iTunes...What do you think? Is it a great application to download and listen to music from? Or is it part of the reason that music industry is going downhill? Well here's what I think:
iTunes offers subscribers great things from artists called "iTunes Exclusives." Is this fair to people who don't chose to support and/or use Apple? Are they just left to find other ways of attaining that music from that artist that they so desperately love? Legally, no. This is just one of my complaints against Apple. What they're doing is going up to these artists and asking them to make songs or take previously un-released songs and make them "iTunes" exclusive, Apple offers them a bigger cut on the individual sales of songs (Artists usually make 11 to 54 cents on an 99 cent song). But who is this really helping? iTunes or the music artist(s)? Now after the so said dedicated fans purchase their music iTunes gets that cut thus filling the corporations pockets. Because the "iTunes album" isn't offered in any physical form or from any other "legal enterprise" this allows them to dominate the market.
iTunes also sucks in new musicians by allowing them to charge for their music on the iTunes stores as a "cheaper" alternative to making those horribly expensive CDs. Lets not forget that iTunes also can monitor and publish what music you listen to and what you purchase.
But maybe this is just me venting because a musical interest of mine has their latest tracks only available on iTunes... Because I refuse to download them... I can't get them by legal means.
Fuck.
This track is from Portugal. The Man's debut EP, "Devil I Say, I Say Air"
Thank God this CD is actually physically attainable.
Portugal. The Man - "The Pines" [Removed]
Find more music by this artist at The Hype Machine.
Labels: portugal. the man
Apple have always used fascist tactics. If anyone is serious about their music library they'll use Amarok or Winamp.
But don't forget that they offer iTunes for free download and the account is free as well so anyone who wants those iTunes exclusives can get them.
So this is basically only a question of sympathy.