BBC News: iPod Users Shunning iTunes

[Damion Chaplin]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5350258.stm' target='_blank'>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5350258.stm</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Despite the success of Apple iTunes, few people stock their iPod with tracks from the online store, reports a study. The Jupiter Research report says that, on average, only 20 of the tracks on an iPod will be from the iTunes shop. Far more important to iPod owners, said the study, was free music ripped from CDs someone already owned or acquired from file-sharing sites. The report's authors claimed their findings had profound implications for the future of the online music market... [T]he report into the habits of iPod users reveals that 83% of iPod owners do not buy digital music regularly. The minority, 17%, buy and download music, usually single tracks, at least once per month. On average, the study reports, only 5% of the music on an iPod will be bought from online music stores. The rest will be from CDs the owner of an MP3 player already has or tracks they have downloaded from file-sharing sites."</i><br /><br />Here's an interesting bit of news, though not really surprising if you ask me. I know many people who own iPods, and only one that actually buys music from ITMS (and he's got a $10-per-month allowance). Everyone else I know rips their CDs into DRM-free formats. I'm curious, so it's poll time, this one for iPod owners:

[aroma]

I of course ripped all my CDs, and I have occasionally purchased the ramdon iTunes track here and there. But I refuse to copy / borrow / backup / download / etc any tracks that I haven't paid for. If I want it, I buy it, usually the full CD and then rip it.

[marlof]

Same story here: I ripped all my CDs, I do buy the occassional tracks and albums using iTMS, but still most new music is bought on CD, and then ripped. I don't exchange music, and have nothing against DRM, as long as it doesn't prohibit me from playing what I paid for.

[Dyvim]

Who wouldn't rip their own CDs? I assume that practically all iPod owners had at least 1 CD before they bought their iPod. iTunes itself makes ripping CDs pretty simple even for a newbie.

Also, I bet most iPod owners still have a CD player somewhere, so there's an added incentive to continue acquiring music on CD completely aside from the quality (and having a physical back-up) issue.

I do buy the occasional iTunes track when a single is all I want. Prior to the release of iTunes 7, one could (theoretically speaking of course) buy music with iTunes 5 and use JHymn to remove the DRM and then also be able to play those tracks on Pocket PCs via TCPMP with AAC plugin. As of last week though, iTunes music must be purchased with iTunes 6+.

[randalllewis]

In announcing the Zune last week, Microsoft made this same point: that the vast majority of owners of MP3 players (iPods included) got their music from ripping CDs, not online stores. That is why I think their WiFi sharing idea makes sense. I strongly disagree with the iPod and Zune model of requiring owners to purchase music from their online stores, and given that most of the content on players comes from CD's, that strategy seems even more shortsided to me. I might be a bit different than many users as my digital music collection is about 50/50 ripped from CDs and online purchases. While I have had a few issues with DRM when I've upgraded computers, it hasn't been enough to cause me to not use the online stores when I need to.

[sojourner753]

I picked that I don't own an iPod. Currently Im using a Zen:M

But when I did own an iPod it was the same. I only ripped CDs that I purchased. I always new that I didn't want to be locked into a DAP Stack.

Plus it worked out. I did run into an occasion when I had to re-rip all of my CDs.

[Jason Dunn]

My wife and in, in a tag-team effort, have ripped all of our 730 or so CDs into 256 kbps MP3 format. I've spent about $400 in the past 8 months on MSN Music gift certificates so I could purchase all the singles that I wanted. I then burn the DRM'd WMA files and rip them to MP3. DRM free music is all I want to end up with. :D