Apple lowers itunes prices to please EU

[Tom]

http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2008/01/09itunes.html

Apple to Standardize iTunes Music Prices Throughout Europe

LONDON—January 9, 2008—Apple® today announced that within six months it will lower the prices it charges for music on its UK iTunes® Store to match the already standardized pricing on iTunes across Europe in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Apple currently must pay some record labels more to distribute their music in the UK than it pays them to distribute the same music elsewhere in Europe. Apple will reconsider its continuing relationship in the UK with any record label that does not lower its wholesale prices in the UK to the pan-European level within six months.

“This is an important step towards a pan-European marketplace for music,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We hope every major record label will take a pan-European view of pricing.”

 

[Daz]

Let's face it, record labels will lower their prices if Apple say they won't sell their tracks unless they do.

It's a good thing for everyone I think.

 

[Tom]

Next thing would be global price equality.

50p/$1 tracks.

 

[Justin]

i think payin 80p (is it?) for one track is quite expensive, but would quite happily pay for them if they were a bit cheaper

 

[Rich]

Next thing would be global price equality.

50p/$1 tracks.

Would be good !

 

[fmp_]

cool!

itunes always seemed cheap in my eyes, until supermarkets etc got on board, and started pumping out CD's at £6.97 etc.

I pressume some bands (TOOL for example) are not on itunes as the record company has no deal with apple??

 

[ukaskew]

Good news, would be nice to see some equal treatment in terms of content with the US as well though. I assume they would have to sign all new deals but movies and a reasonable selection of TV shows would be a good start.

I can't ever see us getting the equivalent of $1 tracks, at the end of the day with wages etc people in the US are still paying roughly what we do as a percentage of earnings.

 

[Tom]

I have a us account, its very handy.