Apple reportedly tried to keep Spotify out of U.S.

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 56
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lkrupp View Post


     


    No proof, no evidence, just suspicions and rumors. No need to be sad unless, of course, you are predisposed to think the worst of Apple. Are you?



     


    Of course he is. From what I've seen, most people on this board, as well as other apple 'fansites' are. They jump at shadows to bash Apple, almost assuming the worst posisble scenario at every turn. It's a strange, sad phenomenon. Half the time these stories turn out to be bullshit, but before several pages of posts accusing Apple of the worst things imaginable and wishing the company to go to hell. 

  • Reply 42 of 56
    fredaroonyfredaroony Posts: 619member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post


     


    Evidence, please.



    What part of "IF THIS IS TRUE" arent you people getting??? I didn't say it was true....I SAID IF IT WAS TRUE!. The key word was IF just in case it wasn't clear.

  • Reply 43 of 56
    fredaroonyfredaroony Posts: 619member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Slurpy View Post


     


    Of course he is. From what I've seen, most people on this board, as well as other apple 'fansites' are. They jump at shadows to bash Apple, almost assuming the worst posisble scenario at every turn. It's a strange, sad phenomenon. Half the time these stories turn out to be bullshit, but before several pages of posts accusing Apple of the worst things imaginable and wishing the company to go to hell. 



    You and all the others who obviously can't read should at least try to comprehend a post before commenting.

  • Reply 44 of 56
    fredaroonyfredaroony Posts: 619member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post


     


    Except it's not true at all.  Sean Parker is a no talent douchebag, who lies through his teeth and is more concerned with his own image than anything else.  


     


    Think about it.  Apple was supposedly "worried about what Spotify was doing."???


    Come on. 



    Do you actually know this for sure or is it just your opinion?

  • Reply 45 of 56
    macarenamacarena Posts: 365member


    The trouble with the music industry, is that they were dying when Apple saved them, but they are too busy trying to take their head out of their @ss to even realize it. They look at Apple as a threat, instead of seeing the reality that it is services like Spotify that are the threat.


     


    $10 per month for unlimited music streaming seems like a lot - when you realize that there are 1000's of new songs recorded each month - $10 is a steal if all you do is listen to songs released that month! This $10 model is of course possible only by screwing the artists over their share of the proceeds.


     


    Which is still fine - except that the music industry is comfortable offering these deals only to small players - and not to Apple. Any way you look at it, its unfair. But there is a hidden lesson here - Spotify gets these deals, only because it is small - and does not really threaten the music industry. Kind of like how Netflix got all the sweet deals in its early days, but of late, the Netflix catalog has become horrendously out of date. Spotify is also destined for the same fate - and there are already signs of some labels pulling out of Spotify.


     


    There is no substitute for a proper business model, well executed, and supported by a solid device ecosystem. All these fly-by-night business models will not be sustainable. And that is the real threat for Spotify.


     


    From Apple's perspective, they could not care less what deals Spotify gets, as long as Apple also has access to similar deals - it is the refusal of the music industry to offer such deals to Apple that is the issue. If at all Apple has any issue with Spotify, it arises because of these one-sided deals.


     


    At some point, Apple should start playing a different game - and bypass the record labels entirely. If you look at the dynamics of the App Store, small independent developers have as much a chance of success as the big established software houses. It is not inconceivable that Apple can do something similar with iTunes - and completely bypass the labels. When that happens, the music industry will only have itself to blame. That day is coming, and I really hope Apple has the guts to put up a significant chunk of cash to kick start this model.


     


    What if Apple launches a billion dollar fund to promote independent artists and incentivize them to publish exclusively on iTunes? This amount of money is less than the interest Apple earns on its Cash balance - so it is pretty much free for Apple. And this is the sort of incentive that would attract several talented musicians to publish exclusively on iTunes. And maybe Apple can even offer a 5 Billion dollar fund to produce Movies and TV shows. All this should be done in a global initiative. Apple can even tie this money with requirements to use Apple solutions in the production process, etc - so that they will actually benefit in multiple ways.

