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Partial Albums????

e-coli

e-coli

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 27, 2002
1,962
1,363
It seems like every album I want to buy through iTunes is a "partial album". I even checked out that new Godsmack album (which is "recommended"), and the full "unsanitized" album is only available as a partial album.

What gives? So far it's been pretty worthless for me.
 
I have noticed that some of the albums with less than 10 songs are partial albums with all the songs. I guess that is so you can pay the cheaper, per song price. Rip it Up is an example. Even though it is a partial album, it contains all the songs. I guess they didn't want to make the price 9.99 or 99xthe number of songs.

The godsmack album has 12 songs, though, so I am not sure what the deal is, probably something to do with artist.
 
But even Stevie Ray Vaughan albums are all partials. Only 1 Radiohead album (from 5 years ago).

I think the service has a long way to go.
 
On a couple of the CDs I looked at that said partial album I found that one track would be "conveniently" missing, as if to prevent the sale of the entire album for $9.99. The one song that was missing was always random/unpopular/never a single or a bonus track that was "hidden" on the CD. Seems like a way to get more money out of you by forcing you to buy all the tracks individually if you want an almost full album (less one song that you probably didn't really care about anyway).
 
I also noticed there are no Bob Dylan albums for sale. Some of them are partial songs, and some just can't be bought as a full album. Each song must be bought separately.

I don't think that some albums are available as songs only because they don't have ten tracks, as i have seen some with less than ten tracks, and then the price of the album is adjusted.

I think it just depends on the contracts with the labels and artists.
 
From the New York Times:
Still, even Mr. Jobs's high-gear charisma hasn't swayed all agents and bands to permit their music to be sold online. That's why the Beatles, Britney Spears, Metallica, Madonna, the Backstreet Boys, the Rolling Stones and other top-tier names are absent so far from all commercial download services, including Apple's. Apple lists hundreds of other bands but sometimes offers only older albums or selected tracks. But if anything will persuade these musicians to try selling their music online, it's the iTunes Music Store.
Click to expand...
Let us assume that Steve is not trying to screw us... He isn't saying to the people running the store, don't let anyone download that song, unless they are one of my friends. Let us instead assume that it is probably something that the record company is insisting on, or the artist is doing.

Yes, there are plenty of labels that needed to be added to the system. Beggar's Banquet, Wax Trax, for example, but the store itself is incredible (IMHO). It works great for me. Even the lack of international support of the store is not Steve's fault, it is the record labels that are keeping it from being available to everyone on the planet. Another thing that we need to know is that the labels have only agreed to do this for one year. They are allowed to pull out if they are not happy. I have certainly bought more music in the past week than I have all year.
 
But then why is it that I can buy numerous albums with "clean" lyrics for album price, but the original version is missing a track and can't be purchased as an album?

Seems like someone is trying to screw us via price fixing as consumers. Just MHO.

It won't be a viable service to me until the entire Virgin Megastore is available online for purchase as full albums.
 
Originally posted by e-coli
It won't be a viable service to me until the entire Virgin Megastore is available online for purchase as a full album.
Click to expand...

Certainly your choice... Virgin Megastores are great if you live near one. I don't, but certainly stop in anytime I am near one. The Apple Music Store will not keep me out of brick and mortar music stores anymore than Amazon (where I buy a ton of DVDs, music, books, etc) keeps me out of Borders or B&N. It is certainly a place to look, since it is super easy to look something up, and $10 for an album is an excellent price. I would even spend a buck or two on a couple of good songs on a partial album that I wanted to go to buy a physical CD from, if I really liked the artist.

I don't think that Steve Jobs expects anyone to never shop for music anywhere else.
 
this seems quite disturbing. steve has said you can buy the album for $10 but from what it looks like ... you really cant. by changing the amount of actually songs that were on a cd your changing what the artist created. a perfect example would have been dark side of the moon. if you change the song count. all the songs that i remember in the order i remember them in would be screwed. then i could not play it to mywizard of oz movie and synch it. i guess what i am saying is. it can not be called the album if it's missing certain tracks. that were on the original album..

:rolleyes:
 
just watch out guys, buying all these songs can get your credit card cancelled. credit card company will thing fraud with 20 99 cent purchases on your bill.

iJon
 
Originally posted by iJon
just watch out guys, buying all these songs can get your credit card cancelled. credit card company will thing fraud with 20 99 cent purchases on your bill.

iJon
Click to expand...
If you buy multiple songs around the same time, Apple will bill you in one shot. For example, I purchased 2 songs about a day apart. Both songs were billed together (with tax --- agggh), for a total of $2.10.
 
I noticed some albums were 9.99 and some were 9.90. I thought I even saw an album for 11 something dollars.

Here is something that is discouraging: The Audioslave was 9.99. Today I noticed you can't buy the album anymore. You have to buy it buy song only. I can buy it for 14 bucks at the local store.

Here is something else: For 2 days now I noticed in the books and spoken section, if you look on the bottom it has a place for just added. Go ahead and click on denis Leary... oh wait... it's not in the store... It would be different if it was in the coming soon area... but it's not... it's in the "Just added"
 

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Originally posted by ftaok
If you buy multiple songs around the same time, Apple will bill you in one shot. For example, I purchased 2 songs about a day apart. Both songs were billed together (with tax --- agggh), for a total of $2.10.
Click to expand...
ah very interesting, thanks for the heads up, looks like the they thought this part out as well too.

iJon
 
I searched our lady peace, and all of their CDs had 1-3 songs missing, that would stear me away from buying a CD (I allready had all of OLPs CDs).

They also had 2 songs off one of their CDs, one being 15 seconds long at 99 cents.
 
Well, it's official. Every single CD I have wanted to purchase (with the exception of 1) or attempted to purchase has been a partial album.

Needless to say, I've spent 10 dollars. Had they been full albums, I'd be in the hundreds of dollars. :rolleyes:
 
Disappointing

I agree, the partial album thing leaves me very disappointed. Several times I searched through the library and when I finally found a "CD" to buy it was a "partial album". I won't buy a partial album.

Another problem is when burning the AAC's to CD, they're definitely not CD quality. I know this has been argued about here extensively, and the MSN article caused some violent denials by people here at Macrumors, but it's true. Through my Harmon Kardon Soundsticks and the iPod the AAC files sound great. In my Bose stereo in my car they are noticeably inferior to CD's. Still pretty good, and quite listenable, but it bothers me a little that when I'm buying music from the iTunes store I'm not quite getting what I get when I go to Virgin.

On the other hand, the convenience factor is amazing. This morning I bought an album and it downloaded by the time I put my shoes and jacket on, within literally two minutes I had it copied to my iPod and i was outside listening to it. That customer experience can't be beat. And, I downloaded a few singles for a DVD I was making and it was great to only drop 99 cents instead of a buying a whole disc.

If they fill out the selection a little, and have just complete albums the store will do so much better. I'm glad I'm not the only one who is pissed off about this.
 
opposite experience

Two albums I wanted, with 20 tracks each (they are greatest hits albums) were available as full album purchases for $9.99.

50¢ a song! Woo-hoo!
 
Originally posted by e-coli
It won't be a viable service to me until the entire Virgin Megastore is available online for purchase as full albums.
Click to expand...

virgin megastore?? that place blows. it all about Generation Records and Jammyland (new yorkers know what im talkin about)
 
sure, Virgin might not have all the indie labels, but their elecronica / dance / euro imports section is the best anywhere.

And I'm comparing iTunes music store to a brick and mortar store that sells major label albums.

;)
 
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