Record Companies vs iTunes: A Fight Of Deeply Flawed Logic

I’ve heard continuously over the past few months of growing friction between Apple, its iTunes marketplace, and the major record companies. Yes, the one’s that have been selling their content through iTunes. And at quite a fast pace, as of late. (What is the count of tracks sold now? 3 billion? 3.5? 4? Somewhere in that area, I presume.)

And quite honestly, I’ve never really understood why they haven’t being playing very well together. I mean, sure, they’ve got their disputes about the strict pricing structure in the iTunes Store. A good number of execs from just about all of the Big Four have now publicly stated their wish that Steve Jobs – and the Cupertino-based cult he’s been operating since his return to Apple in the late ‘90s – ease up a bit with the 99-cent-per-track mantra and put together something of a free-floating, newer-is-higher-and-older-is-lower system. It’d be easy enough to do, for sure, and, well, what should Father Jobs care what price they’re charging? It’s not his content that’s being sold. He and his people are just running the shop.

But now things have gotten to be quite bizarre, really. Now the record companies are actively promoting services other than iTunes to try to lessen Apple’s influence on the digital download market, and some are even making attempts to go their own way, making known their plans to establish their very own marketplace(s). All of these moves are meant to level the playing field.

Yet, what good can it possibly do them to diminish the stature of iTunes? They sell their content through Apple’s channel. More, in fact, through Apple’s channel, than any other online venue. No other service comes close. Still, they complain. They make plans to detract.

Hmm. Why, exactly? Should they not be promoting such a successful service as iTunes, rather than, you know, trying to sabotage the damn thing? It was just a year or two ago that the record industry looked upon iTunes and other such services as possible saviours. Now they believe everyone other than Apple will help them rebound from rampant piracy and weak CD sales.

I beg of you to try to find the logic in that newly adopted policy of theirs, because I certainly cannot.

Let me be clear. Apple’s iTunes Store is far from a perfect place to shop. The library, when compared to the equivalent selection found at places like, say, AmazonMP3, is generally more expensive. And while its DRM-free catalogue is purportedly delivered to consumers with the freedom to choose the portable music player of one’s choice (iPod, Zune, or otherwise), there are significant exceptions to that run afoul to the free-to-choose theory. But shit sells, people. And correct me if I’m wrong, but those supplying the music are supposed to like that – a lot. The more, the better, right?

Looking upon the statements made and actions done by the record companies in recent weeks leaves me with one conclusion and one conclusion only. And it’s quite an unfortunate one: They don’t know what the hell they’re doing.