  • Reply 46 of 56
    knightlieknightlie Posts: 282member
    Stilfing competition is Mocrosoft's business model (for details, see their efforts to illegally prevent Quicktime from running properly on Windows). Apple just make products and let the customer make their own choice.
  • Reply 47 of 56
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    fredaroony wrote: »
    What part of "IF THIS IS TRUE" arent you people getting??? I didn't say it was true....I SAID IF IT WAS TRUE!. The key word was IF just in case it wasn't clear.

    I've heard from multiple emails and phone calls that you beat your wife and kick your cat. If this is true, it's despicable.
  • Reply 48 of 56
    adonissmuadonissmu Posts: 1,776member
    quadra 610 wrote: »
    Great way to drum up some last minute publicity for your "iTunes-killer" (take a number, Lol) music service, Sean. 

    Go to D10, and since you've got nothing else going for your service that never really took off in the way you dreamed, make up some stuff about "big bad Apple", and then dodge any requests for proof by alluding to your own "insider" knowledge:  "<span style="background-color:rgb(226,225,225);color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:'lucida grande', verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;">You hear things, people send you emails."</span>


    <span style="line-height:normal;">And *then*, backpedal just enough, and then make just enough conciliatory remarks that you *might* come off as "balanced":</span>


    <span style="background-color:rgb(226,225,225);color:rgb(24,24,24);font-family:'lucida grande', verdana, helvetica, sans-serif;line-height:normal;">"Parker admits that the music industry is not an overly important sector for Apple and it is unlikely that the company is too concerned with rivals like Spotify, saying "?[Music] is still such a small part of their overall business, it wouldn?t be hugely significant to their bottom line."</span>


    <span style="line-height:normal;">So Apple went out of their way to block a service that would have competed against Apple in a segment Apple no longer really cared about. </span>


    <span style="line-height:normal;">Uh-huh.</span>
    I was thinking the same thing.
  • Reply 49 of 56
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by RichL View Post


    Spotify offers lossless music to premium subscribers now. Better quality than anything on iTunes.



     


    So how come I can only get a 320k Vobis stream to a PC from Spotify, iTunes Match gives me 256k AAC to my iPhone which sounds pretty good on my home theatre system via airplay and my Apple TV.


     


    Spotify on iOS devices sounds like crap in comparison, how does 160k Vobis compare to 256k AAC?


     


     


    "Premium sounds better


    Premium members deserve premium sound quality. To be precise, you can stream music at a higher bitrate of up to 320kbps on your computer (not all tracks are currently available in high bitrate). That's some serious high-fidelity listening coming your way."


     


    Source

  • Reply 50 of 56
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    I've heard from multiple emails and phone calls that you beat your wife and kick your cat. If this is true, it's despicable.


    What I can't understand with Apple Fanboys, is why they feel the need to behave like Microsoft Fanboys. You know, Vista (or Millenium...) definitely sucked. They still went raving about how great it was.


    They made the same kind of witty remarks that you, jragosta, are doing here, when people observed that things were't necessarily perfect.


     


    Apple products are products. They may have failings.


    Apple employees are people. They may make mistakes or act wrong.


     


    Apple might have done what Sean is pretending it has. Apple may be completely innocent and Sean an attention-whore. If Apple is innocent, it should sue Sean for blasphemy defamation.


     


    I personnaly believe there are many signs Sean is lying. I also remember that SJ was so focused on IBM (the baaaaad guuuuuuy, remember Apple ads and SJ keynotes at the time) it did not see the Microsoft wolves in time. Sean could be honestly mistaken. Sean could be lying. Apple could be wrong.


     


    I don't have the keys to answer this. I do, however, think that the person who wrote IF TRUE, this is sad, was completely right.


     


    While highly doubtful, if true, and provided His Excellency jragosta doesn't find the possibility that Apple might not be an angel company sent from Heavens to make the world better but a corporation trying to make money an impossibility, if not an insult to human intelligence and religious faith that should be punished by death, this is sad. Is that a better phrasing for your feelings?


     


    Yes, you're not alone to have the ability to write witty remarks. Isn't it a scandal?

