Tuesday, August 23, 2005
It's a global world - when will iTunes get it?
Depeche Mode will release their new album Playing the Angel in October (17th in Europe/18th in the US). I simply can't wait to hear their new CD!
The first single, Precious, will be released in Europe on October 3rd. And due to legal technicalities the track will not be released on European internet pay-sites (read: iTunes) until the same date. But as of the 23rd of August, for a tiny fee of $0.99 Americans can buy the single from the U.S. version of iTunes. (Which is a great stroke of irony since DM afterall is a British band.) However, in order to buy songs from iTunes' American store you need an American-issued credit card (to register for the account - the purchase can still be made with other credit cards, money orders or gift certificates). This goes both ways - many songs on European iTunes' stores can't be found in the American dito...
For any European with a friend in the U.S. the easiest thing is really to just ask them to open an account for you with their credit card, while at the same time only allowing gift certificates to be made for purchases. At the same time the American friend can get full access to the European market by asking his counterpart in Europe to open an account for him with a Europe-issued credit card.
And, ladies and gentlement, all of a sudden we have transgressed the borders of national jurisdiction once more. With no risk for the citizen who opens the account (since the billing for songs can't be made through his credit card).
By applying the strategy above, as a European, I now have the Depeche Mode single "Precious" on my computer, more than a month before it will be released in Europe. Let's face it - we live in a global world. When will iTunes (and the music industry) get it?
The first single, Precious, will be released in Europe on October 3rd. And due to legal technicalities the track will not be released on European internet pay-sites (read: iTunes) until the same date. But as of the 23rd of August, for a tiny fee of $0.99 Americans can buy the single from the U.S. version of iTunes. (Which is a great stroke of irony since DM afterall is a British band.) However, in order to buy songs from iTunes' American store you need an American-issued credit card (to register for the account - the purchase can still be made with other credit cards, money orders or gift certificates). This goes both ways - many songs on European iTunes' stores can't be found in the American dito...
For any European with a friend in the U.S. the easiest thing is really to just ask them to open an account for you with their credit card, while at the same time only allowing gift certificates to be made for purchases. At the same time the American friend can get full access to the European market by asking his counterpart in Europe to open an account for him with a Europe-issued credit card.
And, ladies and gentlement, all of a sudden we have transgressed the borders of national jurisdiction once more. With no risk for the citizen who opens the account (since the billing for songs can't be made through his credit card).
By applying the strategy above, as a European, I now have the Depeche Mode single "Precious" on my computer, more than a month before it will be released in Europe. Let's face it - we live in a global world. When will iTunes (and the music industry) get it?
