Report: RIAA pressured Apple into creating iTunes LP

You cannot just translate a product like a CD + box + leaflet into an electronic download. The whole point about a CD etc is that they are physical, touchable products, electronic equivalents are just vapourware.

Any marketing guy will tell you that.

I wonder if Apple would be heaping praise on the RIAA if iTunes LP had been a success?

They still don't get it.

1 song isn't worth the cost of an album and I don't care how much pretty artwork you add to it. Yes, I own a couple of the LPs, but I would've bought the particular album anyway. Pearl Jam is one of them.

I still refuse to pay 1.29 for a song. You can tell that a lot of people feel the same way by looking at the latest sales statistics.

Music is TOO expensive on iTunes Music Store. iTunes also WATERMARKS all your purcahsed music with your name and EMAIL address.

Music is cheaper and comes without any watermarks from Amazon.

It is so easy to buy music from Amazom with its MP3 downloader. IMHO, you would be crazy to buy music from Apple.

I like the concept of iTunes LP, but for the prices they are asking, they should have lossless audio.

I like LP, except that there are almost no LPs there...

And that cost is why you probably won't be seeing many of the zippy "interactive books" that get demonstrated when showing off what an e-book "could" be.

Making a book interactive for a video is fairly easy; but making it interactive is programming, new art content, sound, etc and the testing to make sure it all works properly. All of the things that most book publishers have no idea to do. It's obviously much cheaper just to throw the .pdf up on a site somewhere.

I think the iTunes LP thing is actually a decent idea… and am duly shocked to hear it might have come from the RIAA.

Also, why are you citing that October article about the alleged $10,000 fee to Apple to create an iTunes LP? That guy backtracked on his claim, and Apple’s since released thorough documentation for how to create the iTunes LP wrapper using HTML/CSS/JS. Certainly some bands will be able to find designers who can make an LP for less than $60,000, if they don’t go with Apple’s “handpicked third-party developer” mentioned in the GigaOm piece.

Of course there is still the question of how/whether small bands/labels can get their iTunes LP onto the store, but if it’s an open format, the cost of making them at all may not be that outrageous relative to the total cost of making the audio and static cover art.

Heck since prices went to $1.29, I've cut my iTunes music buying by about 90%. The songs are not worth that much. Even my kids cut way back and it's my account LOL

I used to be in iTunes everyday. Buying tracks I found. But even the last update to iTunes, makes browsing so much harder.

I only open iTunes now for specific needs. Used to be open all day. Now every few days.

The LP iTunes thing is sheer nonsense.

The music labels and publishers are delusional. Tracks should be .10 cents.

AFI... My favorite band!