Apple to sell ads on the iTunes Store?

I think that iTMS should not have adds because without them it feels like a natural extension of the iTunes software, instead of just another add saturated web based store. I like it the way it is simple, clean, and intuitive.

If the ads are going to generate enough revenue to justify Apple distributing songs at a cheaper price or even free (which they won't) then I think the ads would be okay from my perspective.

If I were Apple though, I would probably want to do it anyway. They could put the ads in the "ministore" tray at the bottom of the screen. No problem there, right? Those are ads anyway so why not branch out a bit more?

Because you know, say you're looking at the album you want on iTS and you see an Adsense ad that says, "Hey! You can also buy this album on Amazon! Or eBay! Or eMusic! Or Napster!" So you click the link to buy it from one of them instead.

Apple would LOVE that.

I had anticipated this news in my previous blog post.

http://lucafiligheddu.blogspot.com/2006/08/top-10-funny-news-about-google-apple.html

I am not at all surprised since Eric Schmitt recently joined Apple's Board. Isn't it interesting that Google has been mentioned twice on today's TUAW feed -- iTV and ads on the iTS.

Based on that, I am sure Al Gore expects some iTS movie download love. What next, maybe Google ads will show up on ABC's site, or on Cinderella's Castle in Orlando?

here's how ads should be done. the way sportsenter did them. write clever, witty commercials that i actually want to see, and give them out free on itunes. brilliant, not annoying.

I'm sure this was rumoured ages ago?

Heres an article from April: http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2006/04/24/coming_soon_ads_on_itunes/

No ads, ever. Ad revenue keeping prices down is a myth. Customers will pay the going rate for goods and services, and whatever websites/stores make off of banners, links et al is Gravy.

I already went to the store to spend my money; why (besides greed) should they gig me again? If a company can't make a go of it without subjecting their customers to unrequested pleas for more, then raise prices and spare us all the Flash animated annoyances.

There may eventually be ads on the iTunes store. There may be ads on the endcaps at Target and every other place I look.

But that doesn't make it okay.

Everything in the music store is already an ad. Every link you click on takes you to something that is for sale. I wouldn't be surprised it Apple started charging for placement on the iTunes Store, but I hope I never see a Classmates.com ad in their. That's a Microsoft move if they do!

Isn't the iTunes store really just a page full of ads anyway? Think about it, every single rounded corner box is an ad for a song, a TV show or a Movie, or to buy a gift card.

Anyway I'm gonna call this rumor a load of crock. It would defy the purpose of the store. Apple doesn't want to advertise products OUTSIDE of the store, they want to keep people in the store. Besides, its counter-zen and Apple is totally zen. (Not Creative's Zen, the philosophy of zen.)