Comments on: Can Verizon V Cast take on iTunes?

Verizon Wireless has updated its V Cast music store with DRM-free tunes and a new subscription service, but that likely won't be enough to make a dent in Apple's dominance.

[whkeeler]

I don't mind paying .99 cents for a DRM free song, but the Vcast service needs to be free like apple itunes.

[bdennis410]

Anything, Anytime, Anywhere.
Remember that.
Any contemplation of the Internet/Mobi/wireless future which doesn't deliver the choice of Any Content, Anywhere, at Any time is dead before it starts.
A business model which might work is this sphere is one in which ALL Content is digital, measured, and Content is delivered on a Revenue Sharing model. Copyright owners get paid, Content owners get paid, and consumers get What they want, When they want it, Anywhere they are.
What could be better?

[jimalaiyah]

No. No, it can't.

[open-mind]

"They have helped tell the digital music story quite well, and they've tilted the ecosystem in one direction. But in some ways they have trapped people into one experience. And that's the problem we're trying to solve."



Boy, give that man a marketing degree! Oh wait ... based on his excellent marketing double-speak, he probably already has one. Sorry Verizon, but Apple is already pretty entrenched ... kind of like Windows. You had your chance with the iPhone, but didn't want to play. At this point, you need something significantly better or cheaper than iPod/iPhone/iTunes, and your product doesn't seem have it.

[SixVodkas]

open-mind, right on!

*and you should listen to the poor Verizon employees, reading their scripted responses when you buy an iPhone. It was tragic :-)

[k0zm0zs0ul]

I don't think Itunes can be overtaken personally.
www.squidoo.com/KrazySexyKewl
www.applefreak.net

[gbelk08]

Right now to download a song from VCast on your computer is $.99 but to download the same song onto your cell phone is $1.99. I love the fact that they're all DRM free because unlike most people I own ZERO apple products, but the extra price to download to my phone isn't helping me or Verizon for that matter!

Verizon needs to take the hint from Sprint's music store, that downloading songs onto your cell phone should be the same price as downloading them onto your computer. We live in an age of instant gratification, and ease of use sets the standards. I've been a satisfied Verizon customer for 9 years now, and that won't change. But I do purchase music through Amazon because of the great interface. And to get me to switch to their V Cast music, they need to make downloading songs on the phone $.99

[johnsimmons333]

Hi everyone...I am John from Mexico..I have seen your forum...Nice information provided here which is very useful to everyone....The music industry is in dire straits. Sales of CDs have been plummeting over recent years, and the industry hasn't been able to make up for the losses through digital distribution....
thanks for posting...Let me know more about this.....
==================================================================
simmons
<a href="http://DoRadio.com">http://DoRadio.com</a>

[johnsimmons333]

Hi everyone...I am John from Mexico..I have seen your forum...Nice information provided here which is very useful to everyone....The music industry is in dire straits. Sales of CDs have been plummeting over recent years, and the industry hasn't been able to make up for the losses through digital distribution....
thanks for posting...Let me know more about this.....
==================================================================
simmons
[url="http://DoRadio.com"]http://DoRadio.com[url]

[maneeshpan]

Personally I've used Verizon VCast Music in the past month to download music both to my computer and to the phone. I was disappointed that mobile music downloads with Verizon are costlier than Verizon music downloads to the computer. If I can download DRM free music in MP3 format from VCast to computer at 99 cents, add to iTunes and sync with Apple iPods, iPhone etc or use the Verizon VCast Music with Rhapsody software and sync music to a Verizon VCast powered phone and other devices so cheaply at 99 cents why charge $1.99 for mobile music downloads.

Anyways after that month I decided to cancel data service altogether from Verizon. In the past I have used Apple's iTunes Store also for music as well as video and bought music via the iTunes Wifi Store with my iPod Touch (mobile music downloads by Apple are at same price as they regularly would be on a computer with iTunes) and even tried Amazon MP3 for sometime last year.

Over the years I have accumulated quite a great music collection from various sources buying album CDs, buying songs via iTunes, Amazon MP3 or Verizon VCast etc or even downloading for free via peer 2 peer file sharing programs.

I only used VCast Music for 1 month and ended up with a much higher bill -- canceled all data on the phone whether it is games, music, video, etc all data service I have canceled and have discontinued downloading from VCast Music completely either via computer or phone. It was a 1 month experiment I won't be repeating. Now I'll just use my Verizon service for phone calls and texting.

Verizon VCast Music from my experience (in the month I used it) may not completely overtake iTunes in market share and may not generate more profits for the music companies than iTunes but VCast Music can help grow the market beyond iTunes which I think is exactly what Verizon Wireless's carrier based music download store is trying to do and with the likes of Amazon MP3 all these non iTunes digital storefronts will succeed in growing the market -- whether VCast Music will grow more than Amazon MP3 though and other digital storefronts separate from iTunes is yet to be seen.

I think though having tried p2p file sharing and legal music downloads I prefer p2p more and besides don't want to continue paying RIAA. Most music on VCast, iTunes or Amazon MP3 I have ever bought was by a RIAA label I may have some indy music but not a lot.

I don't want to pirate RIAA music or buy it though anymore -- I am joining the movement now to boycott RIAA and their likes (think MPAA also) so I'll be ending my participation in the legal music download market I contributed to these past few years soon -- for me it is time to get out. I'll continue to enjoy the music I have acquired both legally and via p2p in the past -- if I want to buy music I'll by indy music. No more RIAA!

Either I resume file sharing or stop acquiring new music altogether and just listen to songs every so often on the radio or songs I already have.