iLounge has an update on the story.
Apple denies $10K iTunes LP production feeFollowing a report from last week indicating that Apple was barring independent labels from releasing iTunes LP-formatted albums and charging a $10,000 production fee to create the associated files, the company has responded saying the prior accusations were false. Brian McKinney of Chocolate Lab Records was the originator of the prior information, and later contacted MusicWeek to add, “I should note that it is currently possible to design an iTunes LP independently. I’ve tested a couple designs on iTunes and they work great. The problem is that Apple won’t let you sell them through their store. So, the $10,000 production fee isn’t the barrier, it’s the exclusion of indie labels and artists by Apple. We love iTunes, hate exclusion. Hopefully that will change. Hopefully we will speed up the process.” An Apple iTunes spokesman dispelled the notion of any production fee in a later email, stating, “There is no production fee charged by Apple[.] We’re releasing the open specs for iTunes LP soon, allowing both major and indie labels to create their own.” Apple launched the iTunes LP format alongside iTunes 9 at its Rock and Roll media event on September 9.
By "open" I suspect that Apple means that anyone will be able to create the content but that only Apple will be able to sell it as part of an album and only through the iTunes store and that only Apple will be able to legally display the LP content and that will be only with the iTunes software. That's my take on what they mean by "open". We'll have to see.
Why does something like this have to be developed by a company with self serving interests rather than an organization that would develop the standards to be truly open? The music industry is allowing their future direction in digital distribution and digital standards be dictated by Apple rather than taking charge and doing it themselves. They're going to get screwed if that is the whole of their technology plans and direction. Take charge and develop some open standards for this stuff please? Open standards that everyone will be able to use and implement, and that includes indies. The last bit of technology of any significance that we've gotten from the music industry was the RIAA phono equalization curve. Come on, step it up. Cut back on some of the lawyers and hire a technology department that has a vision. That's the only way you'll get to stay relevant and dictate your own future.
Sorry for the rant. I don't see a well organized or well managed or open standards based future in music and digital distribution and computer based playback.
And
something else on ILounge:
A new website has sprung up called iTunesLP.net, offering tutorials on how to create iTunes LP files for albums that Apple doesn’t offer in the new format, as well as an area offering downloadable iTunes LP files—at the moment, only the Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra soundtrack to Fantasia is available. On the About page, the team behind the site explains, “At this moment these iTunes LPs are available for a select list of new releases on the iTunes store. However we think it would be nice to have many older, out-of-print, obscure albums or albums on indie-labels to get the same experience; and with that in mind we started working on finding out exactly how this new format works, in order to share our results with the community.” [via TheDigitalLifestyle.tv]
I like that. Fan developed LP artwork and content. That could get interesting.
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Topic: Apple's iTunes LP charges (Read 2561 times)