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toans · Oct 17, 2003, 12:27 AM

I thought when they released iTunes for Windows, it would be international music store...mine still says only available in U.S...

thePurpleGiant · Oct 17, 2003, 12:40 AM

Hmm, I don't recall Apple ever setting a date for the international store. Why did you think that we would get it today?

OptimusG4 · Oct 17, 2003, 12:42 AM

Well I was under the impression god cared about me but I was wrong too. Anyway, there was no specific date set. Hell I'm surprised iTunes is out for Windows already.

WJMoore · Oct 17, 2003, 12:52 AM

Originally posted by toans:
I thought when they released iTunes for Windows, it would be international music store...mine still says only available in U.S...

Sorry that was a very false impresssion you had there. The only additional region announced (that I know of) is Europe and that was referred to as being worked on. Us Aussies continue to wait.......

DVD Plaza · Oct 17, 2003, 09:10 AM

I never heard a single peep that we'd be getting the music store here in Australia yet?

Jim_MDP · Oct 17, 2003, 09:34 AM

And you're not going to for a while, no doubt.

International rights are an involved matter. It's not Apple that's holding it up. And this pissant suit in Europe over download tech rights is gonna screw that up too. I'm almost as tired of hearing about this as you folks are about not having it.

Solution... have a CC on a US bank.

Amorya · Oct 17, 2003, 01:49 PM

Of course, if Apple would go and negotiate one country at a time (instead of one continent), then things might move faster.

Amorya

Angus_D · Oct 17, 2003, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by Amorya:
Of course, if Apple would go and negotiate one country at a time (instead of one continent), then things might move faster.

In Europe, some rights are per-country, some are for a selection of countries and some are for the whole region, it's all a big legal mess, so I guess it makes sense for them to do it on a large scale all at once. It sucks, but it's not entirely their fault.

Jim_MDP · Oct 17, 2003, 10:32 PM

Originally posted by Angus_D:
In Europe, some rights are per-country, some are for a selection of countries and some are for the whole region, it's all a big legal mess, so I guess it makes sense for them to do it on a large scale all at once. It sucks, but it's not entirely their fault.

Tryin' to be nice and understanding here, so...

I would say at the moment it isn't anybody's fault. It's just a small peek at international law and the difficulties involved. It's so easy to say hey... just make a treaty or change that tariff or whatever so we can... get those cars cheap or protect this industry or whatever. We wish.

Now, can someone tell me what the Canadian policy on piracy is that seems to be a stumbling block there?

Wiskedjak · Oct 17, 2003, 10:53 PM

Originally posted by Jim_MDP:
Now, can someone tell me what the Canadian policy on piracy is that seems to be a stumbling block there?

I believe the stumbling block is that there IS not Canadian policy on piracy. Music-wise, it's one big free-for-all up here. Possibly because there is no major music production here (no equivalent to the RIAA) and because most of our big-name musicians are produced in the US (Sarah McLachlan being one of the few exceptions)

michaelb · Oct 17, 2003, 11:40 PM

You might be thinking of this. (It's not confirmation.)

The Age reports that Apple will create an Australian localized version of the iTunes Music Store by Christmas of this year: "Australia should have its first by Christmas. It is likely it will be a local version of the successful Apple iMusic Store, which operates only in North America. Locally, Telstra is working on a licensing deal with at least one record company."

http://theage.com.au/articles/2003/0...050669379.html

The quote could be read as implying Apple and Telstra could work together. That's nonsense. Hell really would have frozen over! The article has to be talking separate stores.

More likely Telstra would do it with M$ or go it alone (and balls it up).

Mr. Blur · Oct 18, 2003, 12:51 AM

Originally posted by Wiskedjak:
I believe the stumbling block is that there IS not Canadian policy on piracy. Music-wise, it's one big free-for-all up here. Possibly because there is no major music production here (no equivalent to the RIAA) and because most of our big-name musicians are produced in the US (Sarah McLachlan being one of the few exceptions)

i don't believe it is a "policy on piracy" issue. as i said in the other thread about the non-canadian release of itms, i think it is more because of different record companies involved, and the relatively small population of canada (especially when you factor in the mac users only).....i think that now that there is windows options available we will see the canadian itms (and other countries too) follow a little more quickly as now there is a bigger piece of the pie to market too - it is more worth apple's and the record companies time to get the deal done.

DVD Plaza · Oct 18, 2003, 03:52 AM

Originally posted by michaelb:
More likely Telstra would do it with M$ or go it alone (and balls it up).

Telstra are doing there own thing, and it's exclusively for BigPond customers.

Jim_MDP · Oct 18, 2003, 01:44 PM

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
...i think that now that there is windows options available we will see the canadian itms (and other countries too) follow a little more quickly as now there is a bigger piece of the pie to market too - it is more worth apple's and the record companies time to get the deal done.

I think you nailed it here. Nothing brings parties to the bargaining table like lager potential profits. I hope so, for all of you.

I don't use the iTMS and the lack of high bitrate d/ls is keeping a lot of people from using it (no don't start a discussion about codec rates and qualities, I won't play).

BUT... what Apple has produced appears to be a spectactular start to changing how music is legally distributed in the future. Apple always does things different, and usually cleaner and smoother.

Most of all, iTMS is, in a very real sense, a loss leader for selling iPods. And considering the ipod market share, that should excite the RIAA as well.

Well, as I said... good luck to you all.

tonton · Oct 19, 2003, 03:33 AM

Australia and Canada are notoriously difficult as far as DRM goes. Australians were the first to see those damned "Copy-Controlled" CDs (that thankfully work just fine on Macs) and Canada has that blank media tax that's so horrible. If anything, I would expect these to be the last places we'll see iTMS.