It's April…Must Be Time To Do A Story On Labels Wanting To Raise iTunes Prices
from the haven't-we-heard-this-before? dept
April is starting off with a bang… as the press seems to simply be rehashing stories from two years ago. In early April of 2004, we pointed to a story about the record labels trying to pressure Steve Jobs into raising the price of songs on iTunes, or doing creatively stupid things, such as forcing users to buy a bad song with each good song they want to purchase (that’ll really win over the music fans). A little less than a year later, the press trotted out the same story in early 2005. It was a slow summer, so the story came up again last August, at which point we noted that this sounded quite a bit like illegal price fixing. Wholesalers aren’t supposed to have any say about retail pricing — and, in fact, the record labels got in trouble for doing that with CD prices just a few years ago. Late last year, Eliot Spitzer suddenly recognized this was happening and started an investigation which was copied last month by the Feds. With so much attention concerning whether or not the labels are involved in price fixing attempts concerning digital music, you’d think they’d be working overtime to keep more news stories quiet. Nope. It’s April again, and so we have yet another article (perhaps they just reprinted ones from the past) about how the labels are upset about Steve Jobs’ grip on retail music download prices. I imagine that a year from now, they’ll still be unhappy and we’ll be treated to yet another article.
Comments on “It's April…Must Be Time To Do A Story On Labels Wanting To Raise iTunes Prices”
Why Don't You Guys Get Over Always Trying to Claim
Your constant attempts to claim that you were the first to notice a trend or express an opinion on something are getting really tiresome, guys. It’s always been adolescent, but now it’s becoming so oppressive that it’s really detracting from the quality of your writing.
Today, the newspapers, Spitzer and the Feds, all just imitating you. Wow – let me spend a moment basking in the glory of all that is you.
There, now I can go back to my entirely derivative life and wait for you to tell me what to believe in.
Re: Why Don't You Guys Get Over Always Trying to C
Your constant attempts to claim that you were the first to notice a trend or express an opinion on something are getting really tiresome, guys. It’s always been adolescent, but now it’s becoming so oppressive that it’s really detracting from the quality of your writing.
Sorry that you feel that way. We weren’t trying to claim we were the first at any of this. Just presenting the history… I’m sorry if you thought we were implying something else. We weren’t.
Today, the newspapers, Spitzer and the Feds, all just imitating you. Wow – let me spend a moment basking in the glory of all that is you.
Again, not claiming they were “imitating” us. The point wasn’t that at all. In fact, the point is the opposite. It’s annoying that it took Spitzer and the Feds so long to notice what plenty of people thought was totally obvious. We’re certainly not trying to claim *credit* for all of this. The point was that it was obvious to plenty of people (not just us), and we were surprised that it took so long for the legal folks to figure it out.
Re: Re: Why Don't You Guys Get Over Always Trying
Again, not claiming they were “imitating” us. The point wasn’t that at all. In fact, the point is the opposite. It’s annoying that it took Spitzer and the Feds so long to notice what plenty of people thought was totally obvious. We’re certainly not trying to claim *credit* for all of this. The point was that it was obvious to plenty of people (not just us), and we were surprised that it took so long for the legal folks to figure it out.
I agree. Yeah, it does seem a bit redundant at times, but unfortunately that appears how our “repetitive indocrination” society seems to “learn” these days. Somebody has to counter all the propoganda, misinformation, or misrepresentation by organizations like the RIAA and others who drone their messages incessantly in the hopes eventually enough people will come to believe them.
Keep up the good works, guys. People who claim your agruements get redundant and old after a while seem to forget that you are merely countering the same tired and old arguements orginally started by other. Perhaps if they came up with new and better arguements you wouldn’t have to refute the same tired talking points all the time.
Kudos
Re: Why Don't You Guys Get Over Always Trying to C
Dear Annoyed,
Did you actually read the article? Seriously. No claims of being first. No claims of anybody immitating Techdirt. I can’t even really imagine how you thought that’s what was being said.
Sincerely,
Annoyed With People Who Read Things That Were Never Written
Re: Why Don't You Guys Get Over Always Trying to C
OMG. Even that acronym is used and abused, redundant and imitated to much, but common, to complain about someone’s work or services.
The internet is a plethora of redundancy, why?, because of choice, and opinion! No one story will be the same simply because it’s being retold, or better articulated for someone who might not have understood its original source. (unless it’s just copied without reference which is just plagiaristic).
So what if a story is redundant or imitates, if you think you have the time these writers have to research, reword (for someone else’s better understanding), maintain and or report on something/anything on a site you enjoy coming to (personal choice by the way), why don’t you submit a story that you can read and be happy about or start up your own news and educational site and get your own traffic and repeated visitors and maintain and research and write more and more and more content EVERY FREAKIN’ DAY!
There are so many sites in this world, if someone should get bored they typically and simply click somewhere else, perhaps you should give it more of a try… obviously you know how or you’d not know this story (seemed, is, or was redundant.)
Why waste valuable mental soaking time on flaming a writer (again redundant or not) or provider of any public service when you could be trying to make the human race seem better than you actually are.
It’s funny, as I insult you, I actually find that I do quite enjoy telling those who complain about other peoples work or services how stupid they are. 🙂 That is fun writing.
Perhaps you can read, learn, be enlightened, and or enlighten others on how stupid they sound when they complain about being educated.
D.A.!
~I’m done.
Hmmm, cranky bunch this Monday morning …
Agreed, nothing new here. Including the observation about labels trying to sell a B song with a potential hit.
It was called a 45. 😉
doomed business model anyway...
doesnt really matter what they (labels, steve jobs…) contrive to charge for downloads in the future… most upcoming bands are posting their stuff for free to get attention (ala arctic monkeys), which is the start of a trend towards cutting out the middle man by distributing for free and using alternative revenue streams. 10 yeas time the idea of buying music will be all but dead. live music will be much more expensive. Big acts will make money from endorsement deals like pro sports players. Labels will be gone as we know them.
Re: doomed business model anyway...
bring it on baby !!
Hmm....
I think we can blame the crankiness on daily savings time….I was wondering why it was still dark when I went to work this morning…