Anthony's Community Music Site
Copyright © 1996–2008 Anthony Reimer
Clinics & Presentations
Fill Their iPods With Band Music
January 2009 Update
In
my sessions in Chicago and Red Deer, I mentioned how Apple's iTunes Store
sold some of its recordings with Digital Rights Management (DRM). At least
one major recording label had provided DRM-free tracks to other stores but
not to Apple, ostensibly to encourage competition, but also to provide some
leverage in negotiations with Apple to offer variable pricing.
That became irrelevant on January 6, 2009, when Apple announced in a keynote speech at Macworld Expo that it had reached an agreement with the "Big 4" recording labels that would allow it to sell all those tracks without DRM. You can read Apple's press release for the details, but here's the short version:
- By the end of March, the iTunes Store will only sell DRM-free tracks (256 kb/s AAC);
- You can "upgrade" previously purchased tracks with DRM to the higher quality DRM-free version (US 30¢ / CAD 40¢ or 30% of the album price);
- In April, three price points for tracks will be available (US 69¢, US 99¢ and US$1.29) instead of one.
This last point may allow more Band music tracks to be sold individually instead of only with a complete album, as you can now justify selling some medium-length tracks for US$1.29. Between the announcement and approx. January 29, you could only upgrade your entire library of DRM tracks to DRM-free, but you can now do it on a track-by-track basis.
In my presentation, I mentioned four things to consider when choosing a music download store, the last one being "works with your player." With the iTunes Store now becoming DRM-free, you will now be able to play their tracks on any player that can play AAC tracks. This includes all Apple iPod models, Microsoft Zune models, and some SanDisk Sansa and Sony Walkman players, not to mention your home computer (Mac, Windows). Expect even more portable players to support the AAC format with this announcement.Original Resources
The handout from my session "Fill Their iPods With Band Music!" at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (2008) are available from the Midwest Clinic web site [300K PDF]. Additiional information is available from the address mentioned at the end of the presentation.
The handouts from my sessions at Music Conference Alberta (2008) are available at the address mentioned at the end of the presentation. You may wish to download the Midwest Clinic handout as well, as the publisher list includes some improved sources as well as an outline with numerous links to items mentioned in the presentation.
Other Clinic Handouts
The following archival handouts from Anthony Reimer are also available:
