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iTunes battles Amazon with DRM-free price drop

Still more expensive

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Apple has responded to the launch of Amazon's DRM-free music download store with a price cut to its own iTunes Plus.

Amazon finally opened its store last month - though only to US customers - charging $0.89 per song.

It'll surprise few Apple watchers to learn that its discount from $1.29 to $0.99 has only been announced for the US*.

UK users will continue to be squeezed for an extra 20 pence for EMI's DRM-free catalogue, compared to 79 pence for tracks shackled to iTunes and iPod. At today's currency rates, £0.99 is $2.02.

The phones were not being answered this afternoon at Apple's UK press office.

The Sydney Morning Herald has some choice words for Apple about the price cut not applying in Australia either here.

Steve Jobs told The Wall Street Journal that Apple will start adding unencumbered tracks from independent labels too. Its repertoire of DRM-free currently labels lags behind Amazon and eMusic, though it dominates the mainstream download market. ®

*Update

Apple's announced a drop for iTuns Plus in the UK too now. Tracks will cost £0.79. See the press release here.

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Latest Comments

@ Smell My Finger

That may hold true for physical goods.

A CD player has to pass CE licensing etc, has to be imported, english manuals printed, a CD has to be pressed in the country or imported and associated taxes paid, etc, etc.

But this is a DIGITAL download. We are getting exactly the same product as the americans, it costs the same to make, the same to host it on the same website, etc, etc.

If they suddenly said "All credit card numbers ending in a 9 pay 2x what everyone else does"- would you still agree?

Anyway, as the previous poster said, just buy from Amazon US - all you need is a delivery address in the US (Use Amazon's own address).

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@smell my finger

"There is nothing in law to stop any copyright holder from deciding which territories may or may not get a work"

But there are no longer any feasible means of stopping people in other territories getting it.

"In any free market a producer is free to set the price at whatever he or she thinks they can sell something for."

Yes, and more and more people are saying 'its not worth that'.

"The idea that prices globally should be set at one level is absolutely fatuous and is based on the comedic idealism which says prices should be set at what consumers are prepared to pay"

I don't know if this is a joke or what... companies who try and sell something for more than consumers are willing to pay don't last very long.

Today with the ease of global travel and communication things are very different than they used to be and in the long run the companies that are going to stay profitable are the ones that adapt, not the ones that fight the changes every step of the way badgering, abusing and eventually alienating their customers.

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@SmellMyFinger

You sir, rock !

Let the revolution commence.... at flank speed

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