ITunes new pricing structure: What's your take on it?

Also: have you noticed that songs take a lot longer to download now?

As for the prices alone I don’t see how anyone could like having to pay more for some songs. However, I think for the most part its awesome. Here is why…

Yes, some things are priced higher and some things are priced lower. But… there is no more DRM at all, and every song is higher quality too.

Without the DRM it feels more like you are actually owning the songs. No more 5 computer limit!!!

Also, the songs are higher quality which means they will take a little bit longer to download but they have twice the bit rate. This makes the $1.29 pricing for some songs more worth it. You actually are getting more.

Oh, and album prices are still the same (for the most part). So you can still buy any album for the same price or less than you could on a physical CD and now there will be no DRM on iTunes making it just as good as the real thing!

@netspencer: Good point! That is so true! You really do own the song now, just like back in the day when you bought it on a CD.

As a counterpoint, if you were buying on iTunes before the switch, you’re still pretty much tied to it unless you want to spend an extra 30 cents on all the songs that you bought from them over the years, because the whole rest of your library is still the old format. That’s probably not that much money for most people I guess, but to me it’s a LOT…I can’t imagine spending that much at one time…ah sigh. I am so broke…

@La_chica_gomela Yeah. Until you upgrade your library you can’t really take advantage of the no DRM thing. It’s either all or nothing. Anyway, there is still some DRM—on podcasts (sometimes, don’t know why), music videos and movies.

Gotta love supply and demand.

@bob_ can you please be more specific?

@La_chica_gomela Old songs nobody really cares about are cheaper, so as to make them more appealing. Newer and/or popular songs are more expensive, ‘cause people would buy them anyway. Economics 101.

¿Qué significa gomela?

what i’ve noticed is that I’m still getting my music for free so i don’t care….. :)

The price increase is an expected thing. Inflation and cost of doing business are facts of life. Prices will go up. I don’t understand why people get all up in arms over something like a .30 price increase on a discretionary item when all around them far greater price swings happen every day. Ever heard of the grocery shrink ray? That’s the same as a price increase when the price stays the same but you get less product.

And to be clear, when it comes to music… You Own Nothing
What you pay for when you purchase music is the right to play the music. It’s called a license. Just because you own a CD with the music on it does not mean you have the right to do whatever you want to with it. The same applies to computer software.

Don’t agree with it? Then pour five, ten or fifteen year of blood sweat and tears into a project and then watch it be stolen from you and I guarantee you’ll change your tune.

@netspencer Itunes did away with all or nothing Plus upgrade. It’s been alacarte for several months now.

@tekn0lust: You act like we don’t have a perfect right to discuss it. Give me a break. If you don’t like the discussion, why enter it?

And as far as the semantical differences between “owning a song” and “owning a license”, obviously netspencer and I meant that you could use it freely now without being tied to Apple software, etc, without the restrictions that were in place previously.

Chill out!

@tekn0lust By “all or nothing” I meant that it really doesn’t do you much good to only have some plus songs (w/DRM) becuase, unless your library is completly DRM free you must still authenticate each computer.

@La_chica_gomela Where do you see anything in my response that even implies that you don’t have the right to discuss this topic? I enter the discussion to bring another view of the situation. I put my understanding of the situation out there so that those who read this thread and see your flippant use of the term “own” understand that it’s not correct.

Semantics mean a lot in a forum like this. You can’t just assume that every reader instantly knows what you are talking about.

@netspencer That makes perfect sense I see where you are coming from. Good point.

You said, “I don’t understand why people get all up in arms over something like a .30 price increase”—I felt like that was aimed at me—you’re basically saying you don’t understand why we’re “getting up in arms”, why we’re talking about it.