  • Reply 51 of 56
    lightknightlightknight Posts: 2,312member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macarena View Post


    The trouble with the music industry, is that they were dying when Apple saved them, but they are too busy trying to take their head out of their @ss to even realize it. They look at Apple as a threat, instead of seeing the reality that it is services like Spotify that are the threat.


     


    $10 per month for unlimited music streaming seems like a lot - when you realize that there are 1000's of new songs recorded each month - $10 is a steal if all you do is listen to songs released that month! This $10 model is of course possible only by screwing the artists over their share of the proceeds.


     


    Which is still fine - except that the music industry is comfortable offering these deals only to small players - and not to Apple. Any way you look at it, its unfair. But there is a hidden lesson here - Spotify gets these deals, only because it is small - and does not really threaten the music industry. Kind of like how Netflix got all the sweet deals in its early days, but of late, the Netflix catalog has become horrendously out of date. Spotify is also destined for the same fate - and there are already signs of some labels pulling out of Spotify.


     


    There is no substitute for a proper business model, well executed, and supported by a solid device ecosystem. All these fly-by-night business models will not be sustainable. And that is the real threat for Spotify.


     


    From Apple's perspective, they could not care less what deals Spotify gets, as long as Apple also has access to similar deals - it is the refusal of the music industry to offer such deals to Apple that is the issue. If at all Apple has any issue with Spotify, it arises because of these one-sided deals.


     


    At some point, Apple should start playing a different game - and bypass the record labels entirely. If you look at the dynamics of the App Store, small independent developers have as much a chance of success as the big established software houses. It is not inconceivable that Apple can do something similar with iTunes - and completely bypass the labels. When that happens, the music industry will only have itself to blame. That day is coming, and I really hope Apple has the guts to put up a significant chunk of cash to kick start this model.


     


    What if Apple launches a billion dollar fund to promote independent artists and incentivize them to publish exclusively on iTunes? This amount of money is less than the interest Apple earns on its Cash balance - so it is pretty much free for Apple. And this is the sort of incentive that would attract several talented musicians to publish exclusively on iTunes. And maybe Apple can even offer a 5 Billion dollar fund to produce Movies and TV shows. All this should be done in a global initiative. Apple can even tie this money with requirements to use Apple solutions in the production process, etc - so that they will actually benefit in multiple ways.





    That's a brilliant analysis.

  • Reply 52 of 56
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    What I can't understand with Apple Fanboys, is why they feel the need to behave like Microsoft Fanboys. You know, Vista (or Millenium...) definitely sucked. They still went raving about how great it was.
    They made the same kind of witty remarks that you, jragosta, are doing here, when people observed that things were't necessarily perfect.

    Apple products are products. They may have failings.
    Apple employees are people. They may make mistakes or act wrong.

    Apple might have done what Sean is pretending it has. Apple may be completely innocent and Sean an attention-whore. If Apple is innocent, it should sue Sean for blasphemy defamation.

    I personnaly believe there are many signs Sean is lying. I also remember that SJ was so focused on IBM (the baaaaad guuuuuuy, remember Apple ads and SJ keynotes at the time) it did not see the Microsoft wolves in time. Sean could be honestly mistaken. Sean could be lying. Apple could be wrong.

    I don't have the keys to answer this. I do, however, think that the person who wrote IF TRUE, this is sad, was completely right.

    While highly doubtful, if true, and provided His Excellency jragosta doesn't find the possibility that Apple might not be an angel company sent from Heavens to make the world better but a corporation trying to make money an impossibility, if not an insult to human intelligence and religious faith that should be punished by death, this is sad. Is that a better phrasing for your feelings?

    Yes, you're not alone to have the ability to write witty remarks. Isn't it a scandal?

    The problem that you are ignoring is that some people never stop writing slanderous comments about Apple that turn out to be totally fabricated. It's one wild, baseless accusation after another. Then, when someone else posts a wild, baseless accusation, they immediately jump on it as if it were true.

    That kind of attitude adds nothing to the conversation and simply detracts from rational discussion of Apple products (which is, after all, the intent of this forum). Therefore, sarcasm is appropriate.

