iTMS, Therefore iAm.

I love music, but I cannot agree that the record companies to raise the price of purchased music in Internet.

When I heard the record companies, like Sony, Warner, BMG, etc, want to pronounce to raise the price of iTunes Music Store (See the image above in its original context on the page: Apple.), I am so surprised. Why? The Store let the people to buy the songs of copyright they really like in a low and single price everyone can afford to in easy way and abstain them from downloading it from P2P (Peer-to-Peer). I think this kind of standard mode is a very successful commercial case for selling music in this time the consumers used to download with their will with no paid.

The record companies want to be "price discrimination" in iTunes Music Store; it means sales of identical music product are transacted at different price from the record companies. They like to identify the music from popular and unpopular ones, in the other hand, separate the purchasing rate, and label them into different price. In my opinion, it is unfair for all consumers. If we know the principal market, we will understand that it must be the inauguration to squeeze all the consumers. By Price discrimination, the capitalist will earn all money from consumers. Steve Jobs (See the image at right in its original context on the page: Newsweek.), the CEO of Apple computer, said that it would be greed. I cannot agree it any more.

Firstly, one piece of album will cost 400 NTD (About 10 USD), in other words, 40 NTD (About .99 USD) per song in average. But this quality of music files is much better than the MP3 or AAC file format we download by Internet. For example, an album puts about 700MB in one piece of CD, 70MB per song in average; but in iTunes Music Store, we get about 3MB or 4MB per song, we get a compressional file format and it is not the same as origin. The quality will affect the presentation of music beyond all doubt. In other words, if we buy one song by Internet, it must be lower than the price in real market; but it not exists nowadays.

However, the record companies sell their songs by Internet can depress the some cost of shipping, it can reflect on the price. So, by this logic, we found that the companies would earn much money by the way selling their product by Internet music store. I do not think it is a good idea to adjust the purchased price.

The record companies want to apply the principles of traditional commercial way to the digital world, cause they start to obtain the power of triumph of iTunes Music Store to control the situation. Then, they want to change the mode of the market.

Under this trend, all that we can do is to re-hold the technique of P2P to share the music without copyright. I think it is not a right way, but it will be the power of all consumers. For any consumer, the P2P is the only way to against the capital as well as record companies. Not means destroy, but have the chance to let record company to know the voice of all consumers. It is a chance for all weaken consumers to face and fight for their right.

I believe that if the consumers have chance to make the choice to buy the music product they really like, they will choose the safe way, in other words, the product with copyright.
It is time for the record companies and consumers to do the right choice together, to bulid a win-win situation.