sTunes versus iTunes
p2p news / p2pnet: Samsung Electronics says it’s going to take Apple on in the virtually non-exisistent online corporate music biz.
The Big Four record labels claim there are around 300 ‘legal’ music services and that they’re ‘thriving’. However, there is but one, and all appearances to the contrary, it can hardly be said to be ‘thriving’.
In America alone, some 61 million people are logged onto the p2p networks and they certainly aren’t downloading from iTunes, which is a self-funding promotional application for iPod products rather than a genuine music download service.
In August, 2003, 2,630,960 people were simultaneously surfing the non-commercial (ie, non-iTunes) services at any given moment, say p2p research analysts BigChampagne. In August, 2004, the number was 4,549,801 and in August this year, it was 6,871,308. And every month more than one billion files move around the nets.
In glaring contrast, Apple’s latest claim says it’s sold only around 600 million tracks since it went online in 2003.
However, Samsung is, “preparing a service program similar to Apple’s iTunes in collaboration with domestic and foreign partners,” states the Chosun Ilbo, which also has Choi Ji-Sung, the head of the company’s digital media division, saying Samsung mp3 players are better than Apple’s, “but so far lacked the music service”.
The problem for Samsung is finding allies who match or outstrip Apple in the content and software fields, says the story.
Samsung’s real problem, of course, will be finding digital music files at prices low enough to tempt punters away from the p2p networks.
But, “Our items show healthy performances in China and Southeast Asian countries where iTunes services are not provided,” the Korea Times quotes Choi as saying.
Something you think we should know? tips[at]p2pnet.net
See:-
Chosun Ilbo – Samsung to Challenge Apple in Online Music Field , October 30, 2005
Korea Times – Samsung Electronics to Disclose iTunes-Like Download Program, October 30, 2005
October 30th, 2005 at 6:14 pm
You know what? Samsung (Like Creative) should stick a finger up at Microsoft as well as at Apple and Just Say No To DRM.
Imagine for a moment that one of the big manufacturers of personal music/video players opened up and did all the things that the cartels wouldn’t like.
- USB drag and drop
- USB Host
- Format agnostic, Mp3, Ogg, AAC, WMA, WMV, etc etc etc.
- Open source the firmware and encourage hacking
- Open source plugins for winamp, mplayer etc etc
And crucially, promote AllOfMp3 or someone like it.
And then compete with Apple purely on function. More disk space, better screen, longer battery life, removable batteries, etc etc.
October 30th, 2005 at 10:08 pm
Let’s see – Free illegal copies of music, video, etc. where the artists, designers, and developers, are essentially ripped off by p2p users and, earn nothing for their work. Versus inexpensive legal methods to download music, videos, etc. where artists, designers, and developers get paid for their work and are encouraged to produce more product. Hmmmm, that’s a tough one…but only if you don’t mind being a thief.
Are their compromises? Of course. There always are. In everything.
You can do what’s easy or what’s right. It has nothing to do with the record companies, the RIAA, the iPod, other MP3 manufacturers, or other digal media distributors.
October 31st, 2005 at 10:49 am
Dream on dude, this will never ever happen.