iTunes Music Store kinda sorta sells full-length movie

It may not have won any Oscars, Emmys or Peabodys, but the Disney made-for-TV flick "High School Musical" (which looks like a sort of "Fame" knockoff) has earned the dubious distinction of being the first full-length movie to be sold by Apple on the iTunes Music Store. Sort of. While a direct link to the movie does indeed take you to a page where you can buy it, you won't find it any other way. In fact, although the movie is listed on the Disney Channel's page on iTMS, there's no link to actually buy it. Then there's the price. The movie reportedly initially appeared on iTMS for $1.99, then disappeared for a few hours, only to reappear at a $9.99 price point. From the looks of things, this seems like another pricing experiment from Apple, akin to the recent "multi-pass" offering for "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report," which lets customers pay $9.99 per month for all episodes of the two shows. As far as price tests go, that's one that seems to pass; as for paying $9.99 for a low-res copy of a movie of the week that will probably show up in Blockbuster's remainder bin in a month, let's just say it's time for Apple and Disney to go back to school for a bit.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

[Crispin @ Mar 15th 2006 12:08PM]

It doesn't help that the Disney Channel shows this movie every other night. Yes I have a 4 year old, why do you ask?

[Michael Berkman @ Mar 15th 2006 12:11PM]

not so fast batman... My kids (iPod owners and users) know every song from that stupid movie and it's sweeping the nation. Look for many, many downloads. This could be the kickoff of the big streamathon that we're all waiting for...

[c.Lake @ Mar 15th 2006 12:19PM]

$10.00 bucks for a low-rez, "Fame" rip-off. Um... no. Try again Apple.

[andrew @ Mar 15th 2006 12:20PM]

This movie is terrible. no seriously-it's bad.

[Brian @ Mar 15th 2006 12:23PM]

I one a Peabody once. It was okay.

[Sha66y @ Mar 15th 2006 12:28PM]

Not a bad movie when you consider the audience. More of a Grease knock-off than Fame.

Get your head in the game. S*#t I for one will be buying this for my daughter. Already bought all the Suite Life episodes.

Has anyone seen my testicles?

[David @ Mar 15th 2006 12:30PM]

But is it so bad that it's a little bit good? :P

[BobMac @ Mar 15th 2006 12:32PM]

I think $1.99 was too "cheap" and $9.99 is too "expensive." I hope Apple does start offering movies, but ten bucks is too much for the quality of the download. I realize, however, that DVD-quality movies would be too large a download for most users and would go to waste on the iPod's small screen. $5 for a movie playable only on the iPod seems more reasonable.

[disnizzle @ Mar 15th 2006 12:36PM]

definitely buying this, and i have a half an inch penis, live w/ my parents, watch disney and i'm 38 years old. and yeah i read engadget religously.

[rasbill @ Mar 15th 2006 12:37PM]

Sha66y no we have not seen your testicles, thanks but no thanks

[Silver @ Mar 15th 2006 12:40PM]

Is this some kind of sick joke? $9.99 for a made-for-TV "movie" that will be replayed on the Disney Channel about a billion times anyway?

Why am I starting to get a really bad feeling about this whole "buying music, TV and movies online" idea?

[Regula Oblique @ Mar 15th 2006 12:58PM]

Thats my joint..."You gotta getcha getcha getcha head in the game"

[Jon Xiang @ Mar 15th 2006 1:02PM]

The same moron who made this "movie" probably set the price....

[Ben @ Mar 15th 2006 1:07PM]

you know, not everyone got Disney Channel ....

[MrFloppy @ Mar 15th 2006 1:10PM]

9.99$ for a 90min movie? Come on!
Double episodes cost 1.99 (still very expensive).

Anyway, that 9.99 multi-pass experiment sounds good, expensive, but good.

[Jason @ Mar 15th 2006 1:22PM]

$9.99 is a ridiculous price point. I can get PPV for $4-$5. These downloads should be at a price point to complete with pay per view.

I'm still of the mind that the pricing for these services is just too high. I mean, I'd love to be able to buy subscriptions 5 or 6 TV shows a month, but that has to cost LESS than the cable bill it would be replacing. Otherwise, what's the point? At $10/month per show times 6, that's my $60 cable bill. With NONE of the extra content I can get from cable. I don't see the point. Now, if I could get $5/month shows, now we're talking!!

Does anyone know -- can you burn these iTunes video downloads to DVD? I mean, they let you burn your iTunes music to CD, so why not this?

[DG @ Mar 15th 2006 1:54PM]

So...will the iPod's battery hold up for an entire movie?