    You see, you seem to have forgotten the general principle that someone making accusatory allegations has the burden to back their allegations. It should not be up to Apple to prove their innocence.
  • Reply 53 of 56
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post


    What I can't understand with Apple Fanboys, is why they feel the need to behave like Microsoft Fanboys. 



    Microsoft has fanboys?  What is there to get excited about? A bloated Office rehash? Exchange? Hotmail? 


     


    I can see *maybe* getting all tingly about Windows, But Windows is more of something we *put up with* than look forward to. It's always been this way. And who really *enjoys* Office? I mean, who actually looks forward to using that overstuffed pig? We put up with it.


     


    MS just doesn't do stuff that's particularly inspiring. They're hopelessly boring, their vision is myopic, and their management is second-rate.  They don't really do anything truly captivating that pushes the industry forward. They're a software vendor way past their sell-by date that pushes their stuff onto OEMs via a universal-licensing scheme that was created many moons ago. Microsoft is synonymous with user frustration and learning curves. Not really something to be super-pumped about. 


     


    But hey, Xboxes are pretty exciting. I guess if I cared about gaming (well, what *currently* passes for gaming) I'd jump for an Xbox. They did alright there. 

  • Reply 54 of 56
    w00masterw00master Posts: 101member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by FreeRange View Post


    Hmmm - last time I checked you could sample music on iTunes too? I must be missing something important in your comment. Nope, checked again, you can definitely sample ever song on iTunes... in fact they have dramatically increase the sample size. OOPS, guess you really have no clear advantage! Ignorance is bliss isn't it...



     


    Ok... what's up with the animosity?  Seriously.  Maybe it's because I'm reading this message over the internets (TM), so perhaps I'm misreading the tone.  If I am apologies, but based on your other posts and seeing other posters comment.... I have to assume animosity.


     


    What gives?


     


    I like Spotify.  I like it a lot.  Why does this have to bother YOU?  How does this affect YOU?  


     


    In answer to what you posted, previews are *not* the same as what Spotify does.  Spotify allows you (because it's a subscription service) to listen to *the whole song*  On top of this, I'm allowed to *share playlists* (whole songs again in the playlist) to other subscribers.  You *cannot* do this with iTunes. Period.


     


    This is the advantage of music subscriptions, it offers *true* discovery.  It offers the ability to share *truly with other users LEGALLY*.  


     


    Now again, if this isn't your "cup of tea," that's awesome. No animosity on my part.  I think it's great that you're able to enjoy your music the way *you like*.  BUT to disparage others?  To get "angry" or have "animosity" over a service that *MANY PEOPLE LOVE*?  Silly.  Very silly.  Perhaps YOU need to reexamine your focus in life.


     


    w00master

  • Reply 55 of 56
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by w00master View Post


    I like Spotify.  I like it a lot.  Why does this have to bother YOU?  How does this affect YOU?  


     



     


    I deleted it after 48 hours after it stopped streaming music which is the only useful thing it did.


     


    No AirPlay support and an email directing me to a site where they wanted $A12 a month via credit card.


     


    $A35 a year for iTunes match vs $A144 for spotify with no option to pay using my iTunes account.


     


    I'll stick with iTunes match and the free streaming Apps I already have.


     


    http://www.spotify.com/us/get-spotify/premium/


     


    http://www.spotify.com/au/get-spotify/premium/

  • Reply 56 of 56
    w00masterw00master Posts: 101member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post


     


    I deleted it after 48 hours after it stopped streaming music which is the only useful thing it did.


     


    No AirPlay support and an email directing me to a site where they wanted $A12 a month via credit card.


     


    $A35 a year for iTunes match vs $A144 for spotify with no option to pay using my iTunes account.


     


    I'll stick with iTunes match and the free streaming Apps I already have.


     


    http://www.spotify.com/us/get-spotify/premium/


     


    http://www.spotify.com/au/get-spotify/premium/



     


    And that's great for you.  For me, Spotlfy works great for me.  So like I asked someone else on this board, how does my liking (and others) Spotify affect you?


     


    From my point of view, it doesn't.  So why the animosity?


     


    w00master

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