Apple’s Canadian invasion
p2pnet.net News Opinion:- Apple’s efforts to bamboozle Canadians into buying its exhorbitantly priced downloads from its the plastic music iTunes site are likely to fall onto stony ground.
Canadians don’t need Apple. Or Napster II. Or any of the other venal fleecers who’ve set up shop in Canada.
That’s because Canadians can already safely download as many music files as they want – without having to pay a dime, let alone a dollar, to Apple or anyone else.
And yet, corporate ego grossly enlarged by all the attention it’s getting from the mainstream media, Apple apparently believes Canadians are stupid enough to want to throw their money away on Big Music cartel ‘product’ when they literally have the whole world of music at their fingertips.
And let’s not forget that Apple is hand-in-glove with the cartel, which has announced that it’s suing another 750 Americans for sharing music.
It would dearly love to be able to do the same to Canadians, but so far, continuing good efforts notwithstanding, cartel members Sony-BMG (Japan, Germany), Warner Music (USA), UMG (France) and EMI (UK) haven’t been able to gang-bang the Canadian government in the same way they’ve penetrated the US administration.
Yesterday, in response to our first story on Apple’s planned Invasion of Canada, Dru Richman, a Texas-based Apple fan, wrote: “I am continually amazed at the contemptuousness that P2P’ers have for legalized music downloads in general and iTunes specifically.”
Contempt is the right word.
“Blah blah blah,” posted one obviously Canadian p2pnet reader, going on, “I can lend my tapes, cd’s albums, dat’s, 8 tracks and anything else I want to ANYONE and they can make copies. It’s a small difference – and one I think that will eventually go the way of the dodo.
“I know two fools who spend their $$$ on expensive, poor quality, music from iTunes. IMHO, it should be illegal to charge the same (or much more!!!) for crappy quality.”
“Interesting point,” contributed Julian Bond. “I don’t want a DRM controlled, low quality product in a codec that I can only play on a few machines. I want MP3, unprotected, at a min of 192K VBR that I can play on absolutely all digital music devices.
“Or I’ll simply buy the CD from the lowest price provider that will ship worldwide and rip it myself.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t be comparing iTMS and it’s ilk with the file sharing services but rather with people like CD-Wow, Amazon and Walmart.”
Stay tuned.
JN
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See:-
hand-in-glove – U2, Apple and iPod, October 28, 2004
sharing music – RIAA sues another 750, p2pnet, October 29, 2004
first story – iTunes in Canada, p2pnet, October 27, 2004
Texas-based – iTunes in Canada: II, October 28, 2004
October 29th, 2004 at 4:43 pm
It seems the Canadians get all the breaks. Cheap drugs, legalized hemp, and the right to share files.
October 29th, 2004 at 8:09 pm
Everyone has always had the “right to share files”. Apparently, it just seems like that right depends on the type of file, and whether or not those strings of 1s and 0s (as they literally are) are ‘protected by copyright’ (is there any difference between the grooves and pits on a CD and an mp3 in terms of computers? really, honest question…)
October 29th, 2004 at 8:38 pm
You guys are Canadian?!?!? Let’s try being a little more polite towards others, eh!.
Sure the supreme court says that since I’ve been paying tax for a some time to cover my supposed pirating. I should get to at least do the crime I’m being punished (taxed) for.
The big thing iTMS brings is the ability for anyone in Canada to buy music from nearly any artist in Canada at the click of a button. Without complicated rules and with a rather friendly music site.
Now for those living near a COSTCO and who like Britney Spears and… well Britney Spears, the idea of such a store is useless… by it cheap at COSTCO then go home and rip it to your PC. But for those with slightly broader tastes and who do not have access to COSTCO’s 9-13$ discs, I suggest that iTMS is a reasonable solution. Lotsa songs. Decent diversity. Extra data on the artist. Ability to hear before I buy. And I don’t have to download 20 versions to find one that works!
Could songs be better encoded than AAC 128? NO… they could be MUCH BETTER encoded… at least that’s how I feel… but then most people actually don’t care! Some think recording off of FM is great!!! I’ve seen it advertised on a few MP3 players… and people think it’s great!!!! That’s like what… MP3 64K… maybe.
Choice is good even if we chose not to use it. It’s kinda like politics. You can have democracy with just 2 parties… but just how well will your choice reflect your will? I would invite all sites worldwide to open here. Let’s leave the average Canadian decide what fits him best. We Canucks are pretty good at such things when we’re given choices.
Dave. From Montreal… in Quebec… that other part of Canada where music actually lives daily in more than 1 language!
