Market research firm NPD Group issued a report today explaining that Amazon MP3 is growing but not taking away customers from Apple’s iTunes. It seems that only 10% of Amazon MP3 shoppers in February were iTunes shoppers previously.
As a result, we have sites like CNET asking this question: “The big question now is whether Amazon can continue to grow without snatching away customers from Apple.”
Not that this study isn’t likely to be accurate, but I have to wonder, who are these people that are using Amazon MP3 without having shopped on iTunes previously? Remember when Amazon MP3 was originally released? I can’t think of any press coverage that didn’t compare and contrast it with iTunes.
I mean, it’s an easy comparison. Why wouldn’t you switch? Amazon MP3 is DRM-free, cheaper, high quality, and has no switching costs (seamlessly integrates with iTunes).
That was enough to get me to switch. But apparently iTunes (which I still use, by the way) has something as part of its shopping experience that justifies restricted, more expensive music.
Q: “who are these people that are using Amazon MP3 without having shopped on iTunes previously?”
A: Me 🙂
I’m not a fan of iTunes and detest having to have the software installed on my computer just to browse/purchase music. Amazon let’s you shop without extra software (you know like every other online store in the world except iTMS), and I don’t have to use an iPod or iTunes to play the music. So it works on my phone, in my car, on my Xbox, in Media Center, etc.
I know a lot of people use iTunes/iPods but apparently there is a pretty good sized market of people unwilling to be baptized into the church of Apple just to listen to their music. You don’t buy music with DRM on it, you lease it.
Paul-
But you had heard of iTunes previously and already rejected it, right? I guess I’m just thinking that it’s a little presumptuous to think Amazon isn’t taking Apple customers if (I’m assuming here) most Amazon MP3 customers have already tried and rejected iTunes as a shopping service.
In other words, Amazon is getting many customers that Apple should have had. So if I were Apple, I’d still be worried despite this new report.
I had heard of iTunes, but have never had it installed on my primary computer. I have never purchased a track from iTunes. Funny enough, I did purchase a song at the Real Music Store, which is why I will never by any DRM’d track ever again. I just realized I have never given a single dollar to Apple in my entire life. I have used all sorts of Apple computers (II, IIgs, Mac SE30, various iMacs, MBP, etc), software (Quicktime, iTunes, OS X, etc), and of course various iPods, but I have never owned any of it.
Paul, that’s no small feat!
It sure seemed easy to me. It isn’t like a made a conscious choice when I was 10 that I wouldn’t support Apple. I just haven’t ever liked their products.