Apple negotiating for repeat downloads of iTunes music purchases

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV edited January 2014
Apple is in negotiations with the major record labels to allow repeat downloads for music purchased through the iTunes Music Store, according to a new report.



According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is in talks with music companies, including Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and EMI Group, to change its download policy to provide greater flexibility to iTunes customers, Bloomberg said on Thursday.



An updated agreement, which sources said could come as early as the middle of this year, would allow users to re-download purchased music, even after losing the original copies. Currently, Apple's iTunes Music Store does not offer free re-downloads of previously purchased music.



The service would allow downloads to iPads, iPhones and iPods linked to the same iTunes account, the report claimed, adding that such a move would be "a step closer to universal access to content centrally stored on the Internet." Apple has also "weighed plans" to revamp its MobileMe online storage service later this year, said one source.



Rumors of a centralized streaming media service from Apple through iTunes and MobileMe have persisted for years, gaining strength on news that Apple planned to spend over $1 billion on a massive data center in North Carolina.



Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer revealed last month that the center will indeed be used for iTunes and MobileMe when it opens this spring. The server farm had originally been slated for completion by the end of 2010.



One recent report has suggested that Apple is planning a MobileMe digital online "locker" that would grant users access to their files, while a separate rumor claimed that iTunes media would be stored on a home computer and streamed over the Internet to connected devices.



Over the years, Apple has sought to leverage its continued success with the iTunes Music Store to negotiate more favorable contracts with the record companies. For example, Apple was successful in reaching a deal to remove DRM copy protections from iTunes music purchases in exchange for a variable pricing model.



More recently, Apple negotiated the extension of iTunes music previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    asciiascii Posts: 5,936member
    That would be great actually. I hear a lot of complaints about that one. I nod understandingly, but of course what I am thinking is that they need to cotton on to the fact that digital files are valuable things these days and make backups.
  • Reply 2 of 33
    o and ao and a Posts: 579member
    Apple already does this they just don't advertise it. If you're hard drive dies and you contact support they will give you a special link which will redownload everything you have purchased from itunes store.



    I've seen it done.
  • Reply 3 of 33
    Actually, I don't think it's a "right" that the labels can negotiated away. There are copyright-related fee's mandated by law, that must be paid per song to the performer/s and/or the composer/song writer/s. They were mandated because the major labels were so blatantly raping both groups, that the federal government had to step in and force the labels pay SOMETHING to these groups.



    Unfortunately, in this specific case [downloading 'new' copies from Apple would result in these fee's being required to be paid]. Now, if there were some roundabout way to transfer the song from 'Apple' to 'your locker', say part of your MobileMe account [with some kind of legal separation], then Apple would not need to negotiate anything with the labels, as it would be legally permitted under copyright law, AFTER the sale of the song to the individual.



    Of course, the labels will continue to have their hand out, wanting you to pay extra for something you already have the right to do. And this extra payment will go straight to the 'profit' accounting column at the labels...
  • Reply 4 of 33
    rcoleman1rcoleman1 Posts: 153member
    I've often wished I could have re-downloaded some iTunes purchases!
  • Reply 5 of 33
    richlrichl Posts: 2,213member
    This would be great news if true.
  • Reply 6 of 33
    cutykamucutykamu Posts: 229member
    yes it can be done but as per my understanding it can be done only ONCE.
  • Reply 7 of 33
    cutykamucutykamu Posts: 229member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by O and A View Post


    Apple already does this they just don't advertise it. If you're hard drive dies and you contact support they will give you a special link which will redownload everything you have purchased from itunes store.



    I've seen it done.



    yes it can be done but as per my understanding it can be done only ONCE.
  • Reply 8 of 33
    That something between iTunes and MobileMe is going deeper into the cloud is clear and a little bit useless to say again and again and again.



    The news is interesting but I just would like to remember that Bloomberg are the same guys who claimed that the iPad 2 was delayed till june... I mean... who believe them anymore?
  • Reply 9 of 33
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by O and A View Post


    Apple already does this they just don't advertise it. If you're hard drive dies and you contact support they will give you a special link which will redownload everything you have purchased from itunes store.



    I've seen it done.



    Yeah, the special link is called iTunes. It's not special. Duh... You simply ask them to do it and they will but only three times. After that you are on your on.
  • Reply 10 of 33
    timgriff84timgriff84 Posts: 912member
    Zune already does this with music and films so I can't see there being that much of an issue.
  • Reply 11 of 33
    dralithdralith Posts: 18member
    Most CDs can be purchased for around the same price as the digital albums. You can easily (with iTunes even) rip a CD into higher quality MP3s than what you can even buy from Apple through iTunes. Unless you are just buying a song or two from an album, I've never understood the draw of buying music from Apple. Older existing formats offer so much more freedom and flexibility. Obviously, based on Apple's sales figures, someone is finding the ability to pay top dollar for a digital file that you have little control over useful. I just can't figure out why...
  • Reply 12 of 33
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    I have redownloaded before, you have to request it via a support call, and they re-apply it to your downloads list. Then if you click check for available downloads, your stuff starts to come down. I downloaded an album straight into my iPhone and ended up doing a restore before syncing purchases back to iTunes. It was a simple and quick process, I was warned that I can only do it one time per item. So if you have lost stuff, try to name it specifically and don't ask for a redownload of everything.
  • Reply 13 of 33
    stuffestuffe Posts: 394member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dralith View Post


