Warp Records shuns iTMS
Interesting story on pitchfork yesterday about Warp records. Apparently they are making their entire catalogue available for download on a pay per track basis. But they are refusing to use iTMS because they don't want to force any of their fans to use Apple's "propriety" software.
There isn't much information available on the service but tracks will be encoded in MP3, so that's still okay. Other than that MS guy that said iTMS+iPod was a closed system I haven't really heard any grumbling about Apple's strong hold on online music.
Question is, is Warp actually concerned about locking users into iTunes or are the bizarrely trying to get street cred by refusing to use a 'mainstream' service like iTMS? Does anyone think because Apple has opened the floodgates for other labels/artists to follow Warp's lead and go it alone? I can see indie labels have some success with this because indie fans tend to like the label as much as the like the band. But the Big 5 don't really have that option. No one really cares what label a top 40 artist is on.
Maybe there will be a backlash from iTMS and the other services and label and artist will just decide to make downloads available, locking Apple and the rest of music stores out.
Pitchfork Article Be Here
There isn't much information available on the service but tracks will be encoded in MP3, so that's still okay. Other than that MS guy that said iTMS+iPod was a closed system I haven't really heard any grumbling about Apple's strong hold on online music.
Question is, is Warp actually concerned about locking users into iTunes or are the bizarrely trying to get street cred by refusing to use a 'mainstream' service like iTMS? Does anyone think because Apple has opened the floodgates for other labels/artists to follow Warp's lead and go it alone? I can see indie labels have some success with this because indie fans tend to like the label as much as the like the band. But the Big 5 don't really have that option. No one really cares what label a top 40 artist is on.
Maybe there will be a backlash from iTMS and the other services and label and artist will just decide to make downloads available, locking Apple and the rest of music stores out.
Pitchfork Article Be Here
Comments
Warp Records:
In addition, the service isn't beholden to the limitations imposed by a service like iTunes; anyone can have access to the music without installing the proprietary software.
What a p!ss poor excuse.
Riiight, so I'm a listener, and I want to download some of their songs without installing the proprietary [iTunes] software.
So I go to the Warp website, where I discover that to use it fully I need to install Flash, which is proprietary software...
No, I think the real reason they are avoiding iTunes is the expectation that some of their songs will not pass Steve's 'quality song' test.
"Proprietary" is relative. The CD is proprietary to Sony/Philips.
Warp records can use Mp3 all they want but they will not be able to prevent their tracks from being on the P2P networks.
Originally posted by hmurchison
This sounds like grandstanding.
"Proprietary" is relative. The CD is proprietary to Sony/Philips.
Warp records can use Mp3 all they want but they will not be able to prevent their tracks from being on the P2P networks.
It doesn't matter anyway ... every single one of Warp's album releases are leaked months before street date.
The funny thing is that Warp were one of the original group of independent labels that were to be using Napster.