News: European Union proposes European iTunes Store

SevenFootSounds

Quote:

EU proposes European iTunes Store

We've all been there. You fire open iTunes or any other premium content provider to download (legally) your favourite music track or that album you wanted to buy in Holland or wherever but didn't have the time, and it's not there. Why?

Because you're in the wrong region of the European Union. Despite the single market economy, many of the 27 member nation states still don't talk to one another, and collecting societies are no different.

That could soon change.

The European Commission today proposed changes to licensing rules that could see online content stores --- such as iTunes or Amazon --- selling music and other content across Europe.

Currently, music rights and the like are licensed mainly on a national basis, but the Internet has broken down the walls of national borders and taken to iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify in a bid to reach out to the wider European community.

Consumers don't think about national borders either, and therein lies the rub. No wonder piracy is off the charts; most Europeans can't legally access the music they want to buy and download.

The proposals made would require greater transparency and better management for groups that collect royalties and copyright holders alike. The rules would encourage rights to be licensed more widely, the Commission said in a statement.

"Some collecting societies struggle to adapt to the requirements of the management of rights for online use of musical works, in particular in a cross-border context," said EU Internal Market Commissioner Michel Barnier.

Collecting societies, which act as intermediaries between the composers, musicians and content creators and those who seek to sell their work. These societies need to be more "efficient," the Commission added.

Some collecting societies have "struggled to adapt" to the requirements of rights management for music in particular across borders. The new proposals would see companies like Apple, Amazon, Google and Spotify --- to name a few --- to obtain licenses for music and other content to their online stores and see revenue distributed fairly back to the content creators.

iTunes is available in all 27 member states, but accounts for just shy of 20 percent of all the recording industry's revenue in 2010, compared to around 50 percent in the United States, the New York Times said.

Rights holders would ultimately be better protected, the Commission said, and give consumers increased access to "cultural content" outside of their EU member state.

There are more than 250 collecting societies in the EU, with one collecting society in each member state representing all of some of a category of rights holders --- such as composers or artists. The Commission said the EU recorded music market is around €6 billion ($7.37 bn; £4.74 bn).

http://www.zdnet.com/eu-proposes-cha...it-7000000698/

Bibliotheque

Yes please

Tantei

I'm here for that.

Lucas32

Quote:

Originally posted by Tantei

I'm here for that.

+1

MarryTheMonster

Wait...are they making 1 store for whole Europe? Like, putting all the stores togheter? or making one extra store for whole Europe while the others are still there?

Cz!

United States of Europe.

iamstrong

Take That's next album can now sell a million copies in a week

Ronaldista

Quote:

Originally posted by MarryTheMonster

Wait...are they making 1 store for whole Europe? Like, putting all the stores togheter? or making one extra store for whole Europe while the others are still there?

I think every country could keep their own store, but there would be no more differences what music is available in which country. it'd become available in every European store at the same time.

Kworb

Quote:

Originally posted by borntodie

I think every country could keep their own store, but there would be no more differences what music is available in which country. it'd become available in every European store at the same time.

I hope so. Would be to sad to lose the iTunes charts per country.

B2R4D

They should do this for the whole world. You register an account to a certain country, then it displays all the prices in your local currency. Then their could be an option for a worldwide chart, or to view local charts. That way, music could be available at the same time for all countries. This could be good for the industry. Sometimes countries either miss out on music, or it's released at a latter date. A world store would fix this problem.

bleuwaffle

All stores across the world should sell the same things, I couldn't tell you how many times I've wanted something from a foreign store

MarryTheMonster

Quote:

Originally posted by borntodie

I think every country could keep their own store, but there would be no more differences what music is available in which country. it'd become available in every European store at the same time.

I would be here for same release date all over the Europe!

Quote:

Originally posted by B2R4D

They should do this for the whole world. You register an account to a certain country, then it displays all the prices in your local currency. Then their could be an option for a worldwide chart, or to view local charts. That way, music could be available at the same time for all countries. This could be good for the industry. Sometimes countries either miss out on music, or it's released at a latter date. A world store would fix this problem.

Loved that idea! We need local charts, cause my Norwegian fave would flop harder than anything on a EU store

Wazzzup

I'd be here for it tbh!

MarryTheMonster

Would rather have same release date as the US..waiting 1 day extra for Starships + Part of Me was pain

Dizzy

YASSS! I have TOO many European artists that I love, but just can't buy good quality music of theirs.

jinzo

Excellent. Wouldn't a joint European market be bigger than the US?

Golden

Quote:

Originally posted by jinzo

Excellent. Wouldn't a joint European market be bigger than the US?

Problably not. People buy more music in the U.S. than anywhere elsewhere, and even if all the seperate markets were to be combined to one, it still would be lesser than the U.S. market. For example, daily sales of the #1 on the Dutch iTunes chart is around 300 whereas in the U.S. it's above 20,000. And the Dutch music market is the 9th biggest in the world..