British consumer group: iTunes UK overpriced
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British consumer group Consumers&#39; Association has raised its voice over the iTunes&#39; pricing in the United Kingdom. Most notably, its anger is aimed towards the different pricing model Apple uses for its online music store in European countries.
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The world&#39;s first legitimate music download service, Apple iTunes, is to be investigated by a government watchdog for overcharging its British customers by up to 20 per cent.
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Digital music battle continues, as Real undercuts ITunes' prices.
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Flagrant and systematic breach' The British recording industry has taken online retailer CD WOW! to court, claiming that the company is breaking a previous court-ordered undertaking not to sell cheap CDs imported from Asia.â¦
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LONDON -- Apple Computer&#39;s three-month-old European iTunes service came under attack Wednesday from Britain&#39;s Consumers&#39; Association, which asked the Office of Fair Trading, a business watchdog, to investigate why the service&#39;s prices are higher than
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(InfoWorld) - Just because three major online music retailers bind their music stores to specific portable players doesn't make it acceptable, a Norwegian consumer group leading the charge against Apple's DRM (digital rights management) policy says. "ITunes Music Store and others are unfair to consumers no matter how many download services follow the proprietary approach," wrote Torgeir Waterhouse, a senior advisor at The Norwegian Consumer Council, in response to a letter written by Apple CEO Steve Jobs andÂ posted on the Apple Web siteÂ on Tuesday. Jobs examined why DRM exists and discusses alternatives to the current set-up in his open response to calls for Apple to allow users to buy songs from the iTunes store and play them on any device. Norway's consumer representative hasÂ threatened legal action against AppleÂ for violating Norwegian law by limiting iTunes customers to playing their music only on iPods. Consumer groups in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, France, and Germany haveÂ joined Norway's complaintÂ against Apple. Jobs points out that Microsoft and Sony also sell music that can only be played on their players, supporting a model that serves customers well with choice and a continuing stream of innovative products. He also suggests that groups like Waterhouse's "redirect their energies" toward convincing the music labels to sell music without DRM, technology that aims to restrict how buyers can copy or use the music. The four biggest record labels forced Apple to employ a proprietary DRM system as a condition of the agreement that allows Apple to sell their music, he said. Ideally, he said, the labels wouldn't require DRM. "This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat," Jobs wrote. While Waterhouse agrees that the record companies carry some fault for the situation, the iTunes music store and others like it are ultimately responsible. "They're still the company that's selling music to the consumers and are responsible for offering a fair deal according to Norwegian law," he said. Still, with his letter, Jobs' appears to have stirred up some additional pressure on the record labels to change their DRM policies. EMusic.com Inc., which claims to be the second largest music download site, only sells DRM-free music from thousands of independent labels. But the site would like be able to sell music from the four biggest labels. "We are hopeful the remaining four will one day join [the independent labels] by licensing their complete catalogs and reap the benefits of consumer demand," David Pakman, president and CEO of eMusic, wrote in a response to Jobs' letter. Even though Jobs didn't hint that a solution might be impending, Waterhouse appeared to see a glimmer of hope. "If this means that Apple is willing to the kick the lock in technology from the [iTunes/iPod] combination this is really good news -- news that should be put into action as soon as possible to bring us all one important step closer to a well functioning digital society," he wrote.
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Apple is to cut the price it charges in the UK for music downloads from iTunes within six months.
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Instead of &quot;Think Different&quot;, perhaps Apple&#39;s slogan should be &quot;Price Different&quot;, says a group of disgruntled UK music fans.
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A London-based consumer group says Apple&#39;s iTunes music download-service is overcharging customers in the United Kingdom by 17 percent compared to those in France and Germany.
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The British music industry is to sue 28 internet users it says are illegally swapping music online. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) says it is targeting &quot;major uploaders&quot; - those who make music available to share free with others.
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Apple&#39;S iTunes caused upset yesterday by securing the Band Aid charity single Do They Know It&#39;s Christmas for sale at 79p, instead of the Â£1.49 its rivals, from Napster to HMV, are asking customers to pay.
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Pocket DJ 5 undercuts price of Apple's music player. Consumer push also includes plasma-screen TVs.
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The UK&#39;s Office of Fair Trading is conducting an investigation following a letter of complaint from the Consumers&#39; Association pointing out that Apple&#39;s iTunes online store sells a digital
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More than $31bn spent on consumer electronics this year to date Brits spend more on consumer electronics than any nation in Europe, market watcher GfK has claimed. Together, we have spent Â£16.8bn ($31.7bn) on high-tech toys this year. Every UK household has spent, on average, Â£325 ($612) this year on gizmos, gadgets and assorted electronic equipment - Â£42 ($81) more than their nearest rivals, the Swiss.â¦
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Apple Computer Corp. is charging its British iTunes customers 17 percent more per download than its European customers, a consumer watchdog group said on Wednesday.
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The Office of Fair Trading refers Apple's iTunes service to the European Commission on the grounds that it over-charges UK customers.
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Britain's music fans will pay 10  percent less for downloads from Apple's  iTunes stores  within six months, the European Commission said on Wednesday.