Walmart, unable to compete with iTunes, is shuttering its MP3 store(theatlantic.com)
theatlantic.com
Walmart, unable to compete with iTunes, is shuttering its MP3 store
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/08/walmart-unable-to-keep-up-with-itunes-shutters-mp3-store/243382/
6 comments
> convenience
> iTunes
iTunes is not what i associate with convenience. My experience tends to be quite the opposite, in fact.
> iTunes
iTunes is not what i associate with convenience. My experience tends to be quite the opposite, in fact.
I type an artist or song name into the store's search box. I find what I want and click 'Buy'. Next time I plug in my iPod my songs go there.
This is the sort of straightforward workflow that people enjoy. They don't have to think about how to copy files from A to B or import them into their music app or copy them onto the media player. It's a straight line from store to device.
This is the sort of straightforward workflow that people enjoy. They don't have to think about how to copy files from A to B or import them into their music app or copy them onto the media player. It's a straight line from store to device.
I don't get it. Is this sarcastic? Did you not buy music in March '03 to get the basis for comparison? For normal people who do not organize their lives around user interface critiques, iTMS is shatteringly convenient: type name of song, click button, listen to song to make sure it's what you want, click "buy", wait a minute, own song.
The last time i used iTunes was months ago, i'm on Rdio now. My workflow went more like this:
1. Open iTunes
3. Wait 1-2 minutes, literally.
3. iTunes has crashed, often taking exporer.exe[1] with it.
4. Restart iTunes and/or windows.
5. After waiting 2-3 additional minutes for iTunes to start up, it's now open and i can search for songs.
6. Search for the songs i want and buy them.
7. Enter my payment details as Apple has forgotten them again.
8. Wait 2-3 minutes while the payment is processed.
9. Something wasn't good enough for Apple. Change something in the huge form and goto 8.
10. Done! Download the songs.
YMMV, this is just my own experience. For comparison, here's the workflow with Rdio:
1. Enter a song or album name into the search box, or pick one from my extensive library of albums.
2. Press play and listen to the song.
[1] Yes, unfortunately i do have to keep Windows around to use iTunes.
1. Open iTunes
3. Wait 1-2 minutes, literally.
3. iTunes has crashed, often taking exporer.exe[1] with it.
4. Restart iTunes and/or windows.
5. After waiting 2-3 additional minutes for iTunes to start up, it's now open and i can search for songs.
6. Search for the songs i want and buy them.
7. Enter my payment details as Apple has forgotten them again.
8. Wait 2-3 minutes while the payment is processed.
9. Something wasn't good enough for Apple. Change something in the huge form and goto 8.
10. Done! Download the songs.
YMMV, this is just my own experience. For comparison, here's the workflow with Rdio:
1. Enter a song or album name into the search box, or pick one from my extensive library of albums.
2. Press play and listen to the song.
[1] Yes, unfortunately i do have to keep Windows around to use iTunes.
I like Rdio a lot, and agree that it's more convenient than iTunes (which was already very convenient, so that's saying something)... when it actually has the music I'm looking for.
Amazon MP3 has been by far superior to iTunes. I wouldn't say Walmart is unable to compete with iTunes, I'd say it's unable to make a good MP3 app.
In what way is Amazon superior to iTunes? Just, "not having to use iTunes"?
Unless your goal is to put songs onto an iPod, the amazon MP3 buying experience is much simpler. If I want to buy some MP3s and listen to them on my PC or on my Android phone, I:
Click the buy button on Amazon's site
Wait a moment, the Amazon MP3 downloader starts
Wait a few minutes, the downloader tells me the files are downloaded
I can click once or twice to automatically open the folder where these new MP3s live
And then I can now listen to them (in my player of choice) or copy them to my phone. And now that Amazon has their cloud player, I can skip the entire downloading step and just listen to them on my phone.
if I used iTunes as my music player of choice, and all my portable devices were iDevices, iTunes would be more convenient than the Amazon store. However, I don't, and they aren't. Also, iTunes is still kind of a pile of shit, so 'not having to use iTunes' alone would be a big advantage even if the Amazon experience wasn't better in other ways.