October 29th, 2004 at 10:17 pm
SJ doesn’t care.. he’ll assert that illegal downloading goes on all the time in the US.. so?
So Apple makes the music store better.. more features… better accessibility..better reliability, etc etc
You telling me you think this won’t sell? Pfft.. clueless
October 29th, 2004 at 10:19 pm
and we have a kick-ass medicare (despite what the liars running for prez say) and enough of a safety net in the system to fuel the economy..
October 29th, 2004 at 11:09 pm
Clearly this site and many posters feel extremely threatened by choice. They don’t seem to understand that only people who want to buy from iTunes will buy there. Those who are of the “mindset” this site promotes won’t buy at iTunes nor anywhere else. Instead they wish to force their narrow view on everyone.
Society needs the rebels who think differently and feel strongly about social change and betterment. Clearly this is necessary for society to move forward, to progress. However it’s clear there is no betterment of society evident here. In fact there is no clear thinking going on at all. These people are simply a rebellion without a cause.
Based on the level of irrational diatribes on this site most posters appear to be on some permanent acid trip gone horribly wrong. Others simply have their heads so far up each others asses that they are suffering the effects of eating a diet that is severely unbalancing any ability to form and promote an opinion of any value.
Best thing to do with them is ignore them. They have nothing to say. Spewing vitriol is their only purpose in existing and if ANY attention at all is to be directed their way it should be to pity them and where required have them committed for long term treatment.
November 1st, 2004 at 2:20 am
I would pay for AAC+ 160 kbps files. They are indistinguishable from CD’s. Apple’s DRM is really no DRM at all. I can live with it.
It is a colossal waste of time and bandwidth to try to download a decent copy from P2P networks.
As for it being legal in Canada. The only reason it is legal is because the various Canadian Governments tax absolutely everything they possibly can. Blank media was an opportunity they just couldn’t pass up. If you make a fairly good living in Canada you can pay in excess of 60% of your income in taxes to all 3 levels of government. The least they can do is give us cheap medicine, free medicare and legal P2P downloads. We pay way more than Americans for these things when you add in the extra taxes we pay.
November 1st, 2004 at 5:35 am
Right,
you can swap as much of 1s and 0s as you like,
but if you try to output them through your speakers
the evil RIAA ferret mascot will find you and EAT you!
(not in a good way duh
Or maybe it will force you to listen to Celine Dion until you promess to never do it again.
More seriously, it is not the file that is illegal,
rather it is the fact that you can use that file
to reproduce a “performance” which is the copyrighted content.
For more though on the subject you can read about Jason Rohrer’s Monolith
http://monolith.sourceforge.net/
November 1st, 2004 at 5:45 am
I didn’t remember right:
the software licensing enforcement ferret cartoon is from the Business Software Alliance which is in turn supported by Microsoft, Adobe Systems and other major software makers to enforce software licenses and copyrights.
http://news.com.com/Ferreting+out+copyright+scofflaws/2100-1012_3-5303966.html
So it would probably brainwash you to like and use more often windows, acrobat & all next time you try to install that Windows CD on more than one computer.
And as for software copyright it is a big mess that probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
I’m too tired to go into more detail, see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property
November 1st, 2004 at 5:58 am
“Best thing to do with them is ignore them.”
And yet here you are.
So, somehow, you want a dialogue that you resent wanting?
Too much time to kill?
Want attention for yourself?
Also your comment to have people committed for expressing opinions
(which is a garanteed right according to the constitution)
is gravely misconstrued since that would pose a great burden that society is not ready to bear.
There you go!
I prevented you from causing great misdeed and have thus spared society from an horrible “social change”!
Seriously, stop taking this so seriously, it’s a forum to exchange ideas!
Besides, saying people’s opinions do not matter is no fun.
And technically, it’s cheating the whole dialogue thingy.
Peace.
November 24th, 2004 at 1:13 am
Canada kicks ass.. but your Govt will lie to you that we’re communists or sth..
Gee I wonder why..
Poor Kerry, he has to agree with Canada to criticize Bush, whilst somehow maintaining that people have more opportu—
Okay, I’m so confused.. Now I know why Kerry lost.
November 24th, 2004 at 1:15 am
Best thing to do with them is ignore them. They have nothing to say. Spewing vitriol is their only purpose in existing and if ANY attention at all is to be directed their way it should be to pity them and where required have them committed for long term treatment.
—
HAHA welcome to the Internet.. where morons have a voice..
why do you think these guys aren’t anywhere near the policymakers..
people are going to get mad at ignorance.. the thing is.. on the internet.. ignorance is everywhere..
we made our bed..now we gotta lie in it