[Macworld]

Post your comments for Coming to (iTunes) Pass here

[Jim Dalrymple]

Ozzy!

[Schneb]

Pass

[Jason Snell]

I like this idea, because it's basically like paying for a podcast or paying for a season of a TV show (hence the name) -- you pay once and then get a stream of content delivered to you. Nice!

[jdb8167]

So I'm guessing Jim Dalrymple likes Ozzy Osborne. :)

[steidler]

"As the dozens of English pressings of Elvis Costello’s first five years of 45s, LPs, and picture discs will attest, I’ve been there."

Huge grin, here. I managed record stores in the days of vinyl. I think I knew you ... you also wore the big horn-rimmed glasses and skinny tie, right? ;) Figuratively, you were one of my favorite customers.

You described the model for this perfectly. It'll be interesting to see how well it works. I don't think "fandom" runs quite so deep as it did back in the day (too many other distractions), but if it works, Apple and the artists will feel the love for those customers that I felt for my own customers with The Fever.

[Chris Breen]

steidler said:

Huge grin, here. I managed record stores in the days of vinyl. I think I knew you ... you also wore the big horn-rimmed glasses and skinny tie, right? ;) Figuratively, you were one of my favorite customers.

I'm certain that's how the people behind the counter at Poo-Bah Records felt. They could smell the burning in my wallet the second I walked in the door. ;)

Quote

You described the model for this perfectly. It'll be interesting to see how well it works. I don't think "fandom" runs quite so deep as it did back in the day (too many other distractions), but if it works, Apple and the artists will feel the love for those customers that I felt for my own customers with The Fever.

I agree about the depth of fandom, but the fact that this isn't physical media is also likely to make some difference. Digital media can never really be "limited edition" so you don't get the collectors in on the action. I still get a kick out of pulling out old Stiff Records 45s and looking at the cool sleeves and little slogans scratched into the inner band. That's something you can never get from bits and bytes.

[steidler]

You're absolutely right. The missing piece of fandom is the tactile element more than anything else.

I should mention - for me, The Fever was an odd combination of artists: David Bowie and The Allman Brothers Band. The Bowie "Diamond Dogs" picture disc was just too cool. And, I still know every single note of "Live At The Fillmore."

Think I still have a DiscWasher is a box somewhere ...

[reallycrazy]

This is great for everyone, except the consumer. This 'pass' is basically a cash-grab. Please pay us NOW, and then over the next 4 or 6 months, we'll actually write and record some songs, and you can download them once we're done. No refunds, and we reserve the right to change anything and you can't complain about it.
I would say this is a much iffier proposition than TV seasons passes, as TV has a much more rigid schedule and you pretty much know what you'll get. With music, it's much more subjective.
I can see the first couple of groups doing this going out of their way to make it worthwhile (particularly with extra content), just to get the 'pass' good press, but then after that, it slowly goes downhill as more artists do it to get paid before doing the work (and by artists, I mean labels who are funding artists, as this is just a way to foist some of the risk/cost of producing a new album onto the GP (gullible public).

[Chris Breen]

reallycrazy said:

This is great for everyone, except the consumer. This 'pass' is basically a cash-grab. Please pay us NOW, and then over the next 4 or 6 months, we'll actually write and record some songs, and you can download them once we're done.

I take it you missed the part about being able to get a Pass whenever you like -- even after a lot of the content has been released. At the point when you feel like the content is worth the price, pay then. There's no requirement that you purchase a Pass the minute it becomes available.

[reallycrazy]

>I take it you missed the part about being able to get a Pass whenever you like -- even after a lot of the content has been released. At the point when you feel like the content is worth the price, pay then. There's no requirement that you purchase a Pass the minute it becomes available


Yes, as a consumer, you could do that. If the pass is still available for purchase.

And the labels really want the GP (gullible public) to buy early, as doing so greatly reduces their risk (as the band itself doesn't get any additional money), the labels are using this to start getting money before the music is even done.

[Chris Breen]

reallycrazy said:

>I take it you missed the part about being able to get a Pass whenever you like -- even after a lot of the content has been released. At the point when you feel like the content is worth the price, pay then. There's no requirement that you purchase a Pass the minute it becomes available Yes, as a consumer, you could do that. If the pass is still available for purchase.

Luckily, the iTunes Pass page tells you exactly when the Pass expires. In the case of the Depeche Mode Pass, it's good until June 16, 2009. I would imagine that even a gullible person would balk at buying such a Pass if, on June 15th, there was no additional content. And where do you get your information about what artists do and don't receive as part of an iTunes Pass?

[reallycrazy]

>Luckily, the iTunes Pass page tells you exactly when the Pass expires. In the case of the Depeche Mode Pass, it's good until June 16, 2009. I would imagine that even a gullible person would balk at buying such a Pass if, on June 15th, there was no additional content. And where do you get your information about what artists do and don't receive as part of an iTunes Pass?

Yes, they list when the pass expires. That doesn't necessarily mean you can still buy it then. But the labels are pushing for GP's to buy at the beginning, not the end. As for what artists receive, it's something called "history". Unless you are a popular, well known band, that can readily change labels or even create their own, history has shown that the labels are expert at making sure as much money as possible remains with them. Just to start with, I'll bet even though the songs are charged at a premium, the band gets their standard per-song rate, and the band only gets paid as the songs are released (so label gets all the money as the consumer buys, but artist only gets paid after consumer downloads the song (as each song is released), and no payment to artist if consumer fails to download song before the time limit expires). Any additional material, such as pictures of the band, or wallpaper, etc., will be dubbed "promotional", and may even be charged to the band, but no additional money for it flows back to the band. Or does the music industry in your universe work differently than the one in mine? I guess yours doesn't get dragged before courts and Congress all the time for antitrust, payola and other violations.

[Chris Breen]

reallycrazy said:

Yes, they list when the pass expires. That doesn't necessarily mean you can still buy it then. But the labels are pushing for GP's to buy at the beginning, not the end.

In other words, you have no facts to back up your claims. Got it. Fiction it is.