I rarely purchase music. That doesn’t automatically categorize me as an illegal downloader; I haven’t got the guts. Rather, I subsist on ripping friends’ music to my computer, and, if my library appears particularly worn and barren, I browse my parents’ collection (don’t snicker; it’s rude). One can never acquire too much Bruce Springsteen, particularly when one is not purchasing the aforementioned Bruce Springsteen.
My justification for buying music sparingly is simple: cheapness and laziness. Why buy a CD when one could merely download a free iTunes sample? Why exert energy venturing to a record store that probably closed five years ago when one can just surf YouTube? One recurring gift, however, renders my philosophy irrelevant – an iTunes gift card.
Enormously popular, particularly among elderly relatives seeking to give presents with a modern twist (simple cash has a modern twist, too, should my family be reading), iTunes gift cards have become the latest “I don’t know you very well” present. But I shouldn’t complain too much; the gift cards suit me exceptionally well. Music becomes free, and beyond painstakingly scratching the card’s reverse side to reveal the authorization code (if this takes me ten minutes, am I doing something wrong?), using them entails surprisingly little effort.
A beautiful parity surrounded the iTunes system; songs were $0.99, videos $1.99, and albums $9.99. Even a price-compulsive shopper like myself could not complain; with every item bearing an identical cost, I was saved the hours I would have otherwise spent debating whether The Killers’ new single is really $0.30 superior to Another Indie Song.
But that era is no more. Like the Harding Administration, the Hartford Whalers, and Seinfeld, it’s gone, likely never to return: Apple has adopted pricing tiers for its music - $0.69, $0.99, and $1.29. Originally, the new system seemed quite palatable; I like good music, my snooty indie-loving side nonchalantly thought. We all know nothing of quality ever achieves radio airplay.
However, as loyal Not Horrible readers surely remember, I possess an unusual appreciation for The Killers. So, after registering my latest iTunes gift card earlier this month, I immediately searched for a recent single, forgetting entirely the immense popularity The Killers enjoy. Three numbers quickly reminded me.
1.
2.
9.
How could this be happening? How could I, the high-class sophisticate who cringed when Vampire Weekend met Hollister, find myself forced to pay $1.29 – the additional fee, the philistine fee – for music?
I understand the business rationale behind Apple’s pricing decisions. I cannot blame the company for making The Killers’ music cost $0.30 more than Tally Hall’s. But I’ve always viewed The Killers and The Fray as my guilty pleasures – believe me, iTunes, I already felt conflicted enough about attempting to purchase “Human.” Now my wallet feels guilty, too.
Naturally, I declined to purchase The Killers’ new single. $1.29 is just too much – 30 cents too much. My indie brethren had taken note of my addiction to “How to Save a Life,” and Killers-fascination. I heard they were planning an intervention.
That would be redundant now; iTunes knows the road to my musical taste buds goes straight through my wallet.
