I saw this via a Tweet from Trent Reznor:
http://forum.nin.com/bb/read.php?9,651569,651569#msg-651569
Thank you for submitting nin: access to the App Store. We’ve reviewed nin: access and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store at this time because it contains objectionable content which is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:
“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”
The objectionable content referenced in this email is “The Downward Spiral”. Since the app is live on the App store, please make the necessary changes to the application as soon as possible, and resubmit your binary to iTunes Connect. Thank you
It’s worth noting that The Downward Spiral is available from the iTunes store, that Trent himself doesn’t seem to know what they hell they’re referring. The song? The album? It’s so unspecific!
But don’t worry. If you want an actual objectionable app, you can always get the frequently reappearing Shaken Baby app!
Dear Mr. Jobs,
I have a question for you about iTunes Plus and your new pricing policy regarding said DRM-free music. Recently, you changed the price structure, no longer charging the good people an extra thirty cents to enjoy their music without restrictive Digital Rights Management (DRM) coding, allowing us to spread the joy of Coldplay or Chemical Brothers around and feel the love. The sound quality, by the way, is awesome on the Plus tracks, and I do often dance, backlit, in front of brightly colored backgrounds because of it!
A few of the songs I have in my iTunes library, however, were purchased before iTunes Plus. I intended to upgrade them, but couldn’t really justify repurchasing songs. Even when the repurchase price was the difference in cost between the two file types (thirty cents) I still thought this was too much for something which should be the same price.
And now it is, hurray! And I would upgrade too, save for one cavet:
If I was to buy a DRM-crippled CD…and the alternate DRM-free album was available at the same price, there are very few shops who would *charge me* for the privilege of exchanging the two, yet this is exactly what iTunes and Apple and you, Steve, are doing to me!
Music received for free is not eligible for upgrade….Song upgrades are available for 30 cents –iTunes Plus FAQ
iTunes *still* charges thirty cents per song to upgrade, even though the DRM-free track is the same price as the DRM-crippled track was *and* the fact that you no longer offer Plus tracks in the crippling format for purchase?
WTF, Steve? Did you, or did you not, say that DRM is bad for customers, producers, and artists? On February 6, 2007, did you not say, “If the big four music companies would license Apple their music without the requirement that it be protected with a DRM, we would switch to selling only DRM-free music on our iTunes store… Apple will embrace this wholeheartedly”? How can you charge us a new price for something you believe in wholeheartedly, keeping us locked into something that is bad for consumers because we have to pay thirty cents per song to break free?
“Imagine a world where every online store sells DRM-free music encoded in open licensable formats. In such a world, any player can play music purchased from any store, and any store can sell music which is playable on all players. This is clearly the best alternative for consumers, and Apple would embrace it in a heartbeat.”
–Steve Jobs, February 6, 2007
Yes, imagine there’s no DRM. It’s easy if you try. Imagine freeing crippled songs. Something something pie. Imagine all the people…yeh, that’s gone on long enough, but still, imagine how wonderful no DRM on any songs ever would be!
So why are you *still* charging me more for the privilege of DRM-free songs when those who are buying the same songs today aren’t? In your memo, you pointed out that the majority of music sales are still via CD, which is inherently DRM-free. If I was to buy a DRM-crippled CD, as I did when Jared Leto and his fruity little band put out a CD that wouldn’t play in any machine I own because of DRM, and the alternate DRM-free album was available at the same price, there are very few, if any, brick and mortar shops who would *charge me* for the privilege of exchanging a crippled product for the same product of the same monetary value, yet this is exactly what iTunes and Apple and you, Steve, are doing to me!
Please excuse me if I feel absolutely screwed in the ass here.
Love always,
–The Wife
Kids, set your faces to stunned.
The New York Times tech blog “Bits” is reporting that Apple have decided to “back down” on premium pricing for DRM free music and sell all music — crippled or not — for the same price: 99 cents.
For the record, there is no official announcement on the Apple “Hot News” page, but they’re too busy bursting at the seams over the release date for OS X Leopard (10/26 if you care) to post it, perhaps? Or perhaps it’s just a rumor that the NYT decided to run with. I’m assuming it is, for now, the latter (unless the NYT have an insider at Apple), as Coldplay (an EMI band and therefore part of the DRM free catalogue) “enhanced” (read: DRM free) tracks are still $1.29 on iTunes as of this moment.
My only question to Apple is: what are you going to do for all the people who paid an extra thirty cents per song up through today? Don’t think that you can ignore them, Steve. Remember the iPhone price-cut fiasco problem?
