DVD-length music video sales from iTunes

March 29, 2006
Apple has started offering music videos in DVD-length bundles at their online media store iTunes. The first package offered is Tori Amos: Fade to Red - Video Collection, which contains 21 music tracks and a commentary track. The collection was originally released on DVD in February. Most of the videos in the package can be purchased separately at $1.99 per video. The complete bundle costs $24.99, and contains two videos and the commentary track, which cannot be purchased separately. In comparison the DVD is available at Amazon for $16.99 plus shipping.

In addition to the Tori Amos bundle, Apple is offering music video packages from other artists as well. Their full-length movie download service is expected to be launched in the near future. The first movie download was offered at iTunes earlier this month.

Apple will be facing some competition on the movie download field as Amazon is rumored to start offering a download service of its own sometime in the future. UK company Lovefilm.com will start offering its DVD/download hybrid service next month, when customers can purchase the latest King Kong remake for £20.00 (about $35). For that price they will receive the DVD media by mail plus two separate downloads for the movie -- one for desktop use, and another for portable devices. Unfortunately for all iPod users the Lovefilm service will use Windows Media DRM, so the downloadable versions will be completely useless to them.

Apple's proprietary and closed DRM has so far kept iPods and iTunes at the top as far as music download services are concerned. It remains to be seen whether or not Apple can maintain the same EDGE in video/movie downloads as well.

Apple continues to experiment with DVD-length video downloads: it now offers a 21-video clip collection of Tori Amos as a complete digital set.

The 21 video clips are already available as a DVD release, called 'The Tori Amos Video Collection: Fade to Red'. Individual videos cost £1.89 or you can buy the whole collection for £14.99. The DVD's set retail price is £19.99.

Apple is also offering video compilation albums consisting of six or seven video clips from various artists, and also sells videos with their corresponding single. For example, the new Massive Attack 'Collected' album, released today, ships with video content.

Apple began selling its first full-length DVD in the US this month, a made-for-TV Disney movie called 'High School Musical'.

The company is widely expected to launch a full-length movie download service, perhaps as soon as April.

Last week, Universal Pictures confirmed a deal with the UK firm Lovefilm to sell movies online in Windows Media format. Users of this service can buy a version of the movie for download to their PC. They also receive a version of the movie for portable devices and are posted a full DVD of the movie.

Speaking to Reuters, Apple's head of iTunes Eddie Cue described video sales as a "natural fit" for iTunes users. "These are not replacements for people buying individual songs or albums. But they're great for well-established artists with a fan base behind them that wants more product (sic)."