Apple’s iTunes ready to go pan European whenever the Europeans are
Apple says they’ll sell whatever they can wherever they can, as long as publishers and royalty collecting boards issue them the licenses, and this has been the absurd 19th Century situation Europe finds itself mired in as it tries to navigate the digital era—27 mostly little, squabbling, jealous fiefdoms.
Bloomberg is reporting comments from Apple made to Europe’s competition watchdog over stalled efforts to offer a single continental music store with consistent pricing.
“iTunes would agree to consider making its content available to all European consumers, including those from the Eastern European countries where iTunes is currently not available (if Apple is) able to license rights on a multi- territorial basis from the publishers and collecting Societies,” Apple said in a report posted on the European Commission (EC)’s Web site.
Of course, the absurdity here is that the EC has taken antitrust action against Apple for charging different prices in the various parts of Europe (i.e. supposedly one big happy marketplace) even though it’s the local record companies, music publishers and parochial, rump governments that ultimately determine what prices can be charged by iTunes various “national,” language-specific storefronts.
And, I guess this is just one more thing we and our European cousins share—a plague of state’s rights advocates. Viva la difference!
What’s your take?
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