iTunes D45s reflect the worst of the 7in single

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 15 July 2009 09:38

Opinion and Analysis

Sure, there are some examples where the D45 costs as much as two tracks at the old 99c flat rate. $US1.99 buys "Kiss" and "Love or Money" by Prince & The Revolution ($US2.28 if purchased separately), while $US1.99 for Van Halen's "Jump" and "House of Pain" is a useful saving on $US2.58.

(Am I the only one that finds it strange that the music industry expects us to pay anything like full price for 25 year old content?)

But other D45s are selling for $US1.49. One example is "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" plus "Raw Ramp" by T. Rex - now there's a prime example of throwing in an obscure track rather than trying to deliver real value with "two top-notch tunes for a great price." Wouldn't "Jeepster" have been a better match?

If you prefer something from a decade earlier, Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" might be a favourite - but despite all the great songs that could have accompanied it, your $US1.49 gets you "May I Baby" - hardly a classic track, at least in my opinion.

In most cases the A sides have high iTunes popularity ratings, while the second track of the pairs have very low ratings.

D45s are a good idea, but Apple - or the music labels - should think about delivering better value rather than merely trying to shift slow-moving material by bundling it with more-popular tracks in an apparent effort to push up average transaction values.

All I'm asking is that they live up to the promise of "two top-notch tunes for a great price."