Apple to Standardize iTunes Pricing Across Europe

• Posted: Friday, January 11, 2008
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Apple, iPhone

Apple announced that within the next six months it will lower download fees on its U.K. iTunes storefront to match standardized pricing across its other European iTunes sites, threatening to "reconsider" its continuing relationship with any British record label that does not lower its wholesale prices.

According to Apple, at present it must pay some labels more to distribute their music in the U.K. than it pays to distribute the same content across 16 European markets Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland including Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

Apple currently must pay some record labels more to distribute their music in the UK than it pays them to distribute the same music elsewhere in Europe. Apple will reconsider its continuing relationship in the UK with any record label that does not lower its wholesale prices in the UK to the pan-European level within six months.

"This is an important step towards a pan-European marketplace for music," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs in a prepared statement. "We hope every major record label will take a pan-European view of pricing."

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications.

Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone. [FierceMobileContent]

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