Apple iTunes - Micropayments?

Micropayments, Macropayments, Subscriptions, etc.

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Greg Stephens
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Apple iTunes - Micropayments?

Post by Greg Stephens »

I'm not sure that Apples new iTunes store really qualifies as micropayments, but it's definately getting closer. When big, high-profile companies like Apple start putting some thought into rethinking online commerce, you have some faith that maybe it'll actually develop into something new, different and appropriate to the internet (as opposed to an online catalog, as wonderful as some of those might be).

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Beat me to it...

Post by Tim Mallos »

Ditto Greg. Had the same thought and headed over here to share it. I think the support for and use of micropayments is inevitable. $0.99 a track is still pricey if the truely want to compete with $0.00.

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Post by Tha_Pig »

Itunes is the most stupid and impractical idea I have heard...

99 cents for each song...

Lets see, a music CD usually have a price between 14-16 dollars, and it usually contains between 13 and 16 songs. In other words, who is going to pay for downloading all the songs on a CD when you can have the original CD for about the exact same price? (Plus the price of the recordable CD to burn the songs and the price of paper and ink if you chose to print the CD label)

Only a retard would pay more than the original for a sub-standard imitation! But then again, most MAC users ARE retarded!
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Post by Tim Mallos »

Yeah, I agree, mostly Pig. The only benefit comes from being able to purchase the one single on an album that you like.

You don't really have to buy the whole CD as it was packaged. That would just be someone accepting whatever package they were offered from a software / media provider. But then, most PC users are willing to accept whatever they are offered by the dominant software / media provider. ;)


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Post by ragtag »

Maybe it should have $0.50, but I think the idea is good...and it's something the music industry should have done years ago. Instead of trying to lock their CDs and going to court against their customers.

The idea is a availability. If you feel like listening to a song, you can download it in a few min, pay a small sum and enjoy that song. You don't have to go to the shop to look for the CD or order the CD of the internett. For many it's convenient and I think a lot of people will be willing to pay.

I'm only hoping someone does the same with the entire imdb.com so that I can pay a small sum and download any of the films there.

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Post by Tha_Pig »

Tim Mallos, as a PC user, I dont have depend of the "dominant" software provider. I have a wide range of different choices available, including several oparative systems (some of them for free, like Linux, which I use)

I have acces to an inmense variety of FREEWARE I can download online at no cost. I also have oportunity of tweak and customize my system all I want, because my parts are compatible with an infinite variety of brands.

A Mac user, will be slave of Mac all his life, he can use only Mac hardware (which by the way, happens to be always twice as expensive as the best PC equivalent) And he will be forced to use Mac software, because nothing else will work in his machine (curiously, nobody has yet accuse Apple Computers of Monopolist, may be Steve Jobs have friends in high places) :wink:
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Post by Tim Mallos »

Looks as if we both cleverly included the word "most" in our gross generalizations so as to nullify any argument offered by the other.

I actually use both computing hardware platforms and too many OS versions and flavors. I'm only retarded about 30% of the time, best estimate.

Computing religious debate aside, $0.99 a track is, indeed, just stupid.

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Post by Tim Mallos »

Huh. -
STRONG START FOR APPLE MUSIC STORE
Apple Computer's newly launched online music service--the iTunes Music
Store--saw more than one million downloads in its first week of
operation, the company said. The service, which is currently only
available for Macintosh computers, sells individual songs for 99 cents,
and many albums are priced at $9.99. Recording industry executives have
argued that sales of individual songs exacerbates the slowing sales of
albums. Apple noted, however, that half of the songs sold during the
first week were sold as part of albums. The store's launch coincided
with the release of iTunes 4, Apple's music application, and a slimmer
model of the iPod. According to Apple, downloads of iTunes 4 and sales
of the new iPod have been very strong in the week since the music
service was launched. Some analysts said Apple's early success
indicates a wide base of consumers who are willing to pay for legal
downloads of music.
CNET, 5 May 2003
http://news.com.com/2100-1027_3-999701.html
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Post by Wikkit »

Wow, you're an asshole, Pig. I'm impressed.

Take your holy war elsewhere.
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Post by Tim Mallos »

I think the smilie face ;) lets him off the hook Wikkit- nobody is really THAT big of a jerk.
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Post by Tha_Pig »

Wikkit, if having an opinion about something makes me an asshole, then I'm one. If you don't like others to express their opinions, then don't go to message boards.

I didn't offend you in any way, and my message was directed to another user (who had enough maturity to understand the humorous nature of my remarks and talk about our preferences in a civil way)

Nothing in my post was offensive in any way, or insulting to anyone, especially not to you. You alone choose to take this personal and insult me.

Of course, insulting people anonymously on the Internet is very easy. Specially when you don't have to face the person your are insulting... and that person has not the opportunity of replying with a punch that remodels your face.

I just hope you keep that infantile attitude of yours, so sooner or later someone will do that job for me! :wink:
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Post by BuckBeaver »

Well, I agree with Ragtag - iTunes may not be perfect but it's the first step forward that the recording industry has taken online since, well, ever. A model like iTunes would be the answer to the record industry's problems....if this was 1997. Unfortunately, it's not so we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

Clearly the success of the system so far indicates people are willing to pay for content online if it's relatively straightforward. I agree that $1 per tune is too much, 50 cents would be more appropriate. Considering the cost savings incurred by online distribution I'd wager they're making more money per song online than they do retail.
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Post by Wikkit »

I'm glad you can tell exactly when you've insulted someone. Must be a useful superpower. Do you have Gaydar too?

If we ever run into each other IRL, please point yourself out. I'm always happy to continue a dialogue.
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Now I'm pissed.

Post by Tim Mallos »

Screw you Pig. Where do you get off calling me mature?
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Post by Wikkit »

I'd like to apologise to all of the forum members for replying the way I did in my last posts. Instead of following his insinuations of physical violence with the same, I should have demonstrated a bit of maturity and just laughed and laughed and laughed...

My final thought on the matter: Someone is going to design a good, fully functional micropayment system, and PayPal (eBay) is going to buy it for a large sum of money. If they don't make their own first.
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