Today, MTV and Microsoft announced a joint venture called URGE to sell downloadable music and videos over the internet. They want to compete with Apple's iTunes and other smaller online music sellers such as the new Napster and Rhapsody.
They were not big on details, such as prices. However, it is known that it will not work with the Apple iPods, or on Apple Macintosh computers.
This has got to be the stupidest idea I have ever heard. This will go over like a lead balloon. They probably couldn't give their product away. It just go to show how absolutely clueless the music industry still is. The vast majority of users out there have iPods. iTunes works seamlessly with the iPod players. They iTunes store is vast, cheap, and easy to use.
So how on earth does MTV plan to get people to give up their iPod's and iTunes and go to them? They are whistling in the dark.
I think part of the reason for this dumbass decision is the fact that Apple refuses to raise the prices for music on iTunes store above 99 cents a song. Some of the music labels are bitching and moaning loudly about how Apple gets to set the price and refuses to allow the music labels to "maximize" their profit levels by doubling and tripling the prices.
They are hoping the MTV's "shine" will dazzle the consumers enough to stop using the brains. They hope they won't notice that (a) their product costs 2 to 3 times as much, and (b) doesn't work on your iPod.
I think I am going to go into business selling lame-ass stupid ideas to the music industry. They seem to be dumping their money into black holes in a desperate attempt to avoid reality and turn back the clock to 1980 when they called all the shots.
It is very simple. If you don't offer a product that is affordable and easy to use, then your customers are just going to bypass you and get it from other stores, or pirated sources.
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