If iTunes Music Store was available here, would you pay 99c (P56) a pop?

Nah. I'd buy the whole album. P425 lang naman eh.

Why not?

A typical CD (with some songs that you don't really like but are forced to get because it comes with the package) would cost about a little less (about P20/song, I figure), but for the privilege of picking exactly what I like from an album, I'd pay extra.

Sure, it destroys the concept and paradigm of an "album" (which I feel is obsolete, anyway, from a consumer's point of view), and dispenses with album art and liner notes, which I love, but that's progress for ya. I lived through the shifts from vinyl to tape to CD, I guess I'll survive this one.

The nice side effect of this new system is, artists are will eventually be forced to compete on level playing fields, like on pure quality and talent, and not rely on who has the bigger marketing and hype machines, since the power to choose has been placed on the hands of their audiences.

Sorry. Got carried away there.

Yes, I'd pay a buck a song.

I would.

I guess it is practical to buy per song if the artist is a one hit wonder or two but iTMS' current offer of a whole album for $9.95 is expensive and you dont have a tangible product to keep.

So if you like at least 7 song it is worth plunking down for the whole album.

[Edited on 6-7-2004 by dust]

i guess it depends on what you make and where you live.

If you work in the US and earn in USD. 99c isn't a big deal. But if you're earning in PHP, then that's another story. How I wish companies would base their prices on a countries economic situation. I believe doing such would decrease piracy quite significantly. But then again, that's my opinion. =P :2cents:

If they sold original audio CDs here at P15.00 only a token few would even bother buying pirated CDs.

99 Philippine centavos per song would be a God send.

While iTunes does empower music lovers to some extent, their choice will still be influenced by what they hear on the radio or in da club. I'm not sure if hearing snipets of a song would weigh more over constant radio airtime or magazine reviews.

As for iTunes pricing, 99c is reasonable (enough to sell 70M songs) but P425 is cheap for a whole tangible CD. If I like 3 or more songs like those Greatest Hits albums, I'd go for the P425-CD.

Only for hard-to-find tracks but if I really like the whole album, I'd get the CD and just rip it to AAC myself and get a bonus of reading the liner notes and a tangible backup in case of something going wrong with my library.

I definitely would if I only want a few songs in an album.

I'd pay for it.

I'd also buy the cd in a brick & mortar store if I like enough songs.

I'd like to have the best of both worlds.:D

As to having a back-up, I think you can re-download your purchased music with no limit to the authorized computer if your original file gets corrupted or something like that.

Also, the "tingi" option appeals to me since the I'd put premium on being able to choose the songs I like.

Lastly, the 99 cent pricing seems to be at par with pricing on a per CD basis. (1 CD = 10 songs at an average) A CD costs around $10 but you'll need to add sales tax, etc. It would be great if they could offer songs at par with the P425 cost of the real CD and offer songs at around P40 to P45 per pop. :)

i agree with berniej. i'm buying those hard-to-finds! ;)

I definitely would. I don't really care for having a tangible cd, I'd even prefer that I didn't have it! I have 100+ cds that are nakatambak and eating space. As much as I'd like to digitize them all and throw away the cds, nakakahinayang din.

I just think that, even if you buy the CD, the first thing you're going to do is rip it to mp3 or aac. Sure you get more value, with having the actual cd, the inserts, etc. But chances are you're just going to browse through it a couple of times in your lifetime, then store it away into oblivion. Another CD to add to your space consuming dust gathering collection. Plus if you count the parking fee and the gasoline you burned to get to the mall to buy it (assuming that that would be the only reason for you to go the mall), the difference isn't so big anymore from buying from ITMS.

These are just my personal thoughts though. I'm probably just a lazy sloth. And I have lost faith in this country of ours. It is 100% certain that our $=PHP exchange rate has nowhere to go but up which will make buying from ITMS even more expensive. Then again, that would mean that prices of regular CDs would go up as well, no? How much is a regular CD nowadays? Is P425 the norm? The last time I bought a CD was when it was still at P350 years ago. Tagal na nun ah. Grabe, how time flies when you're having fun :blush:

[Edited on 6-8-2004 by Yagballs]

Originally posted by jobm
i agree with berniej. i'm buying those hard-to-finds! ;)

Me three. In fact, the HTFs are the only ones I do buy nowadays, those or iTunes exclusives. If the CD is available here, then the CD it is, save if there's only one or two songs in the CD that I like, in which case I'd just download it.

(BTW, the new free song of the week was just announced on the iTMS: The Greatest, by Planet Asia featuring Rasco, from the album The Grand Opening.)

I would. Choice is good.

Do you think there's a chance in the future that there'd be a legal pay-per-download music site like iTunes for OPM catalogues from or in the Philippines? There's lots of great OPMs that would be nice to listen to all over again, collect in one's iPod and iTunes, but CDs no longer available at the record bars. It would be great for the local music industry if this happens--the songs are available all the time without the business constraint and expense of having to press new CDs and market them ferociously. I would love, for example, to have the complete catalogue of Gary V. and Regine Velasquez, and not to forget, the music of Grace Nono, Jacqui Magno and The Boyfriends, and the fantastic songs of Basil Valdez.

Originally posted by @Bertus
If iTunes Music Store was available here, would you pay 99c (P56) a pop?

I would. Actually, I've purchased over a hundred tracks so far (both complete albums and singles) from the U.S. iTMS. Much more music than I've purchased in the last 5 years before the iTMS was launched. iTunes and the iPod just helped me discover music again :)


Originally posted by dominiquejames
Do you think there's a chance in the future that there'd be a legal pay-per-download music site like iTunes for OPM catalogues from or in the Philippines?

There's definitely a chance. When Apple launched the UK, German and French versions of the iTMS, each of those stores were tailored with music from local artists. I'm hoping that that will be the case with regard to OPM when a Southeast Asian version of the iTMS finally comes out :)

It's just like this:

One can afford a mac but you won't buy a US$ 0.99 song? I call that ridiculous.

[Edited on 6-21-2004 by jorweeck]

I buy most of my music on iTMS. I like the fact that I can chose one song or the full album. I'm not much of an audiophile, meaning the compression doesn't bother me as much. I also like the fact that I can search for a particular song, and I like the recommendations that you get when you go view your "shopping cart". It helps me find even more music to check out.

Like Patrick, iTunes and the iPod have helped me get back into enjoying music much more. Simply because of the ease at which I can find songs that I like.

H

Is there any local site that offers legal music downloads?

Originally posted by jino
Is there any local site that offers legal music downloads?

I don't think there is such a site right now, but this would certainly be a great idea! I hope a local online music store opens soon!:cool: