Where are all of the 69-cent songs on iTunes?!?
Aside from a single prominently placed ad on the iTunes Stores’ landing page promising tracks for 69 cents, it’s a matter of some frustration to find any other music that’s similarly priced. However, music that’s tagged at $1.29 isn’t hard to locate at all.
A knee jerk rejection here would be to blame the iTunes Store and Apple for promising much and delivering little. However, whereas Cupertino and Sony, Warner, EMI, Universal agreed to the new three tiered pricing scheme, it’s the record companies that decide which songs actually get priced at 69 cents, 99 cents and $1.29.
For its part, The Register (UK) took a closer look at exactly what changes, especially mark downs, can be found on the iTunes Store and, like Blorge’s own informal look around, they found plenty of example of $1.29 tunes and very, very few “Nice Price” tracks.
Moreover, there appears to be little rhyme or reason for particular tracks to be marked down—El Reg found 3.5 percent of Ella Fitzgerald’s catalog tagged at the lower price—and those of a similar age and genre that aren’t. In the pantheon of musical gods, Ella’s right up there, but it’s hard to imagine the marketplace for music, such as it is, bidding up the price of her catalog.
See also:
— iTunes : Where are the $0.69 Tracks? (MP3newswire.net)
— Apple Shifts iTunes Pricing; $0.69 Tracks MIA (Slashdot)
— iTunes Store shifts song prices, many $1.29, few $0.69 tracks (iLounge)
Perhaps it’s all just a misunderstanding and sooner rather than later more and more golden moldies will find their way into the iTunes Store’s “Nice Price” bin. After all, it was originally believed that the entire iTunes Store would go 100 percent DRM-free music at variable pricing by the end of last month—obviously things got pushed back until today.
Although I’m a bit disappointed that more of my favorite artists, which includes relative unknowns like Brand X and The Bears (yet gods nonetheless), aren’t available right now at reduced pricing, I’m thinking the shortfall in “Nice Price” music is more of roll out problem and not a policy issue…
What’s your take?
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April 9th, 2009
I held off buying iTunes songs for past two months, anticipating the price change. I buy mostly older songs (1970s-80s) and imagined many of those would be 69 cents, so was looking forward to savings. Alas, no such luck, and now the current tunes cost me more. Very disappointed…
April 15th, 2009
I am very angry at Apple. All it seems that they did was raise the price on popular songs. Sweet, what 40 “no name” songs are now $.69?
I mean. Hotel California by the Eagles is $1.29… It was released in 1977!
Hell, most people I know just illegally get their music for free and now all the honest people are forced to pay even more. I feel like just going and downloading Limewire.
April 24th, 2009
Limewire all the way!!!!!
May 7th, 2009
In my humble opinion, I think we should protest. Do not buy the $1.29 music. In a few months they will see their numbers plummet, and have no other alternatives then to go back to the old ways. That’s my two cents. Limewire!
July 22nd, 2009
Well, protest seems like a good idea, but that would never work, since too many people want their music too much. Also, there’s no way to get out the message to a large crowd.
October 7th, 2009
I’d love to protest, it’s not cool that so few songs are actually $0.69.