    Most CDs can be purchased for around the same price as the digital albums. You can easily (with iTunes even) rip a CD into higher quality MP3s than what you can even buy from Apple through iTunes. Unless you are just buying a song or two from an album, I've never understood the draw of buying music from Apple. Older existing formats offer so much more freedom and flexibility. Obviously, based on Apple's sales figures, someone is finding the ability to pay top dollar for a digital file that you have little control over useful. I just can't figure out why...



    One word - Convenience. I would guess (this isn't even an estimate) that serious collectors/fans/etc still buy physical media, as the artworks is part of the package for them, but most downloads in iTunes are the sort of disposable pop pap that the purchaser is happy to forget about in 12 months and therefore not care about having it available in a myriad of formats and stored for all time on a physical disc.
  • Reply 14 of 33
    whozownwhozown Posts: 128member
    Even though I like this and would be great if it happened, it just seems like Apple is the big kid on the play ground pushing the other kids around. "change your policies or ELSE"



    On a side note, it was great seeing Steve again, did anyone else notice that he seem to lose even more weight?
  • Reply 15 of 33
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    Fact, is that in a very short time... I'd say 5 years or less, optical drives will be an external accessory only.



    In about that same period of time, I'd take a bet that CD's and DVDs won't even be produced any more... possibly even BluRay will already be in the dust bin.



    MBA's, iPhones, iPods, and iPads... any and all future tablets and media devices, don't & won't have o-drives.



    Future iMacs & MBPs at only 7-9mm (1/3")... just wide enough for a TBolt connector won't have 'em.



    So... where's your media? On personal Multi-Terabyte NAS servers, and the cloud.



    I would guess that most people wouldn't even bother downloading all of their music, all of the time, if there was a way to have synced playlists (personal database structure) and pull what they need from the cloud or from their Internet connected devices at home.



    Reality is that digital internet connected devices are going to be as common as free-air services like radio and TV is today, and just as important as electricity is to run the devices themselves.



    Only thing holding this up at the moment is the providers. Similar to the electric co., there will be problems, but mark my words, it is and will be a public-regulated municipality in the future, because it will be far too important a service to be fractured and at the complete whim of private corporations.
  • Reply 16 of 33
    diddydiddy Posts: 282member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Whozown View Post


    Even though I like this and would be great if it happened, it just seems like Apple is the big kid on the play ground pushing the other kids around. "change your policies or ELSE"



    Where is Apple making any threats??? They are simply entering into negotiations with another party. That is how things happen in business. Nobody is threatening anybody here.
  • Reply 17 of 33
    xsuxsu Posts: 401member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dralith View Post


    Most CDs can be purchased for around the same price as the digital albums. You can easily (with iTunes even) rip a CD into higher quality MP3s than what you can even buy from Apple through iTunes. Unless you are just buying a song or two from an album, I've never understood the draw of buying music from Apple. Older existing formats offer so much more freedom and flexibility. Obviously, based on Apple's sales figures, someone is finding the ability to pay top dollar for a digital file that you have little control over useful. I just can't figure out why...



    To purchase songs on CD, I have to pay for songs I don't like to get to the couple or the one that I really want. While with digital music, I only have to buy the one. So it is indeed much cheaper to buy through iTune or it's equivalent.



    As for quality, most people who buy digital music play them through iPod or another portable music player, and listen through a pair of buds. So what's the big deal?
  • Reply 18 of 33


    What are these "restrictions on redownloading" you speak of?
  • Reply 19 of 33
    s8er01zs8er01z Posts: 144member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Whozown View Post


    Even though I like this and would be great if it happened, it just seems like Apple is the big kid on the play ground pushing the other kids around. "change your policies or ELSE"



    When it comes to these guys Apple can kick a little dirt in their face after they knock them down.





    I already purchase through iTunes and have had to call and get an albumn reset because something happened and it didn't come through. While this won't change much for me in the big picture it will make the entire process more convenient and definately a move that will keep me buying from the iTunes store.
  • Reply 20 of 33
    lamewinglamewing Posts: 742member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by O and A View Post


    Apple already does this they just don't advertise it. If you're hard drive dies and you contact support they will give you a special link which will redownload everything you have purchased from itunes store.



    I've seen it done.



    BUT, you have to petition Apple and they will not allow you to do this frequently. What is stated in this article is that users will have the freedom to redownload music when they want to.
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