trustypepper
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Post by trustypepper on Jan 14, 2015 13:53:16 GMT -5
From Billboard:
"In a world where digital music sales are hurting, Apple may have just inadvertently created a new reason for people to skip the iTunes store. As some have pointed out, the free "Single of the Week" promotion has been absent from the store all year, fueling speculation that it has been discontinued.
Commenters from Britain, Italy and Australia have noted the promotion's absence in an iTunes support forum, and one user claims to have confirmed with Apple that it has been officially sunsetted.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment at press time.
A common complaint in the forum is that the free single was actually an effective incentive in bringing users to the store each week. Some say that without that entry point, they may not have made subsequent purchases.
"The free single of the week was the only reason I ever visited the iTunes Store," a user named Kymba36 wrote. "Like others, I usually ended up buying other songs and videos. Now I have no reason to ever visit there again. I can, and will, get my songs and videos elsewhere. Adios, Apple."
Added another unsatisfied customer, "If the single of the week is gone then I have zero reason to browse the store any longer."
The "Single of the Week" has been an iTunes staple since 2004 and featured a mix of emerging and well-known artists. In the U.K., some of the last entries included songs by actor Idris Elba, Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde and English singer-songwriter Rae Morris. Not surprisingly, artists and their labels would spend their time in the spotlight promoting the song to fans on social media.
The possible demise of "Single of the Week" follows Apple's cancellation of the "12 Days of Christmas" promotion, which for six years offered free books, movies and music right after Christmas."
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Jan 14, 2015 14:27:56 GMT -5
This is the most ridiculous article on the demise of the industry Billboard has tried to push yet. Do they really think the majority of iTunes users are only going to the store to get a free song from an artist they've never heard of 99% of the time?
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trustypepper
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Post by trustypepper on Jan 14, 2015 14:32:32 GMT -5
Personally I find the "now I have no reason to ever visit there again" comical and so over dramatic. I cannot imagine anyone who only uses the store for that purpose
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maine
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Post by maine on Jan 14, 2015 14:33:35 GMT -5
It sucks that it's gone and I hope we hear a full reason soon.
For what it's worth, the 'free on iTunes' link is back up on the front page, where before it was gone for a week. Not sure if that's any kind of sign.
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YourFaveIsAFlop
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Post by YourFaveIsAFlop on Jan 14, 2015 14:34:57 GMT -5
Personally I find the "now I have no reason to ever visit there again" comical and so over dramatic. I cannot imagine anyone who only uses the store for that purpose Exactly "Oh I used to buy my music on iTunes, but now they dont give me a song for a free that I probably don't want anyway, so I will just download illegally instead". What? That makes zero sense. |
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Gary
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Post by Gary on Jan 14, 2015 14:36:33 GMT -5
That is a realistic description of a block of itunes users.
Offer something for free, buy something else while you are there. This isn't us, the hardcore music fans who post on sites that routinely quote sales numbers. This is the casual music fan that likes music but doesn't want to pay for it. (The ad-based streaming people as it were)
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maine
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Post by maine on Jan 24, 2015 13:25:53 GMT -5
I think Single of the Week is back, but in a new form! There are now 15 free songs on iTunes now. If you click the 'Free on iTunes' button on the home page (the banner, not the quick link), you can discover them. Seems to look like the Amazon free songs thing that they just recently discontinued. Hopefully this is a regular thing. The songs are: "Been Waitin'" by: Nude Beach "Simple Machine (Alternate Version)" by: Guster "If It Does" by: Robin Bacior "Feel the Volume" by: Jauz "For No One" by: Houndmouth "Now We Die" by: Machine Head "Face the Fire" by: Michelle Chamuel "Tired Oak" by: Jessica Hernandez & The Deltas "Break Down the Walls" by: Asking Alexandria "Brother, Do You Know the World?" by: Hiss Golden Messager "Unkinder (A Tougher Love)" by: THUMPERS "Obedear" by: Purity Ring "Eyes" by: Rogue Wave "It All Feels Right" by: Washed Out "Infinite Cities" by: The Bright Light Social Hour ETA: Or click here: itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewFeature?cc=us&id=960482947 (US link) |
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Jan 24, 2015 14:57:45 GMT -5
Lol Asking Alexandria,
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imbondz
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Post by imbondz on Jan 24, 2015 15:03:19 GMT -5
Has there ever been a free single of the week that blew up and got huge?
I haven't downloaded a free single in years cuz they usually sucked.
I'd rather find new artists just using Spotify and Pandora, or this forum.
