Ever since Apple made the tactical error of giving everyone a free U2 album (#firstworldproblems), the company has been a tad on the, well, miserly side — with no Mac, iPad or iPhone discounts on Black Friday, and even the company’s customary 12 Days of Christmas giveaway canceled. Bah, humbug!
Clearly someone in Cupertino (head of retail Angela Ahrendts?) has woken up in a newly charitable mood, however, because Apple has just updated its iTunes Store app for both iOS and desktop with a new “Free on iTunes” curated section, which helps customers find content they can download without having to rack up any extra post-Christmas credit card bills.
The section currently includes songs by artists including Asking Alexandria, Machine Head, Rogue Wave, and episodes from TV shows such as 12 Monkeys, Backstrom, KC Undercover, and more. As you may have got from reading that list, Apple’s not giving away its best-known material for free, but rather using the section to highlight some lesser-known gems, which may then encourage users to shell out for other premium content.
Sadly, Apple’s generosity only goes so far — and you won’t be able to access the “Free on iTunes” section if you don’t live in the U.S. With that said, if it proves to be a success, there’s no reason Apple wouldn’t bring it to other countries given a bit of time.
Welcome back generosity; we missed you!
Via: iDownloadblog
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
4 responses to “Put away your wallet, Apple’s got a new ‘Free on iTunes’ section”
“you won’t be able to access the “Free on iTunes” section if you don’t live in the U.S.”–I’m shocked! SHOCKED, I tell you! Honestly, I’d be more shocked if it *was* offered outside of the U.S.
I immediately clicked on it and was, obviously, told that no, this page is not available on the Finnish iTunes Store.
Apple iTunes doesn’t decide what’s “free”. And this “promotion” of Free on iTunes isn’t new; it’s been in the Television section for æons! The owners of television and movie properties make episodes and certain movie properties available for “free” to promote their own interests (e.g., a “free” season premiere to promote purchasing the rest of the season). Apple has nothing to do with any of this! Apple gets 30% of all sales (period). (P.S. 30% of $0.00 = $0.00.)
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