Apple Computer today announced its new Apple Music Store, which is sure to change the way people deal with music online. No longer do you have an excuse for stealing music from file-“sharing” services. Apple has made it so easy to buy music, that it’s actually easier than stealing it.
If you have a Mac (sorry, but I think it’s Mac-only for now), you can download iTunes 4 and you can look up and buy a single song or a whole CD with a one click. One song is 99 cents and a whole CD is $10. They don’t have every CD ever made, but their selection is wide and growing. And you can use the music how you want. Other music download services make you pay a monthly subscription. With this service, you own the music you buy forever. And you can burn it onto a CD or download it to your iPod.
One feature I’m going to be using a lot this summer is Rendezvous-enabled networking. What that means is that the 30 gigabytes of music on the hard drive connected to my desktop computer will stay where it is, but when I take my laptop out to the deck to work, I will be able to seamlessly and wirelessly play it on that computer. Beautiful.
You have to hand it to Apple. They know how to design stuff that’s easy to use and does what you want it to.
I think it’s one of two things. With the volume of business, perhaps they have negotiated a special low transaction fee with their credit card processor/bank. Or they don’t care if it loses a little money if it drives sales of Macs and iPods.
Jim,
Do they have much in the way of Christian pop music? I haven’t had a chance to look closely.
Also, the music service’s launch was front-page news here in Boston in the Boston Herald.
I just got around to buying some music via the iTunes Music Store and picked up Steven Curtis Chapman’s “The Great Adventure.” I’d had that album on cassette, but wanted it on CD. I, too, was impressed by the quantity available. By the way, if there is a particular song or artist you want, there is a feedback link on the main page for sending in requests.