Jan Zdarsa ČTK reported this week that from the new year it should be easier to download music from the iTunes Store. Apple has agreed with EMI and Universal Music, among others, on new distribution rules, the European Commission said. Apple's current practices make it difficult to buy songs online.
For example, Apple currently does not allow users in Europe to download recordings from the iTunes site in a country other than the one in which they are registered. At the same time, more than half of the tracks in the world's digital music sales go through iTunes.
"Apple has indicated that it is optimistic that the iTunes store will be available to Europeans in more countries next year," said Jonathan Todd, a spokesman for the commission. According to him, this is a friendly step towards consumers, which will also improve the situation on the market.
Several companies signed the agreement, for example the American Amazon.com and the Finnish Nokia. In addition to music publishers and online retailers, organizations representing copyright holders SACEM, PRS for Music and STIM also signed the agreement. BEUC, representing consumers, also signed. "It's the first time that players from different parts of this market have agreed on a unified game plan," said competition commissioner Neelie Kroes as quoted by Reuters.
I think that next year we can FINALLY look forward to the iTunes Store in the Czech Republic as well. Apple has been talking about wanting to enter other countries for a long time, but it was music publishers that prevented it from doing so. But now we can look forward to brighter tomorrows!
I think it's useless here. Many people don't buy it because they are pirates and download it illegally. my guess is 2/10 people will buy.
Well, I wouldn't be angry... because shopping through German ClickAndBuy is starting to annoy me, to put it mildly, because it's both terribly expensive and they charge 2% of each amount (CaB)
so if we could buy a song for 20 CZK (or up to 1 euro), I think a lot of people would consider it. After all, having a song in the best quality for 20 CZK is, I think, a great offer
I don't expect anything anymore. I'm a bit of a skeptic
The question is whether for 20 CZK (or up to 1 euro - 26 CZK) it is worth buying one song at a time, when you can buy the album from Amazon for, say, $13. I think it's still cheaper to buy it on CD and have it sent to you.
Personally, I rarely buy electronic versions of anything (gog.com, live on xbox360), I prefer to have the media sent to me, which comes out including the box, booklet, bonuses and postage usually as expensive as the electronic version or it is rather cheaper.
I would start buying electronic versions (music, sw) only if their disadvantage (low proof of legal acquisition, for example) was significantly reflected in the price (ie, for example, half the price or even lower). Otherwise, standard boxes and media still win for me.
It's good that the legal sale of music on the Internet will move a little further here in the Czech Republic. Maybe there will be a day when it will be normal to buy and not download illegally. :)
Of the entire CD, for the vast majority of performers, at most half of the songs are worth it.
iTunes aims to have the cheapest songs on the market. And they succeed in that too. Even Amazon isn't that cheap. The point is that most albums are for $9.99, even if there are maybe 15 songs for $0.99. And a similar system could also be in the Czech Republic. They will definitely want to be the cheapest in the Czech Republic, so I think the price will not be more than 30 CZK/song or 300 CZK/album. And another advantage is the comprehensiveness of iTunes. You can really find a large number of unknown groups on iTunes, which you simply cannot find anywhere on the warez forums, so you will be glad for such an option that iTunes offers.
Whatever it is. I don't enjoy downloading music illegally, laboriously sorting, tagging, ... I want to buy anything with one click. Including movies and series :-)
Miroslav Buček: Exactly! :D
I have an account in the US, so getting the Czech version working probably won't bring me anything. Besides, taxes from my purchases will not go to our state treasury.
I don't enjoy dragging warez and tagging or editing. Movies probably as well, but I definitely don't want to have the series protected as iTunes is showing it so far. It doesn't tag the video clips itself, so it's probably enough to download them from YT, stream and the like. Audio books - radio plays, so I'm really looking forward to those.
I agree with the poor quality of most of the songs - I just bought the spesl edition on disc from Ebenů and paid for Horkyz slime from T-mobile.
There is a little bit unprotected but untagged on the Vltava, and that's except for the indies records in the CR end.
Even if 2/10 people bought it, that is already a great success.