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maine
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Post by maine on Jan 24, 2015 15:04:00 GMT -5
Has there ever been a free single of the week that blew up and got huge? I haven't downloaded a free single in years cuz they usually sucked. I'd rather find new artists just using Spotify and Pandora, or this forum. Numerous...... |
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Libra
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Post by Libra on Jan 24, 2015 15:53:23 GMT -5
"Break Down the Walls" by: Asking Alexandria This is the only one of the batch where I thought the artist looked familiar; I searched to confirm (for me, anyway  ) that this is old (scratched the Active Top 20 last year). Hoping that's not a harbinger of things to come with the others... |
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maine
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Post by maine on Jan 24, 2015 16:02:27 GMT -5
"Break Down the Walls" by: Asking Alexandria This is the only one of the batch where I thought the artist looked familiar; I searched to confirm (for me, anyway  ) that this is old (scratched the Active Top 20 last year). Hoping that's not a harbinger of things to come with the others... Yeah, the Rogue Wave song is from 2006 lol. Some are new and some are old. Of the 4 that I downloaded: Michelle Chamuel (The Voice contestant from a few years ago) and Guster were at the end of last year, the THUMPERS song (realllly good) was 2013, and The Bright Light Social Hour song was released last week. It varies on this one. My guess is this is how it'll be, but maybe not dating back nearly 10 years lol. Probably like Amazon's new artist spotlight that was just discontinued. |
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Libra
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Post by Libra on Jan 24, 2015 16:04:06 GMT -5
Yeah, the Rogue Wave song is from 2006 lol. Some are new and some are old. Of the 4 that I downloaded: Michelle Chamuel (The Voice contestant from a few years ago) and Guster were at the end of last year, the THUMPERS song (realllly good) was 2013, and The Bright Light Social Hour song was released last week. It varies on this one. My guess is this is how it'll be, but maybe not dating back nearly 10 years lol. Probably like Amazon's new artist spotlight that was just discontinued. LOL, well that narrows it down a bit. |
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Chelsea Press 2
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Post by Chelsea Press 2 on Jan 24, 2015 16:56:05 GMT -5
For the last few months, Google Play has a few singles and albums that are available for free, same with a few they sell at deep promotional discounts. Perhaps iTunes is modifying the Free Single Of The Week thing to be similar to that. Let's see of they keep this reinvented version of it.
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Green Baron
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Post by Green Baron on Jan 24, 2015 17:00:53 GMT -5
Now We Die is a great song, but I already bought that.
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Au$tin
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Post by Au$tin on Jan 24, 2015 17:04:02 GMT -5
Has there ever been a free single of the week that blew up and got huge? All of these have charted after being featured as SOTW: Sara Bareilles - Love Song Owl City - Fireflies Colbie Caillat - Try Echosmith - Cool Kids Banks - Beggin for Thread Milky Chance - Stolen Dance Jamie N Commons - Jungle Rixton - Me and My Broken Heart KONGOS - I'm Only Joking Vance Joy - Riptide Kelly Clarkson - Underneath the Tree John Newman - Love Me Again NoNoNo - Pumpin Blood Chvrches - The Mother We Share HAIM - The Wire The 1975 - Chocolate Bastille - Pompeii Kacey Musgraves - Blowin' Smoke And that's not all of them. There's plenty more, I'm just not remembering. |
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Post by josh on Jan 25, 2015 4:33:07 GMT -5
Kurt, can we have a thread solely to link to free music? Personally, I always forgot to check the new free songs on iTunes each week, and I know there are (sometimes) free songs/albums on Amazon, Google Play, and various other places as well. I think having a thread where people could post when stuff gets made free would be pretty beneficial.
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Post by Kurt on Jan 25, 2015 10:28:09 GMT -5
Kurt, can we have a thread solely to link to free music? Personally, I always forgot to check the new free songs on iTunes each week, and I know there are (sometimes) free songs/albums on Amazon, Google Play, and various other places as well. I think having a thread where people could post when stuff gets made free would be pretty beneficial. That sounds good to me! Do you want to make it or shall I? |
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Post by josh on Jan 25, 2015 12:25:18 GMT -5
Kurt, can we have a thread solely to link to free music? Personally, I always forgot to check the new free songs on iTunes each week, and I know there are (sometimes) free songs/albums on Amazon, Google Play, and various other places as well. I think having a thread where people could post when stuff gets made free would be pretty beneficial. That sounds good to me! Do you want to make it or shall I? You can. I'm not sure where to put the thread, anyways. |
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SHOOTER
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Post by SHOOTER on Jan 29, 2015 21:14:46 GMT -5
They now have a whole Free on iTunes section that offers complimentary songs and TV shows. There's 16 songs available currently.  |
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summers
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Post by summers on Jan 30, 2015 3:34:05 GMT -5
I used to get good tracks from the Australian store like Ho Hey, Sweater Weather and Take Me To Church, long before they were big hits in the USA. I hope the Free on iTunes section will be made available for the Aussie store as well.
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MiniMusic
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Post by MiniMusic on Mar 10, 2015 20:34:22 GMT -5
I remember I got "Pretty Girl Rock" by Keri Hilson as SOTW... honestly that song was a bop.
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