EU investigations sure know how to wield results
Apple has today announced plans to lower the costs of music on its UK iTunes music score within six months. By doing so, it will match the the standardised pricing already available throughout Europe.
In an official press release, Apple states it currently has to pay certain record labels more to distribute music in the UK than they would to distribute elsewhere in Europe. As a result, the company has taken a stand and vowed to reconsider relationships with any record labels that don't lower wholesale UK prices.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said "This is an important step towards a pan-European marketplace for music. We hope every major record label will take a pan-European view of pricing."
Consumer group Which? had originally lodged a complaint against Apple's UK pricing in 2004 and the European Union stepped in to investigate last year. Users of Apple's UK iTunes store currently pay 79p per song, 5p more than the 74p paid throughout Europe.
Chris Warner, Which? lawyer says "We hope other internet companies will follow Apple's lead and match UK prices to prices in continental Europe".
We hear you Chris. It's nice to see the UK beginning to get in line with European prices. Next on the to-do list is to get Apple to match the US iTunes store where customers pay a mere 50p per song.
Official press release: Apple to Standardize iTunes Music Prices Throughout Europe
