http://mac.elated.com/2008/04/05/lack-of-choice-at-the-itunes-store/ A blog about Macs and that Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:28:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 http://mac.elated.com/2008/04/05/lack-of-choice-at-the-itunes-store/#comment-5119 Francis Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:12:25 +0000 http://mac.elated.com/2008/04/05/lack-of-choice-at-the-itunes-store/#comment-5119 I agree about the not being able to buy from foreign iTunes stores. I'd like to buy music in European iTunes stores, for instance, but can't 'cause I'm in the US. The fault however doesn't lie with Apple this time. It's the music labels and the music industry behemoth in all its manifestations. They dictate that the conditions, ways, etc. of sale in each country be set individually. Remember that in the good old days of records, for instance, you would get variations of the same album in different countries, different singles, etc. A boon for diehard collectors but not for anyone else. This continues to this day with the CDs. It is custom that the Japanese versions have an extra track (or 2), to name just one example. And then we haven't even touched on the ridiculous price differences. Again though, Apple would just love to simplify this whole mess but they have to abide by each country's laws and the willingness (or lack thereof) of the local music industry. I agree about the not being able to buy from foreign iTunes stores. I’d like to buy music in European iTunes stores, for instance, but can’t ’cause I’m in the US. The fault however doesn’t lie with Apple this time. It’s the music labels and the music industry behemoth in all its manifestations. They dictate that the conditions, ways, etc. of sale in each country be set individually. Remember that in the good old days of records, for instance, you would get variations of the same album in different countries, different singles, etc. A boon for diehard collectors but not for anyone else. This continues to this day with the CDs. It is custom that the Japanese versions have an extra track (or 2), to name just one example. And then we haven’t even touched on the ridiculous price differences. Again though, Apple would just love to simplify this whole mess but they have to abide by each country’s laws and the willingness (or lack thereof) of the local music industry.

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