Those Europeans are fast! Just one whole day after Apple and EMI announced they’d be offering DRM-free tracks on the iTunes Music Store, the European Union comes in to crap all over Apple’s parade. This time around, it’s accusing Apple and “The Big 4″ record companies over iTMS purchasing options. Those eurocats don’t like the fact that you have to buy from your own country’s store on iTunes and that prices are higher in countries like Great Britain.
Apple goes on the defensive, saying that it’s totally out of its control and that they wanted a Europe-wide store but the records companies wouldn’t have any of that. Come on EU. Apple is doing some good and the EMI thing is huge. Lay off and see if the rest of the companies follow suit.
Report: EU Launches ITunes Probe [Breit Bart]
Don´t forget that the EU is a joint marketplace between all Europeans with the goal to align. The EU is right about it though it is probably not in Apple`s hands alone.
That would be like you would be bound to only buy in Texas if you are living in Texas.
Hmmm…Part of Apple agreeing to go along with EMI has to with EU looking into the locked down system in the first place.
“Come on EU. Apple is doing some good and the EMI thing is huge. Lay off and see if the rest of the companies follow suit.” No Way!
In the UK we get screwed over on pricing – like for like pricematching on software and hardware and now this – if Apple want me to spend money on buying music on the ITMS, then they need to make the cost of an album that much more attractive than me getting it from play.com for the same price (albeit with a longer wait).
And I agree with Charlie Demerjian, don’t applaud these monkies for giving us something that we should already have in the first place. GRRR, this makes me MAD!
You’ve got this dead wrong. This is about UK customers being screwed on prices in what is supposed to be an open market. Check your facts CrunchGear!
Didn’t the British drag their feet joining the EU and still haven’t switch to the Euro? Is that possibly the reason the price is difference. You can’t be all snooty about having the Queen on the currency and expect everyone to treat you the same.
But anyway, although Apple can be pretty crooked, the pricing is/was set through an agreement with the The Big 4 (which is why the EMI news is so huge). So aim your guns above Apple, and a little to the right, and you’ll be shooting at the real culprits.