iTunes Pass continues Apple's innovation in iTunes

Cleve Nettles
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February 24, 2009
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Venture Beat is reporting on a cool new feature in iTunes called iTunes Pass.  It allows you to buy your favorite band's stuff in big chunks.  The way you want it.  Their initial band is Depeche Mode (not a huge fan but know lots of people who are).  You buy a Depeche Mode iTunes Pass:

Unfortunately, right now if you want to try out iTunes Pass you have one option: Depeche Mode. The band’s newest album Sounds of the Universe is being offered as part of the first iTunes pass. For $18.99, you get access to the first single right now as well as another track that regular pre-orderers won’t get. And when the album comes out, you’ll obviously get that too.

We really think this is a great idea and a natural extension of the iTunes store model.  To see more, click the iTunes Pass (iTunes Link) for Depeche Mode.

 

Comments (13)

Andrew (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 11:29am

A great idea for the record labels perhaps.

As a consumer do I really want to plunk down a chunk of cash with no guarantee as to what I'll receive aside from an initial album? Will I get unique interviews and videos? Or just crappy remixes of questionable quality and quantity?

TV Season Passes work because you know roughly how many episodes you'll receive and that you're paying for a complete season. With this new pass you're basically paying extra with no guarantee of anything.

skyler (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 11:32am

19$ for an album and 2 singles... am i missing something? This sounds like a terrible deal seeing as albums are usually 10$. Does the pass also give you access to the artist's back catalog or something? Sorry i don't have itunes on this computer so i can't check for more details.

Aidoneus (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 11:45am

Hmm... Not sure this is a step in the right direction. I can quite easily see record labels taking advantage of this, and withholding popular tracks from all but iTunes Pass holders.

CJ (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 12:51pm

All I see is an album preorder that is overpriced. No innovation. Sorry, but iTunes Pass is incredibly underwhelming.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 2:27pm

The details are in iTunes.

It does come with more than the new album (to quote: "extended singles, remixes, videoes, and more")... but I think we have to wait and see how this experiment turns out.

I have no doubt that it'll be a good deal for rabbid fans of the band, Apple, and the Labels.

The rest of us won't buy any D.M. albums, but instead might, just might, buy one of their top singles for $0.99

Marcus (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 2:03pm

This should be called iTunes Grab Bag.

I seriously have never heard of this marketing concept before. Give us lots of money and you never know what we'll give you! Huh?

Usually it's get all this cool stuff now, pay later.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 2:33pm

This scheme where you give someone a lot of money and have no idea of what you'll get is called a "mortgage portfolio manager".

skyler (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 2:26pm

From the appleinsider article "As part of their demands, labels had asked for greater flexibility to sell higher-margin digital content bundles" aka the labels wanted a way to rip of the consumer w/o them blatantly going against the standard 9.99 per album cost.

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 24, 2009 - 3:52pm

I wouldn't exactly call this an "Innovation." It actually seems pretty stupid to me. Count me out.

Dave Gahan (not verified) | February 25, 2009 - 8:28am

I just love it, bought the pass yesterday night cause the new single called "wrong" is so great and you got an extra track too! the pass is really a great idea and a great deal for fans! all I ever wanted, all I ever needed ;-)

ulfoaf (not verified) | February 25, 2009 - 10:31am

You mean I can BUY stuff without seeing it? C'mon.

We who have been around the block a few times know even our favorite artists have surprised us with crappy albums. The Rolling Stones in 1980 comes to mind here. This reminds me of the old days when a new album would be released and everyone would run out and buy it, having heard maybe one singe off of it. Too bad it that was all you liked.

These were known as the Bad Old Days.

Billy-Bob (not verified) | February 25, 2009 - 10:41am

This has the stink of the big labels all over it!

I'll pay $9.99 for a complete album. Period. I will not pay an addition 10 bucks for two more tracks.

I hope every band out there wises up and realizes that they no longer need the labels in the digital age! They can easily do it all themselves. Why let the labels financially rape them and their fans!

This little experiment will fail miserably! If the labels try to force it down our throats, they will just encourage piracy and they'll deserve what they get!

Apple already proved that they had the right plan all along, but the labels just wanted another way to rip us off.

The big labels still don't get it! Why am I not surprised?

9to5Mac Noob (not verified) | February 25, 2009 - 1:48pm

So glad to read that I wasn't the only person that thought this ideas was a ludicrous bunch of crap!