DepecheMode
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EMI & Depeche Mode offer first iTunes Pass
I don't want to start any blasphemous rumors... but 'groundbreaking electro legends' isn't the first phrase I'd use to describe Depeche Mode. (In case you were wondering, that first phrase would be 'New Wave, eminently danceable Brit synth veterans,' but right there you have ample reason why I write about computers and not bands.) In any case, Dave Gahan, Martin L. Gore & co. will be the first band to offer an iTunes Pass. Customers can pay $19 to pre-order the band's next album, Sounds of the Universe, and get 'Wrong' (the first single) and a dub remix immediately. Over the next 3+ months, they'll automatically get the new album along with additional tracks and video exclusives. From the EMI release:"The relationship between Depeche Mode and their fans has always been our top priority," said the band's manager, Jonathan Kessler. "We are thrilled to be the first to participate with Apple in giving fans the kind of deep musical experience they expect from Depeche Mode."Truth is, I don't see much difference between the iTunes Pass approach and a "special edition" iTunes expanded album with videos + singles added on, except that this has the same effect as a television show's Season Pass of frontloading the revenue and dribbling the content out over several weeks. Granted, for DM fans this is a nice way of jumping into the new stuff and getting extra goodies, but it's not a dramatically different way of delivering music. If you want to find out more about iTunes Pass provisions (yes, all the music will be DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks), check out the details page within iTunes.[via Macrumors]
Apple experiments with iTunes Pass: it's not what you think, and it's lame
If it seems like Ma and Pops over at the iTunes store are toying with the idea of subscription music, look again. The iTunes Pass is more akin to buying a season of Celebrity Rehab: long-time Depeche Mode fans can put down $18.99 to get everything the band releases between now and the seemingly arbitrary date of June 16, 2009, including the new single, various promotional bits (remixes, videos, etc.) and the Sounds of the Universe album when it's eventually released. The audio comes in iTunes Plus (256kbps / AAC / no DRM) format, and while Apple doesn't say exactly what you'll be getting, the company promises that you won't wind up paying more for the pass than the value of everything you receive. Of course, what we'd really like to see is this sort of a deal for a band that didn't peak twenty years ago. In the meantime, we'll be catching up with Depeche Mode the way nature intended -- during the weekly spin of Personal Jesus at 80's Night.[Via Tech Digest]
