I've been thinking about the Apple Computer iTunes Music Store service and wanted to share some thoughts and observations.

Yes, first thing I searched was Prince. Found you basic hits, no Graffiti Bridge though.

What's cool with the actual iTunes app is that you can now add covers of the albums, which enhances the experience a bit when listening to music on you PC.

The little thumbnail thing is kind of weak when compared to what we had before, 12 x 12 albums. CD's aren't much either. I don't know if you've noticed, but the size of the CD kind of ended the innovation and fascinating art and design we used to get in albums, and extra little stuff like posters and stuff. I was at Virgin browsing the other day and sure some new CD's do have extra goodies, video, links to exclusive sites, etc. especially Fleetwood Mac's and Madonna's new albums.

I also realize the 12" vinyl album won't be brought back, but you'd think with all this amazing "digital lifestyle" technology and media creating, amazing processor speed we'd have more by evolutionary comparison.

I think that this whole digital lifestyle has hidden limitations. Companies such as Apple and MicroSoft in this case with the entertainment industry are really in cahoots, just that Apple was hired to do it best, the best interface, the best ease of use. But all this ease of use and these new formats such as AAC for the music files AND new methods of getting music, it just starts to smell a little fishy if you look at all the limitations and unanswered issues.

Restrictions are the first thing you notice AFTER you've been impressed by the niceness of the service and software.

You have to authorize your PC with a password. If let's say you go to work with your newly downloaded files and at work they do not let you get on the internet, you CAN NOT authorize your work computer to play YOUR newly bought songs or albums!

And AAC music file format and codec actually embeds information such as your computer ID and other specific limitation information which really may limit your right to copyright fair use rights.

They're all really moving to scratch the RIAA and others backs I suspect. If not the songs in the store would be all 50¢ for 160 kps songs and ¢99 for 192, or 256 kbps songs and be $8 a CD, so what if it's harder to download, at least the CONSUMER has his/her RIGHT to choose.

Think about it. I think the catch is the morality play, that now you feel good paying the artist.

Who really knows what kind of deals the record companies and Apple have and how much the artists are actually getting paid...! It's kind of misleading and misguided to view the Apple iTunes store as a helping the artists get paid, at least in full, I'm sure they are, but I wonder what and how really the pie is divided.

Record companies and entertainment companies tend to shove the artist in front of them when it comes to violating them as they claim.

Also, let's say you buy a song for 99¢ and it's 1:28 minutes in length and THEN you buy another song and it's 6:40 minutes long. You just paid $99 for both...what's up with the shorter song being the same price as the longer one? There is a 7 minute limit in time of the actual song that if you find a song that goes over that, you have to buy the whole album.

There are some reporting on that muddly sound you got from 128 mp3's on some songs! I'll be purchasing a few song and comparing them to regular MP3 songs to see if there are any differences.

Also, it has to be noted that leveling songs and music at ¢99 and $9.99 encompasses music to be sold at just that price, almost like competition is being wiped out. What I mean by this is that music from the 30's or 50's are being sold at the same price, when production costs were minimal. New music is more expensive to produce. But the price is leveled. And what about Gershwin, he's and artist that's not getting paid anymore.

It's all just rather wierd. I mean, it's cool and nice, but, I think it's part of a bigger plan that could be positive and/or negative for everyone involved from the artist all the way through the music lover.

We'll wait and see...the truth is in the details.



Share your observations and experiences with the iTunes Store and it's files and service in this thread.

Apple's iTunes music store is EXTRAORDINARILY cool... the fact that you can hear extremely high quality samples of songs before you buy them is damned near orgasmic. The whole layout and function of the store is fucking incredible...

Leave it to Apple to make something so incredibly cool.

Another idea, a postive note one:

iPod + iTunes Music Store = Reduced resource consumption