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.
November 29th, 2009
Auctually boycotting the more expensive songs will do no good. A while back there was an article that pointed out that if even as low as (something like) 30% of people that were going to buy the songs did so, the music industry would still be making more off the songs then they were before the price increase.
Also, it isn’t iTunes. It is all the (legal) online distributers have this new pricing scheme.
It’sa racket and the consumer is loosing.
December 7th, 2009
By chance I noticed that one-hit wonder Jane Child’s “Don’t want to Fall in Love” was $0.69.
Curious, I searched her name and every other track was $.99 despite all of them having been B-sides.
Weird.
What could they possibly be using for criteria?
December 19th, 2009
buy vinyl…at least you can sell it..surprising these days, but yes
January 21st, 2010
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/supernatural-thing/id65618419
well, ben e king has some
February 11th, 2010
Just thought I’d chime in and tell y’all (from Texas) that there has been one song I haven’t been able to get out of my head since I first heard it. It’s the song that is played during the trailer for Where the Wild Things Are. I thought it was Kings of Leon, but it’s actually a band called Arcade Fire and the song is called “Wake up”. Well, surprisingly it’s 69 cents and a badass song! Take care everyone.
October 11th, 2010
It might be because eMusic & other online digital music places are charging 40 cents to 49 cents, per song (when you buy a Monthly subscription with them).
Best of All the music is your own, no DRM, attached
I think I payed 46 cents for all my songs over the last 2 years. Also, if you see an album with Deal
or both Pick & Deal: You will get a whole album, for even cheaper. I see albums with 20-25 songs that say deal, & cost 12 credits(Credit = 46 cents) Thats $5.52 for a 25 song album, that can be played everywhere. I have 52GB’s of MP3′s that are not stuck on just an iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac or PC, but on the car stereo, with a 64GB Mem stick!
November 6th, 2010
The prices range from how popular they are, not how old or new they are. Even some of the oldest songs could be $1.29, not just brand new ones.
December 27th, 2010
some of the popular songs are cheaper is you buy the less popular version
example:
Hello World by lady antebelum was 1.29 as a single and below it was the exact same song for .99 the only difference was the popularity
January 1st, 2011
the boys are back in town by thin lizzy is one
April 29th, 2011
Well, some good songs can can be found once in a while that cost less than the other overplayed trash out there……
1. Motley Crue’s Doctor Feelgood
2. Coldplay’s Viva La Vida
But alas, the list ends here, I guess…..