iTunes: Your Ad Here? Also: Skype’s EMI Music Deal
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Written By Reprise Media | April 24, 2006 | Share This
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PaidContent points to an article from AdvertisingAge that says podcast enthusiasts can soon look forward to visual ads showing up in the iTunes interface. According to “content partners who have been briefed on the plan,” iTunes will begin showing ads in the lower left-hand corner of the iTunes library while users listen to podcasts on their computers, starting with offerings from ESPN radio.
It doesn’t seem like such a big step, considering that Apple has already broken the seal on iTunes-related advertising; some podcasts have already come pre-loaded with audio spots, and there’s no guarantee that a listener will be staring down their computer - much less the smaller piece of real estate occupied by the ad - while a podcast is playing. The headline of the AdAge article seems a little over the top, actually: “Apple Chomps Into Forbidden Fruit: Ads” (ads on an internet service? perish the thought…), but it’s pointed out that this could be the first step toward a future where visual ads will run on iPods.
Again, not that we know too many folks who gape at their ‘Pod screens while they’re just listening, but if we’re about to see TVs that prevent channel surfing during commercial breaks, we suppose an iPod ad that forces you to watch it could become a reality.
If you’re afraid this development means iTunes might soon be piping ads inside your eyeballs, never fear; there are alternatives (and good luck to them). eBay-owned internet telephone firm Skype, for instance, is preparing an online retail store to sell songs and ringtones. The Times Online says they’ve just inked a deal that’ll give them access to over a million copyrights controlled by music publishing giant EMI. Skype can already use songs owned by Warner Bros., so they’ve got a fairly impressive base to build on. But, as Techdirt’s Carlo says,”Skype isn’t a service with which consumers associate buying music, and it’s unclear how it could profitably sell music and compete with iTunes.” Maybe they hope ringtones (not currently offered by iTunes) can be a difference-maker.
Topics: ECommerce |