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bacchus · Jun 15, 2004, 03:04 PM

What the hell, what could possibly be holding up a launch of the music store north of the border?

Or did I miss something today?

dtriska · Jun 15, 2004, 03:13 PM

I imagine the Canadian store isn't a priority for Apple. The European markets are much larger.

I'm sure we'll see the Canadian store sometime this year, probably along side the EU store in October.

Chuckit · Jun 15, 2004, 03:15 PM

Somehow, I picture Steve Jobs reading your post, thinking, "Why can't they use the U.S. store like all the other states?"

TheMosco · Jun 15, 2004, 04:30 PM

Originally posted by dtriska:
I imagine the Canadian store isn't a priority for Apple. The European markets are much larger.

I'm sure we'll see the Canadian store sometime this year, probably along side the EU store in October.

I doubt that, I bet they would love to get the canadian store open.

I bet its more of a licensing thing there. Wasn't the canadian music industry able to lobby a tax on all hard drives being sold? I bet they are hard to bargain with.

mitchell_pgh · Jun 15, 2004, 05:22 PM

I think we all know, Jobs hates Canada.

gatekeeper · Jun 15, 2004, 05:26 PM

Originally posted by TheMosco:
I doubt that, I bet they would love to get the canadian store open.

I bet its more of a licensing thing there. Wasn't the canadian music industry able to lobby a tax on all hard drives being sold? I bet they are hard to bargain with.

A lawyer with the Canadian licensing authority in question posted over at the macrumors.com forums a while ago saying that negotiations with Apple were concluded months ago.

Besides, what's the point? Canadians can legally download from P2P services, allofmp3.com, etc.

The delay is probably due to Steve writing a new version of his launch speech that leaves out the stealing karma bulllshit.

MrBS · Jun 15, 2004, 08:04 PM

I bet the labels might be flexing their muscle in the Canada stuff. Why offer a music store to a country where it's technically feasible and legally condoned to freely distribute and duplicate?

~BS

mitchell_pgh · Jun 15, 2004, 08:11 PM

Originally posted by MrBS:
I bet the labels might be flexing their muscle in the Canada stuff. Why offer a music store to a country where it's technically feasible and legally condoned to freely distribute and duplicate?

~BS

Interesting point... or "If we let them buy it, they can hack it and distribute it legally"

Which probably has the record companies crying "which is ridiculous"

I see it as "at least offer it... better to get something then nothing
.

mintcake · Jun 16, 2004, 09:18 AM

Oh great, and here's me just about to move from Europe to Canada...

/fires up Acquisition

gatekeeper · Jun 16, 2004, 12:17 PM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
Interesting point... or "If we let them buy it, they can hack it and distribute it legally"

No, they can't. Distributing copyrighted works which you don't have distribution rights for is illegal in Canada.

MrBS · Jun 16, 2004, 10:06 PM

Well not "distribute", but if I were in canada and I bought a song off of iTMS and then stripped the encryption I could legally serve it up on P2P.

I can see why the record companies might not want to serve that market with a iTMS.

~BS

va3uxb · Jun 16, 2004, 10:18 PM

I'm among the Canadians who's been waiting (and waiting...) for an iTunes music store here. I keep hearing people say it's legal to copy and share music and why bother setting up a store to sell music when it's available for free.

Is there, like, an URL someone can point me to? Where's the free music that I'm hearing about?

I've never used any file sharing programs or anything, and so far all the music I have on my iMac came from CDs I've bought, but I don't want to buy any more CDs as I'd just convert them to AAC then put them in the cellar...too much of a waste if I can get the music electronically.

-Stephanie

p.s. I'm not being sarcastic, I'm serious. Where do you go for all the free music in Canada?

PETER MOORHEAD · Jun 16, 2004, 10:35 PM

Why would Apple set-up (huge cost...) an online music store to sell albums for $13-14 CND [$9.99 US] when most people in Vancouver can buy New Arrivals for $12-13 CND and older CD's for $8-10 CND (this includes all liner notes; net links etc.) ?

mitchell_pgh · Jun 16, 2004, 11:24 PM

I'm wondering how much they would even make... probably not that much, or not enough to really worry about it now.

