz]

17. I wasn't advocating anything (this time ) just pointing out how silly it is for Apple or

Any other content provider to act like they are doing us a favor with 70 cent tracks (roughly mid 90s pricing btw) when anyone with can get the same thing at the same quality for free.

Don't shoot the messenger. :) but I don't think piracy is going anywhere and artist are just going to have to adapt (ala nin, Radiohead etc. ..)

[Proud Liberal Dem]

9. I love iTunes

My only complaint is that their movies and TV shows are DRM-protected making burning them to DVD impossible. I would love to see them eliminate DRM protection completely and enhance iTunes so as to allow DVD burning of shows and/or movies. It looks like they have already "stuck their toe in the water" per se with some of their newer music video releases and some concert material (i.e. The Wreckers). I'm glad to hear that they are dropping prices on some songs. Some songs, particularly some BGM/movie score music can be so short it seems silly to charge even $0.99.

[Fumesucker]

22. Not entirely impossible to copy DRM stuff..

I can think of a workaround.. You'd have to jump through a few hoops but I'd be surprised if it couldn't be done one way or another if you are willing to possibly sacrifice a little quality.

No I haven't done *that* but I have done a bunch of other stuff that's supposedly "impossible".

[Proud Liberal Dem]

23. Yeah, I know

but I'd rather own legitimate (and higher quality) copies of A/V material.