The iTunes Music Store is not available in your country yet. You will be able to browse music and listen to previews, but you won't be able to purchase music unless your billing address is in the United States.

We all get the above message each time we launch ITMS. Is it really possible for me to purchase from ITMS here in the Philippines, if indeed I had a U.S.-based billing address?

Has anyone here successfully done so?

Thanks.

I believe if you have a credit card with a US billing address then you can do so, regardless of your physical location

I think it's a credit card issue
and hope it has nothing to do
w/SE Asia's reputation for
piracy.
But if you have relatives abroad,
they sell iTunes gift cards for $15
at Target I think.
Was tempted to get one but that's
still about 900 pesos-- and a dollar
a song is still too expensive for me.
Limewire (Mac peer2peer app)
had a survey recently about
how much one is ready to pay for
a song. I figure, if we assume a
CD costs 480 pesos and has about
15-18 songs, that comes to about
half a dollar per song, may CD cover
at liner notes ka pa.
So i passed on the gift card-- but
boy I was tempted.

rcs


Originally posted by elbertc
The iTunes Music Store is not available in your country yet. You will be able to browse music and listen to previews, but you won't be able to purchase music unless your billing address is in the United States.

We all get the above message each time we launch ITMS. Is it really possible for me to purchase from ITMS here in the Philippines, if indeed I had a U.S.-based billing address?

Has anyone here successfully done so?

Thanks.

I'm sure that in principle, it is possible. My question is if anyone here has been able to purchase locally using a U.S.-based credit card.

Also, I doubt it's a just credit card issue. I suspect it has to do with local music licensing. Most countries have unique music rights (aside from the basic law that it is illegal to copy music). You also have country licensors/distributors to consider. Seems bloody to iron out.

You need an email address with a u.s. address as a home address also . My brothers in the states send me a gift certificate ,but they send it care of my email address in yahoo.com where I specified my brother's home address in Calfornia as my home address. I've been doing it since itms opened the service. The one who seems to have
started this way was vic (icasas). In fact I just followed the instructions he posted in the old user's group (philmug.org)

Originally posted by peter_ob
Originally posted by elbertc
I'm sure that in principle, it is possible. My question is if anyone here has been able to purchase locally using a U.S.-based credit card.

Also, I doubt it's a just credit card issue. I suspect it has to do with local music licensing. Most countries have unique music rights (aside from the basic law that it is illegal to copy music). You also have country licensors/distributors to consider. Seems bloody to iron out.


I've done it using a US issued credit card and of course with a US billing address.

[Edited on 5-20-2004 by peter_ob]

i've bought a few songs from the ITMS from here in the philippines using my US credit card, US address, and .mac account, no trouble at all. what's interesting is that i get billed by apple singapore! (same with my .mac account)

Yes, Apple USA started redirecting billing to Singapore around the end of last year. Singa probaly complained about market poaching. :)

It works! I registered on ITMS while I was still in the States and haven't changed my info (credit card, etc.) since I got back. When the ITMS started offering free music, I clicked on the free songs and was able to "purchase" them successfully. And this is after I closed my bank account in the States! (hence the free songs... I can't buy anything anymore...)
Anyway, if it works for the free songs, then it should work for songs that you pay for too. :)

would it be possible to buy using a relatives credit card?

I was curious to hear what Junior Tan had to say. Seemed like he had a story to tell re: the workaround.

well, maybe the workaround is exactly that: use a US-issued credit card with a US billing address (which is how some of us get stuff from the apple store), then use it from here or anywhere in the world.

by the way, just learned today from a friend in UP that junior tan is married to a pinay pala--to my friend's daughter. he was giving them an imac daw but they're not too techno-savvy. sabi ko, grrr, tanggapin niyo na! :)

[Edited on 1-31-2005 by penmanila]

Originally posted by cyberprince
I was curious to hear what Junior Tan had to say. Seemed like he had a story to tell re: the workaround.

I would have loved to know what that is...since I used up my last 50 dollar gift certificate sent to me by my cousin, it's really getting annoying that I have to wire the money to them so they can send me gift certificates. Not to mention all the unwanted transfer fees...but the funny thing is i didn't even use a valid U.S. address for my iTMS account. I actually put my Philippine address and made sure the postcode was a U.S. postcode which in my case the only one I could think of was well..."90210" :)

Yes, you can purchase itunes from the Philippines.

I have a US credit card and a US billing address.

Been doing it for 8 months already.


James

Also, I don't get billed by Apple Singapore.

I get billed by Apple USA.

My credit card bill says "iTunes Music Store"


James

...since I used up my last 50 dollar gift certificate sent to me by my cousin, it's really getting annoying that I have to wire the money to them so they can send me gift certificates. Not to mention all the unwanted transfer fees...but the funny thing is i didn't even use a valid U.S. address for my iTMS account. I actually put my Philippine address and made sure the postcode was a U.S. postcode which in my case the only one I could think of was well..."90210" :)

It is because you used a gift certificate not a credit card. The analogy would be a phone prepaid card. You pay before you use the service. In a postpaid account the phone service provider makes sure the client is capable of paying for the service since the bill comes after one uses it.
The key word here is "billing address". It would be harder for Apple to go after foreign accounts.

@jodejesus- my guess is you also registered your Apple account with a US address.

One of these days I must find a way to get myself a US credit card. I have a friend at work who has one and we sometimes use hers for purchases. :) It is sometimes frustrating when you don't have access to a lot of things because of this.

@penmanila - yeah Junior told me his wife is Filipino. cool isn't it!

well, if you have a relative or friend who absolutely trusts you, you could try asking that person to get you a secondary card (using his or her US billing address). just don't forget to pay your generous sponsor! :)

Originally posted by cyberprince
One of these days I must find a way to get myself a US credit card. I have a friend at work who has one and we sometimes use hers for purchases. :) It is sometimes frustrating when you don't have access to a lot of things because of this.

@penmanila - yeah Junior told me his wife is Filipino. cool isn't it!

I was able to set up an account while I was studying in the States last summer. I bought ITMS Pre paid cards from Target and BOOM! No credit card. I just put in our US address and I can now download the free music and buy music. That's the pasalubong I always ask for now.

Originally posted by cyberprince
One of these days I must find a way to get myself a US credit card.

Try Valis International (http://www.valis.org/personal/default.html). I haven't really used their service though so can't vouch for them.