The Pencil Guy: Hourann's illogical blog

Apple on music companies: I’m with stupid

As most other bloggers in this country had realised before me: woohoo, iTMS is available in Oz! Finally I have a compelling reason to go get a credit card.

The iTunes Music Store

For proof that the music companies are refining the delicate art of shooting themselves in the foot, witness that here, as in Japan for a few months, Sony/BMG are refusing to jump on board.

For more proof: Albums cost $16.99 and single tracks a whopping $1.69 ― compared to the standard US prices of $9.99 and $0.99, this means that in music-company la-laaa land, the Australian dollar is worth 58.6 US cents. No wonder Ian Dickson left that biz to pursue a TV career; at least TV execs in this country have their heads screwed on (well, not all of the time).

(Of course, I’m ignoring the possibility that Apple themselves are behind the higher prices. But Apple in Australia are a tiny offshoot of big Cupertino, and the fixed costs of the Australian and US stores probably aren’t any different, since a simple netstat says they both come off the same server farm.)

  1. i did not understand a word of that :P
    i juuust looked through ur party photos, damn thesis… :s
    how on EARTH do you know shane fernandez!! small world huh
    good luck in exams, cya :)

  2. (a) It’s a standard Hourann rant, you’re not supposed to understand a word of it; (b) didn’t I already tell you I was stalking you? also, if you’d been nice enough to come I could have explained the whole story :-P

  3. hmmmm, maths
    I think your maths on the song pricing is wrong. But I am gonna figure it out here and now:

    1 song = 99 USc
    1 song = 169 AUc

    therfore 0.99 USD = 1.69 AUD.

    I think that is about right, as far as exchange rates go and stuff. It means that for one Aussie dollar you would get:
    1AUD = 0.99/1.69 = 59c. Hmmm. Looks like you were right.

    It is more like 75c in the real world. Thus we should be getting our songs for 1.32AUD

    Hello Hourann, haven’t seen you in a while.

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