Amazon MP3 song prices no real threat to iTunes

Stephen Withers
Monday, 14 January 2008 11:47

Opinion and Analysis

Will Amazon take the trouble to extend its sales footprint outside of the US? If not, all this will remain of academic interest to the bulk of the world's population. At least Apple operates the iTunes Store in Europe and Asia, but with any luck the future success of Amazon MP3 will make it easier for local operators to do deals with record labels on a country-by-country basis.

Surely the gradual switch from physical to online distribution will mean that one day we will see artists selling international rights to their work rather than the messy country-by-country arrangements we have inherited.

But for now, the record companies should be very wary of pushing business towards Amazon as a way of slighting Apple for achieving such a large market share. Where will they go if Amazon reaches Apple's current share of the download market? Wal-Mart?

One last word for those who want to purchase music directly on their mobile phones and music players: backup. Are you in the habit of backing up your phone regularly? At least with Apple's and Amazon's model you automatically end up with at least two copies, one on your computer and another on the phone or player. Too many people are already lax about backing up their computers, and I can't see the situation improving with phones and players. Yet when some commentators are foolish enough to describe software like iTunes as a negative feature of Apple's offerings.

Tell that to someone who loses their phone, complete with a music library that's worth hundreds of dollars more than the phone itself. If the phone or player automatically and easily synced with their computer, at least the music would be safe.