Pan-European iTunes Store more likely following recent moves
European regulators this week are pushing the music industry to reform licensing terms that have prevented services like Apple's iTunes Store from selling their catalog of music tracks uniformly across the continent.
Most musicians profit from their work only after they register copyrights with collective rights managers, or collecting agencies, who then turn around and license the artists' songs to digital download services, radio stations, and other outlets.
"Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented [...] iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe," explains the Associated Press. "Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections."
This means that Europeans can't currently purchase music tracks from iTunes stores outside their country, and those consumers in countries like Poland and Bulgaria can't access the digital download site at all since iTunes Stores aren't available in their regions.
European Union antitrust regulators pressed the music industry Tuesday to immediately alter their licensing terms, adding that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI have both agreed to entrust rights managers to offer their catalogs across Europe.
For its part, Apple has indicated that it would be willing to launch a pan-European iTunes Store if it could secure licensing rights that cover distribution across the continent.
"iTunes would agree to consider making its content available to all European consumers, including those from the Eastern European countries where iTunes is currently not available" if Apple is "able to license rights on a multi- territorial basis from the publishers and collecting Societies," the company said.
Last July, the European Commission that oversees competition in the 27-country European Union found 24 collecting agencies to be in violation of the Union's antitrust rules but imposed no fine upon those firms. The Commission now says interested parties have until June 30 to comment on the licensing issue.
Most musicians profit from their work only after they register copyrights with collective rights managers, or collecting agencies, who then turn around and license the artists' songs to digital download services, radio stations, and other outlets.
"Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country, which has prevented [...] iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe," explains the Associated Press. "Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores with different music selections."
This means that Europeans can't currently purchase music tracks from iTunes stores outside their country, and those consumers in countries like Poland and Bulgaria can't access the digital download site at all since iTunes Stores aren't available in their regions.
European Union antitrust regulators pressed the music industry Tuesday to immediately alter their licensing terms, adding that French collecting society SACEM and record label EMI have both agreed to entrust rights managers to offer their catalogs across Europe.
For its part, Apple has indicated that it would be willing to launch a pan-European iTunes Store if it could secure licensing rights that cover distribution across the continent.
"iTunes would agree to consider making its content available to all European consumers, including those from the Eastern European countries where iTunes is currently not available" if Apple is "able to license rights on a multi- territorial basis from the publishers and collecting Societies," the company said.
Last July, the European Commission that oversees competition in the 27-country European Union found 24 collecting agencies to be in violation of the Union's antitrust rules but imposed no fine upon those firms. The Commission now says interested parties have until June 30 to comment on the licensing issue.
Comments
BTW Has this segmentation of the iTunes store in Europe affected the selling of apps for the iPhone and iTouch? And what of countries that don't have ITMS like Poland--is there some form of app store for them?
I don't see a downside...
BTW Has this segmentation of the iTunes store in Europe affected the selling of apps for the iPhone and iTouch? And what of countries that don't have ITMS like Poland--is there some form of app store for them?
Oddly enough apps are currently the only thing you can buy from the Polish iTunes store.
I don't see a downside...
BTW Has this segmentation of the iTunes store in Europe affected the selling of apps for the iPhone and iTouch? And what of countries that don't have ITMS like Poland--is there some form of app store for them?
I have accounts in two European countries. There are occasionally applications and songs which are only available in one of them. This had led to annoying situation that I constantly have to log into the other account just to update the apps I have.
Why not a world wide store? Surely all people of all creeds and races should be able to purchase the same content?
Would that global store include China?
Why not a world wide store? Surely all people of all creeds and races should be able to purchase the same content?
Sure, why not. Just get all 200 governments of the world under the auspices of, say, the UN, to thrash out a common agreement on IP and copyright issues and the World Court for sanctioning violators, and voila, we'll be there!
Sure, why not. Just get all 200 governments of the world under the auspices of, say, the UN, to thrash out a common agreement on IP and copyright issues and the World Court for sanctioning violators, and voila, we'll be there!
The nation of Texas will want their own store upon secession.
Global rights is the correct way to prevent pirate copying! Not the violation-of-privacy laws that EU is trying to institute. It shouldn't matter where I am if I want to buy a legal copy of anything!
Great idea... now just convince every government and licensing business in the EU.
Sure, why not. Just get all 200 governments of the world under the auspices of, say, the UN, to thrash out a common agreement on IP and copyright issues and the World Court for sanctioning violators, and voila, we'll be there!
The iTunes US store sure as hell needs an import section.
The iTunes US store sure as hell needs an import section.
Agree 100% with that statement. Sad that a lot of the music from the UK isn't available in the US iTunes store. Recently, I ordered the Pet Shop Boys latest album from Amazon as the complete track listing wasn't made available for the US iTunes store
The iTunes US store sure as hell needs an import section.
I totally agree!* There are, however, issues of exchange rates that would complicate the 'simplified pricing' approach that Apple has adopted. That said, I don't see what would be so difficult about Apple coming up with a simple software solution to that (and even tack on a transaction fee of 2-3% like CC companies do, if necessary).
* I think this may be a first!!!!!! OMG....
Well yeah, European countries lost their borders and soon their constitution, why not make trade uniform in the new Socialist Union.
You're such a luddite.