In a technology-industry version of the battle of the bands, Apple has come out swinging against a reborn, legitimate Napster, boasting that the iTunes Music Store has sold five times the number of songs Napster did in the challenger’s first week of business. The original, free Napster song-swapping service sparked the peer-to-peer file-trading movement, drawing about 60 million users before being shut down by legal attacks. Roxio chairman and CEO Chris Gorog told TechNewsWorld that his company will be chipping away at Apple’s market share with a powerful marketing campaign already under way.
You know what? 300,000 is 36% of 827,000 right? So, what if Apple only sold 827,000 SINGLEs, and Napster sold 300,000 total. So great, they've sold 36% of the number of singles Apple sold. Now what's 300,000 of 1.5 million, including Apple's albums? Hmm. Only 20%. Apple would be doing wrong to declare that they sold 1.5 million when in fact they only sold 827,000. Their numbers are not wrong. Napster is coming up with this 827 number to make themselves look better. Apple is selling way more than that total.
Umm, I really could care less about this 300,000 vs 1.5 mil(875,000) songs crap myself. iTunes boasted over 500,000 songs sold it's first week, and that was only available to Mac users. Mac users only represent around 3% of computer users out there next to PC. The Apple brings iToons to PC the week following Napster's first statement saying how apple was only 70% of the market and they were going to take 40% of that. Personally, I find no creditability in this Roxio CEO. So far all of his comments have been BS, but can't really blame a guy for being WAY to optimistic. I still have a big question, how does Napster/Roxio intend to take that large of a market share from Apple after over 1 mil people have spent $300+ on an iPod? Yeah, I see my buddy just chucking his iPod to go play the Napster scene again. GET REAL! Every article I have read rates the iPod and the iTunes music server better than any of the others, whether it be because of the user interface or the innovation. Any person seriously looking into what service/product to go with will go iTunes. Let's also not forget Apple is hoping to make a $100 iPod. I have no creditability so it is your choice to believe me or not. The only credability I have is 12 years as a PC lover. I changed my tune after only 3 months on a MAC! I have complete respect for Apple, those people deliver what they promise and more importantly I don't have to reformat my computer XX times a year.
Chris Gorog's statements are suspect. Of course a link was not provided to the actual SoundScan statistics. I'm assuming those are only currently available to companies paying Neilsen for the service. Assume that that both statements (from Apple and Mr. Gorog) are true in pure numbers, but that each will spin the terminology to their benefit. So, Apple says 1.5 million. I'm betting they mean individual songs because this will give the largest number. From the article, Mr. Gorog states, "SoundScan reported a total of 827,000 single downloads" for Apple. Single downloads. Downloads does not equal individual songs. So, if there were 827,000 individual downloads, albums were probably counted as one download. Apple counted one album download as ten songs or whatever may have been on the album. If the wording is to be trusted in the article, Napster "called its first week's results 'strong' at 300,000 songs sold". The statistic for Napster is presented in songs, instead of individual downloads. I'm betting Apple had 827,000 individual downloads, representing 1.5 million songs downloaded. Napster had 300,000 songs downloaded. Mr. Gorog just switched the units on the numbers to make Apple look suspect and to make Napster look better, hoping no one would notice. Gotcha! At least I think. In the end, the number of songs should be the unit used, not downloads, because songs translates more directly into revenue estimates.
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Roxio CEO Chris Gorog Tells TechNewsWorld ‘We Will Take Market Share from Apple’
Posted by: Jay Lyman November 7, 2003 12:08 PMIn a technology-industry version of the battle of the bands, Apple has come out swinging against a reborn, legitimate Napster, boasting that the iTunes Music Store has sold five times the number of songs Napster did in the challenger’s first week of business. The original, free Napster song-swapping service sparked the peer-to-peer file-trading movement, drawing about 60 million users before being shut down by legal attacks. Roxio chairman and CEO Chris Gorog told TechNewsWorld that his company will be chipping away at Apple’s market share with a powerful marketing campaign already under way.
iTunes boasted over 500,000 songs sold it's first week, and that was only available to Mac users. Mac users only represent around 3% of computer users out there next to PC. The Apple brings iToons to PC the week following Napster's first statement saying how apple was only 70% of the market and they were going to take 40% of that.
Personally, I find no creditability in this Roxio CEO. So far all of his comments have been BS, but can't really blame a guy for being WAY to optimistic.
I still have a big question, how does Napster/Roxio intend to take that large of a market share from Apple after over 1 mil people have spent $300+ on an iPod? Yeah, I see my buddy just chucking his iPod to go play the Napster scene again. GET REAL!
Every article I have read rates the iPod and the iTunes music server better than any of the others, whether it be because of the user interface or the innovation. Any person seriously looking into what service/product to go with will go iTunes.
Let's also not forget Apple is hoping to make a $100 iPod. I have no creditability so it is your choice to believe me or not. The only credability I have is 12 years as a PC lover. I changed my tune after only 3 months on a MAC! I have complete respect for Apple, those people deliver what they promise and more importantly I don't have to reformat my computer XX times a year.
I'm betting Apple had 827,000 individual downloads, representing 1.5 million songs downloaded. Napster had 300,000 songs downloaded. Mr. Gorog just switched the units on the numbers to make Apple look suspect and to make Napster look better, hoping no one would notice. Gotcha!
At least I think.
In the end, the number of songs should be the unit used, not downloads, because songs translates more directly into revenue estimates.