Japanese artists signing directly with iTunes

If Apple could get people into the habit of going online to look for new music and discover new artistes, then the record companies would be unecessary. All you need is a system for rating and categorizing new songs submitted by artists. I don't see this happening to soon, because these days songs are promoted through music videos which are still expensive to produce without some form of sponsorship.

This is great, but so what's the real deal on the Apple Records issue? Is it that Apple can't be in the music label business, or that they just have to call their label something else?

Brona, I agree completely. If they gave artists a better deal as well as discounts that would bring in more names for sure. The labels will just have to suck it up and re-think the way the do business. That will not happen so soon but every move like this one brings that moment closer.

I agree with some of you, thaqt this is the begining. Of course it was to start in Japan as so many other things :) I hope Apple is ready for this. Apple Corp will be up their asses and the music labels will not likely sign new deals after 2006; at least not under the 0.99$ per song price tag wich we all love. It's time for Apple to get out of the closet. Give artist more generous cuts, provide the with discounts on Logic and other equipment. The war on music is about to begin. I hope this is the begining of the end for the music labels on iTunes.

This is going to make the music labels think. It should also tend to make music better, avoiding the "I have 1 single and the rest of the album is crap" factor since you can buy 1 song and that's it. Go Japan! :)

This is the wave of the future, and the reason that the record companies are beginning to get very nervous about the iTMS. All a record company has ever done for anyone is provide a recording studio (Garageband, anyone? or Bias or Logic if you're a little more upscale) and distribution (iTMS!). The point about the suit by Apple Records is a good one, and no doubt part of the reason why it's not called the Apple Music Store.

IF this trend increases, won't Apple Music hit the crapper? based on the now quite-old agreement that apple sticks with computers, not in the music business... I heard stirrings of a lawsuit from the Apple Record's camp a whileago...

Wouldn't that make Apple a music label again?

Wow...