Thursday, February 21, 2013

Working with iTunes Part 1

We get a lot of questions concerning using iTunes, because let's face it - we all use it!  Or at least the vast majority of us use iTunes often coupled with an Apple mobile device such as an iPad, iPod or iPhone.

First off, let's deal with why Yogi Tunes doesn't currently offer an easy way for people to download and listen to their purchases directly on their Apple mobile device.  Apple works very hard to ensure that it's both very complicated and expensive for other music services to access their devices.  Currently, no other music service is able to automatically and permanently download music to iTunes on any device, mobile or otherwise.  Apple wants to keep it this way and is always working towards a world where they control the user experience from bumper to bumper and everything in between.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE Apple.  I've been a user since before the internet was around, but as a small business owner trying to get music out to my beloved yogis, I must object to Apple's desire to remain in control of it's ecosystem.

For a time, PodCasting was a viable option, but the release of iOS 6 (Apple's latest mobile operating system), PodCasting must be done entirely through Apple.  If in our case, it's a paid service we're offering to our subscribers, we must give Apple 30% of our subscription revenue!

The other option for us would be to develop a mobile app that only streams and temporarily downloads music to Apple mobile devices (Spotify, Pandora, etc.).  This is an expensive option that has certain drawbacks.  Only the biggest music services have pursued this path as it's rife with issues both legal and technical.

To sum it up, we don't always get what we want.  If you own an iPad and don't own a computer, you can thank Apple for why you can't download music from us.  While there is currently no easy solution to this problem, you can rest assured that we spend a considerable amount of time, energy and creativity looking for an affordable option that will give users the experience they desire.

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Alex King-Harris (aka Rara Avis)CEO/Co-Founder Yogi Tunes

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