$4 is a good price.

[Wry Cooter @ Mar 15th 2006 1:55PM]

The thing is, it is NOT on DVD yet, is it? Hard to be in a remainder bin that way.

High School Musical was a fluke, and if this were up and available back at the earlier demand spike that pushed the soundtrack recording into the charts, it would have made everyone concerned a lot of money, without having to move chunks of plastic through brick and mortar. It will probably still do very well as a download.

[Joe A. @ Mar 15th 2006 2:03PM]

This is a first step in the right direction for Apple. My only complaint,as with most,is the $9.99 price point it's alittle much, if Apple hopes to compete with other VOD services they need to lower there prices to something more reasonable or offer there customers some sort of incensetive that would justify paying this premium.

[Sean DL @ Mar 15th 2006 2:32PM]

Well does any know the exact price to SELL movies on iTunes?

Unlike music and TV shows, there isn't exactly an easy answer on this. Seeing as that Movies range from 30 bucks for special editions all the way down to 5.99 for older ones at Wal Mart/ Best Buy. and those prices go up and down at those stores dissection.

So we'll see when real movies show up where they actually go(This "movie" is more of an extra long TV show, so 9.99 for it is a little steep, but it is in tune to the TV show pricing( 3 half hour shows=2.99 and times that by 3 and your get 9.99).

Movie pricing will be way different., but don't be surprise that new movies will be more closer to Wal Mart "New releases" prices(13.99)

[Jandro @ Mar 15th 2006 2:36PM]

hmm, my sister told me that this movie isnt as good as the other Disney movies.. but my little 8yr old sister seems to enjoy it =P

[Nick @ Mar 15th 2006 4:31PM]

Disregarding the quality of the movie, $9.99 may not seem so high considering the size (~400MB) and the bandwidth cost associated with downloading it. Don't forget the percentage that goes to Disney.

Still, I think $9.99 is high, but not outrageous. $4.99 probably doesn't cover costs, so maybe $7.99 might be easier to swallow.

[Skippy @ Mar 15th 2006 6:21PM]

Great movie for pre/twe/teens! my daiughter has watched it 20 times on Disney Channel. But save your money, and wait for the DVD release in MAy. It will include a sing along version and lots of other goodies.

And, NO, I do NOT work for Disney. I'm just the father of a funky 2nd grader!

[Judson @ Mar 15th 2006 7:54PM]

FYI for those complaning on the first movie, there are a few simple explanations on why it is on here and why its the first.

1. Pixar/Disney deal. Thats a no brainer.
2. Highschool Musical was the top telecast in Disney history.
3. High school musical was number one in iTunes (the Soundtrack) for about 3 weeks and remained in the top in for a good 2-3. It now lingers in the 10-20 spot.
4. Steve Jobs believes that an adult will watch a movie once or twice, but a child will watch their favorite movie dozens of times.

I am sure however the next movies we will see are some pixar flicks.

[Jesse @ Mar 15th 2006 10:35PM]

While this movie may seem quite bad to an adult, kids are eating it up. My kids have watched it at least a dozen times. I'd much rather have it on an ipod than eating up space on my DVR.

The facts are Disney Channel got something like 29 million total viewers for the movie's first couple of showings. That's crazy cable ratings for ad-free Disney. The Disney Channel website got its biggest hits ever coinciding with the movie premier and the soundtrack SHIPPED gold and there is already a sequel in the works.(Source=Disney newsletter.) And... Radio Disney promotes it with contests like lunch with the stars, which the kids and I heard this morning. Oh, and they just did an extended version this past weekend with dance tutorial breaks instead of commercials.

Fact is no matter how corny this movie is, it is HUGE with tweenies, and those tweenies have a good amount of disposable income, not to mention parents willing to open their wallets to keep those kids happy. This is a very smart move for Disney and Apple to make some money and somehow set a precedent on pricing, even if most of us think it's nuts.

Now if only my DVR would erase it because it's a few weeks old... CRAP! The kids locked it to never erase.

[Rob @ Mar 16th 2006 2:31PM]

10 - 15 year olds have a good amount of disposable income?

It's time to start charging those freeloaders rent!

[Rock and Roll Jew @ Mar 17th 2006 2:13AM]

Glad I'm not the only crazy one, my daughter has seen the movie 10+times. The Sing-A-Long version. The Dance-A-Long version. She has the soundtrack on her iPod. I'm a Disney sucker. Yea, we watch suite life as well.

