Back in October, Gizmodo published this post: Apple to Indie Labels: iTunes LP Is Out of Your League
LPs aren’t being offered to indies and that there are only about 12 LPs being offered right now. They also said that iTunes charges a $10,000 production fee for them as well. So that pretty much edges out the indie market completely.
I was shocked by that because it all sounded so un-Apple-like. I didn’t do a post about it because I simply couldn’t believe it.
I especially couldn’t believe it because Ars Technica published this first: A peek inside an iTunes LP file
iTunes LP may seem like some sort of fancy proprietary format. In actuality it’s an image-heavy, JavaScript-driven webpage that only renders correctly in iTunes or, with a bit of hackery, WebKit-based browsers such as Safari, Omniweb, or Google’s Chrome.
That sounded something like what developers for Palm’s webOS create, so how could Apple justify a whopping multi-thousand-dollar fee?
Apparently, someone in the telephone tag got their wires crossed because Gizmodo soon updated its post with a statement from Apple itself that it would be releasing the specs for anyone to create iTunes LP and iTunes Extras as well.
And Apple has done so.
But that still didn’t seen like the end of the story to me. Because one of the 7 Principles of Apple is to help people create. Developers are specialists, not everyday people — not “the rest of us.”
The final bit of the story came out yesterday.
Boy Genius Report published this: Apple’s iDVD getting refreshed with iTunes LP creation support?
We’ve been informed that Apple plans to completely redo their iDVD application (in addition to others in iLife 2010), and besides iDVD not being refreshed in a pretty long time, one of the reasons appears to be the inclusion of iTunes LP creation. This will allow artists (indie and major) to create a custom iTunes LP and submit it directly to Apple right from the new application that will be a part of iLife 2010.
Now that sounds very Apple-like.
And that gives me even more reason to believe that Apple will empower “the rest of us” — writers — with the ability to create digital books soon too.
Every writer out there take this advice: Stop ripping your hair out with ePub. It’s all a waste of time. You’ll have to give that stuff away next year — and even then most people won’t want to read it. Digital books are the future. See this video.
Start planning now.
Previously here:
The 7 Principles Of Apple
Hybrid iPhone/Print Book Glimpse Of The Future
Apple Will Break Open The Digital Book Floodgates
Creating The Breakthrough Digital Novel
Digital Books: More About Video Use
The Essential Ingredient For Digital Book Video
Why Digital Books Will Win
How To Properly Integrate Video Into Fiction Digital Books
Eveda: How NOT To Do A Digital Book
Vook Debuts Digital Books
Disney + Pixar + Marvel + Apple + iTablet
Smart Digital Books Vs. The ePub FAIL Model
The Coming Collapse Of eBook Prices
English-Subtitled Editis Smart Digital Book Video
Editis eBook Hearts Apple!
Part Of The eBook Vision
Dumb eBooks Must Die, Smart eBooks Must Live
The eBook Test 
I didn’t understand that iTunes $10,000 production fee either. CC-licensed iTunes LP files gave been available since soon after the release. You just have to download outside the apple store & import them.
iDVD support makes so much sense. Apple seems really committed to giving users the tools for production and turning all the media business on it’s head. First music, now publishing. They haven’t been as successful with video yet, but certainly there is more to come.
>>>They haven’t been as successful with video yet, but certainly there is more to come.
In what way do you mean? iMovie is a great little program. And look how the iPhone now does video — along with (now non-destructive) trimming of the shot video. In fact, at the Apple Store, I heard a presentation from a rep who said over and over again she sees themes, effects, and typefaces that came from both iMovie and Final Cut/Final Cut Pro on television!
I guess I wasn’t very clear in my comment. I thought about that when submitting it, and I should’ve taken time to explain. Instead I took a shortcut and combined “giving users the tools” & “turning the media business on its head” into one thought. They’re related, but quite distinct and obviously you can have one without the other, at least if you are referring to more than just the users-as-creators Web 2.0 argument.
I agree with your assessment about the “giving the users the tools part.”
What I meant to say about video was that apple has not been as successful yet in the “turning that part of the media business on its head” part.
So apple started with music, and by negotiating with rights holders was able to create a viable music market for legal purchases despite the popularity of Napster. Apple became the recognized leader for digital music sales at a time when many thought it was not possible.
They haven’t been able to achieve the same for video. AFAIK, iTunes is the leading paid video download service, but Netflix is still far ahead on the video rentals business, which is the larger of the two. Now that could change if apple is going to offer a subscription service, but arguably apple is not in the same position in this market; they are not currently the “device of choice” and the studios and broadcasters are obviously not as amenable to negotiation as the music rights holders were.
So all that to say that I was just referring to the unfinished business they started with the apple TV.
What will happen with digital books remains to be seen.
Some relevant links:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10382717-261.html
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091102/apples-itunes-pitch-tv-for-30-a-month/
I see your point now. Apple has always said Apple TV was a “hobby.” And it’s one that I don’t pay any attention to because I hardly watch TV and, with a computer, who needs to buy an Apple TV? I’m not one of those people who intends to have a frikkin Home Theater System. I’d rather read. I thought you were talking more about user-generated video. Which is a whole different thing. I’ve seen some really good stuff, but it’s hard to break through all the funny cat videos and such to make people take the time to see even 10-minute stuff. Yeesh!
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