Comments on: Amazon's MP3 Store, One Year In: No iTunes Killer; Probably Won't Be

By: All That I Know (About Technology) » Apple’s iPhone demonstrates that mobile is hot as ever

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 22:00:19 +0000

[...] introduction of the iPod and the iTunes Store. Over the years, everyone and I mean everyone (eg: Amazon) has tried to develop an interface with music library/music store capabilities but none have been [...]

By: Amazon’s Digital Music Store Takes a Tiny Step Forward, Still Trails Apple by Miles [MediaMemo] | UpOff.com

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:26:51 +0000

[...] eight percent number sounded familiar to me because that’s the number the music industry has been guesstimating for some time. But NPD’s stats suggest that Amazon (AMZN) has been grabbing share from [...]

By: Amazon’s Digital Music Store Take a Tiny Step Forward, Still Trails Apple By Miles [MediaMemo] | UpOff.com

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:26:50 +0000

[...] was at zero less than two years ago, not terrible. The 8% number sounded familiar to me because that’s the number the music industry has been guesstimating for some time. But NPD’s stats suggest that Amazon (AMZN) has been grabbing share from [...]

By: Amazon’s Digital Music Store Take a Tiny Step Forward, Still Trails Apple By Miles | Peter Kafka | MediaMemo | AllThingsD

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:21:54 +0000

[...] 8% number sounded familiar to me because that’s the number the music industry has been guesstimating for some time. But NPD’s stats suggest that Amazon (AMZN) has been grabbing share from [...]

By: RealNetworks’ Music Gains Disappoint « New Business Concepts Music Industry 2009

Thu, 21 May 2009 14:05:43 +0000

[...] boom. iTunes’ growth most likely mirrors the 30% growth in digital downloads. Amazon.com has grabbed MP3 market share — although it is taking a loss on many of those bargain album sales. New services are [...]

By: Daily Music Update - Wed 18th « Donjenkins’s Blog

Daily Music Update - Wed 18th « Donjenkins’s Blog — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:52:52 +0000

[...] Full Feature on All Things Digital [...]

By: Brian Hansen

Brian Hansen — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 06:36:56 +0000

Breaking news: “Apple Unveils DRM-Free Music on the iTunes Store”. Perhaps Amazon is a bit more relevant than all you Apple zealots think. Here’s some advice: take a purple pill, relax, and try spending more time cuddling with humans than with your iPhone.

By: While I was away … « Höf’s Mixtape

While I was away … « Höf’s Mixtape — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:51:18 +0000

[...] Removing DRM for download sales at Amazon MP3 so far has failed to put a dent into Apple’s lead with iTunes. But at least they can claim to be #2 now without being heckled. [...]

By: Dave Friedel

Dave Friedel — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 07:22:56 +0000

Hang in there Amazon… your goal is not to destroy iTunes. It is to provide a great purchasing experience WITHOUT copyright BS; deliver the customers what they want – not what Job’s says you have.

There is NO NEED to have one service… which iTunes overcharges too!

By: Peter Kafka

Peter Kafka — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:42:22 +0000

Ted, labels will likely eventually sell their music DRM-free on iTunes – though that was already was supposed to happen, and contrary to what you read on rumor sites, isn’t happening in the near future.
But they won’t really be “caving”, because there doesn’t seem to be much reason for them to sell DRM-free tracks on iTunes. The number of people who aren’t buying iTunes tracks because they have DRM is quite small.

By: Ted Todorov

Ted Todorov — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 21:11:47 +0000

@Sam Harrison: “that probably prompted amazon to create the kindle book reader
to prevent apple from putting out its own ipod book reader and taking that e-market also”
Unfortunately for Amazon, Apple already has the number one ebook reader on the market: The iPhone/iPodTouch — where far more people have installed Stanza, eReader or other ebook reading software than Amazon has sold Kindles.

As for DRM, yes it is bad, but it looks like the record companies are about to cave and join EMI in selling music DRM free on iTunes.

By: Sam Harrison

Sam Harrison — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:24:56 +0000

itunes has the user base from its ipod success

that probably prompted amazon to create the kindle book reader

to prevent apple from putting out its own ipod book reader and taking that e-market also

ipod will want movies,music,books markets

By: John Molloy

John Molloy — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:59:35 +0000

@ Mac Beach (very droll)

“Apple has certainly done some interesting things, but of the two, I think Amazon is the more interesting company.”

Yes, that’s why the Kindle is outselling the iPhone by how many? And don’t tell me that they can’t make enough.

So based on what you say one assumes you are a linux fanboy? Good for you – luckily the world isn’t with you on this one and the first time Amazon actually does something that HASN’T been done before then maybe you might have a point.

hmmm.

By: Mac Beach

Mac Beach — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:56 +0000

DRM as a way to reduce piracy works about as well as paining a yellow strip along the Mexican boarder with signs saying “do not cross”.

With Amazon’s music downloads I can download equally on a Windows computer (if I had one), an Apple computer or my Linux machine. I don’t have to remember to make a special unlocked “backup copy”, I don’t have to worry about who to call should I ever change laptops and forget to “de-register” the old one.

I have even started buying MP3s from Amazon just to avoid trying to find an already purchased CD in my stacks to rip it myself.

Online, Amazon is not promoting the heck out of their download service. They of course still make a lot of money selling CDs (as Apple does not) and so would be competing against themselves.

I don’t see Apple with staying power in either the MP3 player or cell phone market. Not because they can’t but because they have no interest in commodity products. Once they’ve blazed a trail, they want to go on to the next thing. This is an admirable trait, but not one on which to build an industry giant. I’d say that the days of companies like G.E. are behind us (look at all the things they have done and still do over the years), but then Amazon started out as a book seller, now sells just about everything. They’ve become a vendor of CPU cycles, an unheralded player in search and advertising, and with Kindle, a hardware company. Apple has certainly done some interesting things, but of the two, I think Amazon is the more interesting company.

By: mimi yuyu

mimi yuyu — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:22:49 +0000

Not only that, their files are cheaper than iTunes so the major labels are probably quite glad that their sales remain low.
This just goes to prove:
The labels don’t really want to give up drm
Apple does it right
iTunes pricing is right on the sweet spot.
and that the labels should just admit all the above