Universal does not renew iTunes contract

"Apparently, they can still sell on the iTunes music store without a contract, so what exactly does the contract change?"

Uh....someone flunked their economics class. Any one heard of Licencing agreements? You can't sell things without a license or that would be illegal. Uh...Hello....the blackmarket?

Fact: Dinosaurs have brains the size of walnuts.

The more Universal tries to maintain control, the more they will lose business.

Universal must have a plan if they are willing to give up 12% or so of their quarterly revenue [see the stats in the original NYT article] so they can sit at the grown-ups' table.

We all know Jobs doesn't like to get fucked over, so I imagine Universal music will stop being promoted as much, and if things get bad, I'm guessing Apple will just pull the catalogue entirely. I'm sure they won't make it easy when Universal come crawling back, cap in hand.

If Universal does decide to pull out, i call for a boycott.

Hmmm... Someone's lying like a cheap rug. Apple said on the 3rd "Their music is still on iTunes and their not re-signing is just not true." Now we have Universal saying the exact opposite and confirming the early reports.

Who's telling the truth?

I agree with the earlier posters. Businesses have to realize that they are no longer in charge of how things are sold to the consumer. It's the consumers who are in the driver's seat. If you make it difficult for consumers, then they'll just find an easier way.

Most people get their music from 2 places, iTunes, and, unfortunately, illegal downloads. If Universal goes to some other company, you can be certain their sales will drop.
Not to mention a potential boycott from  fanboys.

I haven't followed any links, so I'm not sure if this has been brought up.

I wonder if Universal wants to try strong arm Apple into a deal like the one they have with Microsoft, where they get money for every Zune sold.

Didn't Apple just sell 525,000 new iPods this weekend? This seems like the absolute worst time to even consider going somewhere else.

Sometimes, people just have to find out the hard way.. I'm sure Apple will welcome them back 'home' once they've learned their lesson. Friggin' money-hungry record companies.. shee.