Music History

Windows version of Apple iTunes launched

Under the slogan "Hell Froze Over", a casually dressed Steve Jobs last week in San Francisco launched the Windows version of the famous and acclaimed Apple iTunes software.
We still don't know whether hell really froze over, but judging from comments and rumours running all over the Internet the arrival of this new iTunes has not gone overlooked.
The arrival of Apple's jukebox for Microsoft machines means an immediate opening of the iTunes Music Store to Windows users, which the latest statistics represent well over 90 percent of computer users. Windows users will have the same online music store, the same catalogue, the same personal use rights and the same pricing of $0.99 per song or $9.99 per album previously reserved for Apple users.
Since its launch, six months ago, music lovers have purchased and downloaded over 13 million songs from the iTunes Music Store, thus making it the world's most popular musical download service, with a market share of 70 percent ascertained by an independent research. Sporting music from all five music majors and over 200 indie labels, the catalogue keeps growing by the day and within the end of October it will include over 400,000 songs.
Apple offers the unbeatable combination of iTunes, iTunes Music Store, and iPod, the market leader among digital music players.
Itunes, distributed freely, features MP3 and AAC high quality coding from audio CDs; Smart Playlists; over 250 free Internet radio stations; and the possibility to burn CDs with personalized playlists and MP3, burn DVDs to store a whole musical collection, and share music among different computers with Rendezvous. Currently, the online store remains only for U.S. residents, but there are high hopes that it will soon be extended to Canada.
In addition to songs, Apple now offers also 5,000 audiobooks, in most cases read by the authors, that can easily be downloaded and played on one's computer or carried around on one's iPod.
The musical suggestions from artists have their own section called "Celebrity Playlist", and every artist has prepared a special list of songs that can be purchased one by one or as a group; at present, 16 artists have compiled their lists.
Many artists also supplied their bios, comments, and exclusive interviews or video clips, but iTunes Music Store's two most important features are called "Gift Certificate" and "Allowance Accounts".
The former is a convenient way to give some music to a third party (over 13): the owner of any U.S. credit card buys a coupon worth between $10 and $200 and sends it by e-mail to a friend who will use it for downloading songs up to the amount given (within two years from the purchase or the latest activity).
The second is a system for keeping expenses in check, not much different from a Gift Certificate but reserved to oneself or to family members (U.S. residents), typically children who have no personal credit card yet. The amounts range from $10 to $200 per month for buying digital music from the iTunes Music Store.
Some analysts foretell trouble ahead, due to the arrival of Napster 2 (USA only), the application by Roxio sponsored by Microsoft that should debut later this month. Trusting that the name "Napster", well known for its musical past, could attract users to its online store, Roxio struck a deal with Microsoft that will include Napster in its own edition of Windows Media Centre.
For the Redmond-based company, re-launching the cat with earphones will also mean adding another customer in need of song coding, as Roxio will distribute songs protected by Windows Media Player's technology.
Competition for iTunes will also include a portable player by Samsung.
The 20GB Samsung YP-910GS is the only player designed to operate seamlessly with the newly launched Napster 2.0 service. Equipped with an FM Tuner and able to store over 5,000 songs, the YP-910GS (a rather unhelpful name) should be a response to the iPod.
ITunes and Napster are quite similar to one another, and will slug it out on the market, leaving crumbs to anyone else.
Apple anyway strengthened its position by reaching an agreement with AOL that will allow immediate and swift registration to the iTunes Music Store for the over 25 million AOL users, starting this quarter. America Online will integrate links to the artists, albums, and songs of iTunes through its musical site, AOL Music. It will enable AOL users the possibility to link directly to a specific page of the iTunes Music Store for preview listening and purchasing music while they browse and read musical news and reviews. Through iTunes Music Store, Apple will offer a selection of some popular and original contents of AOL, such as Sessions@AOL and BroadBAND Rocks!
A second deal, of the same or greater significance, was struck with Pepsi Cola. All those who will buy a Pepsi (in the U.S., of course) could win one of 100 million songs at stake. A bottle in three is a winner. Pepsi will launch a great advertising campaign that will begin on February 1 (Superbowl day) and last 60 days.
Music is just the vanguard of what these services could eventually become, perhaps including the distribution of movies.
Meanwhile, we Canadians can only wait and maybe visit www.puretracks.com, a Canadian digital music download service that, despite a more limited choice, will enable us to buy some songs, provided we are Windows users - otherwise, tough luck.
Do not despair, though; the moment will come for us, too.

Publication Date: 2003-10-26
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3277