This reminds me — I need a new Jinx RIAA t-shirt
CHINA’s largest online game provider has begun plans to sell music online at 20 US cents per song through Poptang Mall, which was launched in cooperation with large record companies such as Universal, EMI and Sony.
The Website will charge 1.8 yuan for each song, and package services will also be available. For example, unlimited downloading of songs from Sony Music will be available for 18 yuan [$2] per month.
These are the same dorks who whine about Jobs squeezing them too tight over 99¢ a pop!
just as hollywood negociated special licenses or prices to “legalize” the counteless cheap copies of Western Movies in China. TThose even bear “authentic” holograms on them!
I don’t know how pirating music is going to save independent music. I guess all of those pro music pirates will say that they will make all their money on live shows.
Is a $1 a song too much? I think if you charged $1 for 1000 songs people would still complain it was too much. I remember during the Napster days people said “I would pay for it if I could just download a song for a $1”. Now those same people are complaining about a $1. Why don’t they just drop the lame excuses and admit they just want something for nothing?
I think this is to just pick up some part of the music “sales” in China. There is a huge pirate market in China.
I’d pay 99 cents if i actually owned it. What if i have 6 new computers in the next 10 years? Downloaded music expires like fruit.
This isn’t even a flame; but — ft — if you accidentally let measured analysis, reality or experience interfere with your heartfelt opinion, you might know that the “free” sites were the best marketing arm overall the RIAA members ever had. That’s only measured in dollars, of course. But, I haven’t seen anyone expound, yet, on the artistic roots of any RIAA directors.
The Canadian RIAA actually performed a rational study of sales with and without free sites — and determined the former context made more money for the RIAA members. Doesn’t matter, though — they’ve ignored it as thoroughly as have their American big brothers.
#5 – Burned it to a CD. No I have it forever. I am sure you have other lame excuses.
#6 – If it really is in the RIAA best interest to allow free music everywhere why don’t they do it? The RIAA isn’t stupid. If it really was better economically better for them then they would just allow free downloading. Something tells me that they did the numbers and it doesn’t look good.
Anybody notice that the record companies are targeting older consumers these days? Those are the people still buying their music. Less Avenged Sevenfold. More Nora Joans.
I WOULD love a fair analysis of the music market and WHAT people LIEK to hear….
NOT 2 hours of the same STUFF, all the time.(radio)..
They gear 90% of the Music played to 12-18 year olds ANYWAY…it SUCKS.
I remember the OLD record stores that were pretty large…and NOW Sam Goodies puts it all in 1 room, smaller then my HOUSE.
“#5 – Burned it to a CD. No I have it forever. I am sure you have other lame excuses.”
Congratulations – you have burned a lower than CD quality copy of a song to a CD, now if you rip it to a non-DRM format the quality will be even worse. So you are NOT getting what you paid for.
Yes it is a valid work around, but it still isn’t the same. It might be fine for you, but that wasn’t what was being discussed was it?
When I can download FLAC files for 25¢ canadian per song, then I’ll start checking whether the CRIA’s kickbacks on blank CD-Rs covered all the music I downloaded. Last I checked, I burned so many non-music discs that they owe ME money.
As for buying, check out Magnatune. You CAN get the music for free legally if you know where on the site to go, but with 50% of the money going to the artists, and you choosing any price between $5 and $25 per album, it gets my approval as a record label. (not to mention, their motto is a real chuckle. “We’re a record label, but we’re not evil.”)
“PopTang”..mmm, sounds good!
“PopTang”..mmm, sounds good!”
It’s what the astronauts drink!
HAHA!!!
Feel jealous I can read Chinese and you can’t!!! You all have to be plagued by the RIAA and I won’t, as I now only have to pay $2 a month for legal music ~ not that the RIAA really had any jurisdiction in China anyways. Oh yes, anyone who claims that subscription music is bad, well downloads are only 20 cents, a lot cheaper than iTunes, Napster, MusicNow, and all the other stores. (Remember the Chinese make a lot less. ='( )
Oh, here’s also a P2P site in China that the -MPAA- has no jurisdiction in either: http://www.VeryCD.com . Yep, its in Chinese only too and its free! (They have many English movies!)
Oh yes, I almost forgot, Windows XP costs 15 cents for a disc and key and it bypasses the Microsoft genuine verification download, so when Vista Ultimate is release and you are paying $400 for it, I get the same thing for 15 cents (Windows Update compatible).
Got to love my Chinese people.
Gregory,
Sorry if my comments seemed off topic. I was really responding to comment #3 who said “Now those same people are complaining about a $1. Why don’t they just drop the lame excuses and admit they just want something for nothing?” I don’t really have a problem with paying $1 per song or 88 cents at Walmart. The problem is that I don’t own the MP3 free and clear. I intend to listen to my music over the course of my lifetime, but the agreement when I download is very specific about how many computers I can put these songs on. In the case of Walmart, they allow 2 backup copies on other computers. So essentially I only purchasing that music for as long as I have that computer. Or maybe a maximum of 3 computers if you stretch the intention of backup.
Of course I could burn a CD and have it forever, but I don’t plan on using the CD format 15 years from now and by agreement I can’t put that music back on any future computers where I expect I’ll store and play my music. If I was not concerned about the terms of the agreement, I would likely download the music via bit torrent. That is where music industry seems rather short sighted. If I wanted to cheat I would cheat. I would like to buy, but I want to own it. Many of us are sitting on the fence with our money waiting for a solution that makes sense.
Yeah, but who cares about RIAA mucis anymore? Anyone not playing the part of lamb to slaughter is downloading the music of independent artists who have decided not to give away their artistic endeavors.