Hey Gamers, Rockstar is Switching to iTunes

[Jeff Campbell]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://theappleblog.com/2009/02/12/rockstar-switching-horses-from-amazon-to-itunes/' target='_blank'>http://theappleblog.com/2009/02/12/...azon-to-itunes/</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"Rockstar Games, makers of the extremely popular Grand Theft Auto franchise, are picking up and moving a very lucrative music partnership from Amazon to iTunes, which offers players of GTA IV the opportunity to purchase tracks used in the game's soundtrack."</em></p><p><em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/at/auto/1234465500.usr105634.jpg" /></em></p><p>iTunes going DRM-free was the deciding factor, as <a href="http://www.rockstargames.com/" target="_blank">Rockstar Games</a> didn't want it's customers restricted by the music they purchased. iTunes is the place to be in the market, so I wonder how many other companies that have been held back by DRM are now contemplating making the move? Wonder if <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_Grand_Theft_Auto_IV#Niko_Bellic" target="_blank">Niko Bellic</a> will help convince them?&nbsp;</p><p><em></em></p>

[Jason Dunn]

Kind of a shame that it has to be an exclusive at all - if someone doesn't have iTunes installed (I don't) and they want the music, but they have to install an application just to buy the music...well, you get piracy when you make it hard for people to find what they want.

[Vincent Ferrari]

Kind of a shame that it has to be an exclusive at all - if someone doesn't have iTunes installed (I don't) and they want the music, but they have to install an application just to buy the music...well, you get piracy when you make it hard for people to find what they want.

You would definitely get piracy issues, but that's assuming most people don't have iTunes installed already. I reckon most people who are going to download music digitally probably have iTunes installed anyway. I know it doesn't translate directly, but if the number of iPods out there is any indication, they're going for mass market appeal here and want their songs on the largest group of portable players they can get them on.

[Jason Dunn]

...they're going for mass market appeal here and want their songs on the largest group of portable players they can get them on.

Absolutely, they should have it in iTunes. But why not Amazon, eMusic, and lots of other places? Imagine if the album by your favourite artist was only released at ONE record store - kind of lame, no? Yet that's what we're being told to accept in this case - I just think that's weak.

[doogald]

I think that companies tend to make exclusive deals when there is money involved. So, my assumption is that this is exactly what happened - iTunes gave Rockstar something that Amazon or any other music store could not, and that the other music stores in combination could not match without the deal.

[Vincent Ferrari]

I think that companies tend to make exclusive deals when there is money involved. So, my assumption is that this is exactly what happened - iTunes gave Rockstar something that Amazon or any other music store could not, and that the other music stores in combination could not match without the deal.

I give that a great big +1.