Click the buy button on Amazon's site
Wait a moment, the Amazon MP3 downloader starts
Wait a few minutes, the downloader tells me the files are downloaded
I can click once or twice to automatically open the folder where these new MP3s live
And then I can now listen to them (in my player of choice) or copy them to my phone. And now that Amazon has their cloud player, I can skip the entire downloading step and just listen to them on my phone.
if I used iTunes as my music player of choice, and all my portable devices were iDevices, iTunes would be more convenient than the Amazon store. However, I don't, and they aren't. Also, iTunes is still kind of a pile of shit, so 'not having to use iTunes' alone would be a big advantage even if the Amazon experience wasn't better in other ways.
It gets better. Amazon will sync your files into your Clouddrive for you automatically when you buy them, if you want.
Don't need to install software. Can buy from anywhere, as long as you sign in to your Amazon account. MP3 format vs. AAC. Can play songs from web. Promotional prices on top sellers, so the #1 song on both sites is $0.69 vs. $1.29.
Better search, faster to navigate, faster to purchase, keeps me in my browser, and (parity) automatically appears in iTunes when it's done downloading.
My father is a sales rep dealing with large retailers (Sears, Walgreens, etc). They ALL know this is coming - DVDs, CDs, etc. are dead and online distribution will replace all things that can go digital.
You know who also knows this? Publishers - and they don't need store distribution anymore. For example, the video game industry is up in arms right now because developers/publishers no longer need B&M. In fact, they're just trying to buy (or develop their own) an online distribution platform. For example, Bethesda wanting to buy Valve[1].
[1] - http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/rumor_bethesda_looking...
You know who also knows this? Publishers - and they don't need store distribution anymore. For example, the video game industry is up in arms right now because developers/publishers no longer need B&M. In fact, they're just trying to buy (or develop their own) an online distribution platform. For example, Bethesda wanting to buy Valve[1].
[1] - http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/rumor_bethesda_looking...
It may be a bit hyperbolic to say Walmart was "unable to compete with iTunes." From what can be gleaned, neither Apple nor Walmart makes much of a profit reselling songs for 99 cents. Apple, of course, has other reasons to want to take a loss or operate a marginal music store that helps it sell iPods, but one can understand why Walmart wouldn't realize the same side benefit.
Isn't that still not being able to keep up? Whether or not either of them makes a profit on the sale, Apple makes money selling songs as a loss leader, and Walmart doesn't. Outcompeted.
Are they shutting down the DRM server as well?
The DRM server was shut down years ago. They've been selling plain MP3s since then.
For their MP3 store??
I think the more relevant question is, how do you show you still have a license for music from a store that doesn't exist anymore?
How do you recover that music if you ever lose a drive or your phone or wherever the music is?
How do you recover that music if you ever lose a drive or your phone or wherever the music is?
You don't.
How do you recover music on a CD that you've lost?
How do you recover music on a CD that you've lost?
It's harder to lose a CD then a phone/ipod/computer. If you've ripped the CD to your computer the disc/case is just sitting on a shelf till next time you need it.
The hundreds of thousands of CDs stolen from cars across the nation disagree with you.
It's also easier to damage or completely disable a CD than it is a phone/ipod/computer. Short of willful destruction or storage medium failure will these devices render you unable to access your music. A simple scratch from using the CD will render it useless. How do you recover your tracks then?
The original point was: as long as the service is running and available, I can get another copy of my music. Now that the service is going down, it's up to you to have backups, the original source is gone. This was equated to losing a disc, and not being able to recover the music you legally purchased because you didn't have a backup, and the original was gone. A very good point, in my opinion.
It's also easier to damage or completely disable a CD than it is a phone/ipod/computer. Short of willful destruction or storage medium failure will these devices render you unable to access your music. A simple scratch from using the CD will render it useless. How do you recover your tracks then?
The original point was: as long as the service is running and available, I can get another copy of my music. Now that the service is going down, it's up to you to have backups, the original source is gone. This was equated to losing a disc, and not being able to recover the music you legally purchased because you didn't have a backup, and the original was gone. A very good point, in my opinion.
I respectfully disagree.
In addition, it is far easier to backup an mp3 collection than a CD collection. You're already backing up your other data, aren't you?
In addition, it is far easier to backup an mp3 collection than a CD collection. You're already backing up your other data, aren't you?
Strange journalism, there isn't any quotes in the article that actually cite competition from Apple as the reason for the closure. Editorialized?
Seems the convenience of ecosystem integration was worth more than 5-11 cents.