10 Reasons Why Itunes Is Crap

10 Reasons I Don't Buy From Itunes

1. They don't sell FLAC.
Kevin points out the many reasons why FLAC is vastly superior to mp3 in this post - http://spoonfuloftar.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/why-flac-format.html

2. Because I'm buying independent or DIY music.
I buy my vinyl from someone with a box of records at a punk gig in the back room of a pub. Either that or a proper independent record shop. I'd steadfastly refuse to go to somewhere like HMV. Why would I want to buy my digital records from the equivalent of Tescos.

3. Apple are a bunch of tax dodging bastards.
They use every dirty trick in the book to pay only a peppercorn tax rate in any country they operate in. You might argue that it's 'legal'. It's not. The methods are just not explicitly illegal. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/business/apples-tax-strategy-aims-at-low-tax-states-and-nations.html

4. I'm just not a fan of Apple products.
Shiny and overexpensive and just frustrating to use. I just don't like the walled garden appraoch. Also, the itunes program has given me nothing but grief.

5. Bands and labels have to pay for their stuff to go on itunes.
Could you imagine a shop demanding to be paid to stock your records? That's up front by the way. Not just taking a cut of each sale (which is fine). No, you actually have to pay to be put on itunes in the first place.

6. DRM
Yeah, I know they don't do DRM anymore but they used to. And the stench remains. They're very much not on the side of the music fan. Which brings me on to the next point.

7. You don't own the music you buy
This one is almost incomprehensible. You don't actually own the music you buy from itunes.

"Part of the problem is that with digital content, one doesn’t have the same rights as with print books and CDs. Customers own a license to use the digital files — but they don’t actually own them.

Apple (US:AAPL) and Amazon.com (US:AMZN) grant “nontransferable” rights to use content, so if you buy the complete works of the Beatles on iTunes, you cannot give the “White Album” to your son and “Abbey Road” to your daughter.

According to Amazon’s terms of use, “You do not acquire any ownership rights in the software or music content.” Apple limits the use of digital files to Apple devices used by the account holder."

Read more about that here - http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-08-23/finance/33336852_1_digital-content-digital-files-apple-and-amazon

8. They almost have a monopoly
It almost seems like people don't realise there's other options. OK, it doesn't help that loads of independent labels use it as they're default option for selling digital. But, the fact is, there are far better options such as Bandcamp or Boomkat or whatever.

9. It's expensive
You want me to pay the same price as a CD for a digital version that's worse quality? Erm, no.

10. Fuck itunes
Just fuck it. Everything about it. Just fuck it. Itunes is just pure unadulterated bullshit. I've tried to focus on specific things but the fact is that there isn't a single good thing about itunes. Not one. Itunes stinks to high heaven. It's the very antithesis of independent music.


And yes, I know these ten points have ended with just irrational ranting but that's irrelevant. What labels and bands should understand is that I will never, ever, ever, ever in a million trillion years buy anything through itunes. And I know that goes for lots of other people too.

There are independent options so use them. Obviously I'd like to see more independent options become available but for the moment any option is better than itunes.