macdaddy1, that’s the best idea ever, yeah you pay for the zune which has a higher price because of the illegal music you will put in it.
So you actually paid to play illegal music on it, Brilliant!!!

Oh and to everyone blaming m$ for this, it’s hardly their idea, it was probably a proposition “if you don’t pay us you don’t sell us”.

Also consider that apple has a contract for iTunes with the same companies, so it will not be long before they demand for a part of iPods profits.

I figure I’m getting off cheap as I think I have in excess of 20,000 songs, all downloaded, all free and all covered!

What’s better than that?

Thank you Microsoft and Universal for giving me a guilt free, honorable way to continue adding to my collection all the while insuring that the artists are being completely compensated for all of their hard work, time and trouble.

All because an iTunes user can then hear the music they bought immediately. Putting companies like Tower Records out of business. After all do you really what to wait a week to listen to an album if you buy it online.

Yet with all this new found money Record Companies still complain.

The reason music stores never worked is because most of the time Buying an album of a new artist that you might like was like finding a needle throw a hay stack.

At least with iTunes you can hear 30 sec. of the track to even consider it to find what you might like.

I think the record companies are getting very greedy.

I recently joined Itunes 6 mo.’s ago I put it off because I was scared I might BUY to much and I was right. I checked my credit card the other day to find I have spent close to $3000 in music, TV shows, and Movies in that time. Otherwise I would have never spent that money. I am sure this is the case with most users and all Legal as far AS I know. I bought a product and I received one. Does it really mater what format?

And if you are an audiophile you are only going to buy the DVD Audio or SACD version later to hear the full sound on your home Sound Equipment you spent a fortune to get.

I think the real reason this Record Companies are scared is that it will be easer for new and existing artist to release there own stuff throw this new mediums and the record companies don’t ever won’t a new artiest to have a taste of the money that can be made with out the labels controlling them.

If this happens everyone will get on board the truth is it is already happening.

After All you still can’t buy music that is available on iTunes in other countries but not ours. Which is a lot of foreign music that is in other languages and current and allot of it is good. Just another control facet of the music industry for moneys sake of greed.

This is just my rant of how disconnected companies are from reality.

This attempt to monetize every aspect of media is really offputting. I relish the day when I can give my money directly to the artists. Because, at this point, the labels add literally *nothing* of value to the process. Music, given a channel, can market itself.

I will be going through UMG’s stable of labels and artists to compile a list of the artists that I genuinely like and respect. I will be composing a letter to them expressing my regret that, although I enjoy their music, I will no longer patronize their art or their label. I will explain that it’s not them, it’s their “daddy” that’s the problem. I will be clear to let them know that it’s the business practices of their parent label that is costing them both their livelyhood and fans. Though they don’t really hold any weight with UMG, if enough of them jump ship (not likely) or complain (more likely), perhaps we can get that moron to wake up.

Then, and this is the hard part, I will actually delete or destroy all copies of their music. Lots of us online talk big about “I’m never going to XXXX ever again.” or “I will purge my collection of all ill-gotten music.” But do we ever? Nah. Not really.

Mr. Morris will get exactly what he wants here, none of his music will be on my iPod. I hope he’s happy.

I’ll post this letter to my blog when it’s done so any one else who wants to do the same thing can. http://thinkinganddriving.com

therefore he is just plain scared and needs to verbally lash out!

and insult owners of portables of thievery. I’d like to know, what this insane guy has on his device.

Like many others I haven’t bought a cd for years, but thanks to ITunes and other sites like Warp Records I am able to not have to go into a packed cd store and blind pick a cd I might not even like…VIVA LA DIGITAL AGE!!

I haven’t bought a CD since 98. But I buy an album or two a month generally.

Where’s all my stolen music?

if you take into account that the ipod has a market share of approx. 70%

…you have a statement that criminalizes 70% of music listeners with portable devices. Not bad, that’s what i call generalization.

This guy is not clueless; no, he’s offensive to and insulting people who bought portable devices and music.

On the other hand, with all his dumbness, he makes it easier for us consumers criminals, to decide what music to buy: Before the music industry completely snapped out, it was important, if the music was actually good. Nowadays, it’s also an important factor, what label music is released from. So it’s quite easy to stay away from the ones infected with completely insane management.

I wish someone would sue that guy for that crap…

Although I don’t like to see it happen, major labels are on the way out. Dinosaurs that just haven’t noticed yet that a meteor has already destroyed their environment and taken away the air to breathe.

If it wasn’t such a sad show, it might almost be funny.

Oh wait, the iPod does more than music. So if I put pictures of my family on there, does that make them thieves too?

So we are thiefs? Who cares what you or MS thinks. Judging from the millions of people who are turning away from movies and Microsoft, I can understand your desperate measures but can’t justify your haughtiness.

Then again, this would explain that deal, especially with Microsoft who is desperatly fighting looming irrelevancy.

What shoddy business models…