iTunes - the pricing rip off

I laughed out loud when I heard of the optimistic launch of the European version of iTunes. After a protracted battle regarding pricing and territories, it's reputed that downloads in Britain will be 79p each, but in the rest of Europe, will be priced lower. Firstly, 79p per track puts the rough price of an entire CD at *£8.00, which is a considerably higher price for a CD than our European brothers. Secondly, since when did paying for the tracks equate to the same as buying an actual CD, complete with disc, box, sleeve, artwork and lyrics. Apart from the UK always being charged more for music than virtually [haha] any other territory, which is an ongoing outrage in the music business, how can they justify 'territories' in cyberspace. Surely, if you go to itunes.de, you will be able to pay in euro's, and therefore bypass such anachronistic legislation. The pricing of downloads seems to be a continual conspiracy to rip off the punter, and make sure the music business gets more than they are giving. I just can't understand it. As well as this, the perpetual myth that 'artists' are really against free downloads, and are all in the poor house as a result is such a lie. The music business relies on ignorance and disinterest to carry on its terrific monopoly, and we the people have no say, no one cares. It's only music for god's sake.

http://www.itv.com/news/1584412.html.

http://www.macnewsworld.com/story/34535.html. This just shows what kind of gang together type of conspiracy is going on, sad people who have never really had to think about why they made their money. Before the global community of modern life, no one knew about the rip off prices from one country to the next. In recent times the record companies have had to create new legislation to combat huge importing of cheap CDs from the continent into the UK to protect their 'protected' markets. That was only the beginning, and they couldn't even see it. Now they behave as if the digital revolution is all the fault of evil filesharers and downloaders. Horse, gate and bolted are words that come to mind.

Meanwhile, hundreds, if not thousands of American retail music stores are closing, and the same is happening in Blighty. I get the feeling they want a situation where only the record company itself can make money from its releases, cutting out all middle men. That cuts out the possibilty of piracy quite alot, or so they think.


* NB The price of your average new release in Blighty is closer to £12 or £14, so on a new release, the figures compare well, but that is just encasing the already exorbitant price of a new CD into a faceless cyberprice. You can't bargain with the webpage, you can't offer exchange, or bulk buy or anything. Your'e fu**ed.