[applesucksLeo @ Apr 13th 2006 4:24PM]

No thanks Mr. Jobs-Pod...I recorded it for free with my HDTV Wonder`s video inputs and now I can watch it on ANY device I want , when I want without your silly DRM. WAKE UP America ! Stop padding Job`s pockets for video you all ready get either for free(I get 44 OTA HDTV channels with a small UHF antenna) or is part of your satellite/cable package. Also , the native resolution is much better than that crap Apple calls "video".

[Maneesh Pangasa @ Apr 18th 2006 9:53PM]

Looks like High School Musical the movie has dissappeared from iTunes again although the soundtrack and the music videos are still there. Wonder what's going on over at Apple and Disney.

Why did they take it offline again. Did HSM sales on iTunes fail -- after all this did seem like an experiment on Apple's part on whether or not to sell full length movies on iTunes. Or is it going to come back online later at perhaps a lower price.

It was originally on iTunes after all for $1.99 but then dissappeared and reappared later for the fee of $9.99. Maybe they are reavaluating their pricing strategy. It might come back on at a lower price if it wasn't doing well at the higher price. Its just I thought new content would be added to iTunes but none would be removed. It shouldn't have been removed like that? Should it? I mean some people still bought it when it was online for $1.99 and $9.99 -- probably more did though when it was $1.99.

Anyways that's just my 2 cents.

[Maneesh P. @ Apr 18th 2006 9:56PM]

Oh and another thing not only has HSM been removed from iTunes but on the webpage at DisneyChannel.com advertising programs on iTunes Music Store (iTMS)'s video section has also removed HSM from that page as one of the programs in iTunes.

[Anne @ Apr 19th 2006 9:03AM]

I'm 19 and I really like the movie, as do my 7 and 10 year old sisters. Yes, 9.99 is a bit high to pay for it, but for people that can't afford a portable DVD player, buying it on itunes is kinda ideal. And it's a good way for the companies to make money because if they realese the itunes version before the DVD version, people will end up buying both. A lot of people buy the DVD versions because of the special features, which you more the likely would not be able to get with the downloaded copy.

[Mike @ Apr 23rd 2006 10:48PM]

Disney's High School Musical strikes GOLD!

Brilliant soundtrack; great story; and fantastic lessons.

Our children seem to love this hit, and that's all that matters. Who cares that a few adults on this thread don't like the movie.

Do you really think Disney makes movies for adults?

Sorry to shatter your reality.

My children love the movie.

I love singing along with my kids while trying to figure out those dance steps.

Shattering stereotypes and dreams deferred and glass ceilings benefit our children.

If some people consider this movie "corny," I only wish all our schools were corney. Our children would benefit.

My family will gladly hand over money to enjoy High School Musical. We have the soundtrack; we'll have the DVD; we have the fun.

Sit back and enjoy.

Allow life to be corny. Don't get too wrapped up in the $$$ and the drama/sex/violence/cheating/drugs/alcohol, etc we've all come to expect from every other TV show, movie, commercial, and song.

In our family, High School Musical earns an A+ -- it holds its own as a quality movie.

For all the money we parents spend on stuff that falls apart even before our children play with it, why all the noise about Apple, Pixar, Steve Jobs, iTunes, pricing, movie quality, etc?

Simple question: Do our children enjoy this family-friendly movie?

Relax,
Mike

[Katie @ May 26th 2006 10:33PM]

HOW COME THIS MOVIE IS SUDDENLY HORRIBLE 2 EVERY1???

last i heard it was one of NUMBER ONE TOP OF THE CHARTS MOVIE...thingy


and PLUS even though its on disney alot, some other shows on TV on itunes are! u get them so u can watch it ANYWHERE!!!! NOT JUST IN UR LIVINGROOM!!!!

PLUS it is a GOOD MOVIE!!!WHY IS EVERY1 DISSIN IT???

I SAY ITS WORTH $10 CUZ U GET 2 SEE IT ALOT!


AND ITS A GREAT MOVIE!


~so ha,

KATIE

[Remyr @ Oct 22nd 2006 11:33PM]

How can I get the full movie of high school musical in myspace profile and can you help me please

[cin @ Nov 4th 2006 8:37AM]

Wow! I stumbled upon this while looking for High School Musical Live tickets. I am Mother to 7 and 11 year olds. I am crazy close with my 5 and 14 year old nieces. Watching, singing, dancing, and quizzing each other to High School Musical has provided tons of fun and laughter for our group ranging in age from 5 to 37. Corny? No way. This is good family stuff. We can't wait to see the show.