Wiskedjak · Jun 16, 2004, 11:35 PM

Originally posted by va3uxb:
Is there, like, an URL someone can point me to? Where's the free music that I'm hearing about? Where do you go for all the free music in Canada?

www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/15375
Not feeling any burning desire to spend money on downloaded music, ITMS or otherwise. If I going to buy music, I want the CD, jacket, jewel case, the ability to rip it in any format I like and not to worry about losing it should my hard drive crash.

dtriska · Jun 17, 2004, 12:27 AM

If anyone's curious, here's the situation with downloading music in Canada. However, the prime minister has stated that he'd change copyright law to shore up artists' rights.

va3uxb · Jun 17, 2004, 07:00 PM

Thanks, Wiskedjak. I looked around on Version Tracker and ended up trying Poisoned.

Now I've downloaded a song that I didn't pay for. (Ok I used to own the cassette tape but I lost all my tapes years ago.)

Anyhow. I'm unimpressed. I'd rather pay the C$1.40 per song to buy what I want from the store, knowing it's available and would be a relatively quick and clean download.

I don't see why Apple would have to go to any huge cost to set up a whole separate store for Canadians. Just let us use the U.S. store, I'd pay the $.99 in US and live with the conversion rate on my credit card.

-Stephanie

MrBS · Jun 17, 2004, 07:08 PM

It's not a technical hurdle they need to clear, it's a legal one. The songs aren't apple's. They can't sell them whereever they want or decide to call them all nancy. I'm fairly certain that Apple would love to get iTMS into canada and every other country in the world.

The fact that your government is thumbing its nose at the record companies makes them not as excited to offer you an additional way to buy their stuff. If for no other reason than to peeve you people off and get you to yell at your elected officials that you should be cracking down on p2p sharing.

~BS

quadraphonic · Jun 17, 2004, 08:00 PM

I don't buy the "P2P sharing results in lost sales" bit. Everyone is still showing a profit, and the only artists you ever see aginst P2P are usually 'fringe' (with the exception of Metallica, but they hate everyone).

The truth is, the record companies created this situation by being so resistant to digital media files, rather than embracing them. Had music stores been developed at onset, we'd likely have a couple of stores right now with immense catalogues, streamlined purchasing, and the record companies could be making even MORE money. Rather than doing that, they pushed everything underground and allowed file-sharing to explode.

Too late to cry sour grapes. All they can do now is work on developing stores to lure music listeners back. I think Apple's done a great job, eMusic has some hard to find tracks, and puretracks here in Canada isn't too bad either. In a few years, filesharing is going to be completely off the radar.

MrBS · Jun 17, 2004, 08:06 PM

I'm not arguing that. I'm not a big fan of record labels. I'm just saying that A) The reason iTMS isn't in canada is a legal one hinging on the record companies, not a technical or motivational one hinging on apple and B) The record companies aren't too happy with Canada right now with their stance on P2P sharing

Call it unfair or stupid or whatever you like, but those are the reasons as I see them and my guess is you won't get to far with A until B is addressed

~BS

dtriska · Jun 18, 2004, 01:05 AM

MrBS, it's not a legal hurdle that's holding back the Canadian iTMS. It's Apple. They weren't as anxious to open the Canadian store as they were to get operations running in Europe, and I can't blame them considering the different market sizes. All rumours, however, say that label negotiations are complete, and the ball's in Apple's court.

Since Europe is on its way, I think Apple will come through for Canada this summer, unless it decides to focus almost exclusively on Japan.

Regarding P2P, if labels were completely against online music stores in Canada, we wouldn't have Puretracks and Sony Connect.

JeremyS · Jun 18, 2004, 01:21 AM

There should be NO REASON why Apple isn't here yet, we have Puretracks, Napster, Sony Connect & now Future Shop's Bonfire. Apple is going to be the last, this is disappointing and I will continue to download via sharing programs until the best Online store is available here. I am guessing it's a money issue, Europe first then us.

Some Guy [] · Jun 18, 2004, 07:47 AM

Originally posted by MrBS:
I bet the labels might be flexing their muscle in the Canada stuff. Why offer a music store to a country where it's technically feasible and legally condoned to freely distribute and duplicate?

~BS

because there are large music stores in canada that make a shitload of money. piracy in canada isn't high, it's just that canadians are allowed to do it, most actually do buy it. and it wasn't until recently that canadians were allowed to "upload" their music online, but they've always been able to share their music with others (cdr, tapes etc).

-justin