Not buying from any of them. CD's still give the ultimate flexibility with zero DRM.

Isn't that kinda like asking why people aren't switching from OS/X to Vista?

My view is that with iTunes you can go from online store, to music manager to iPod with one application. I think for a lot of users, it's just convenient for them - why change.

I personally hate iTunes (for windows anyway) and use Anapod Explorer. I haven't tried purchasing anything from Amazon's store so I'm not sure if they have some kind of music management/iPod interface software.

Because regular folks who listen to music on their iPod or computer don't care about DRM or alternatives to their current music provider.
If something is simple, relativly cheap and it works, most people won't even bother to look for anything else.

It's like asking a person to adopt a new operating system: it takes time for people to catch on.

Why Isn't Anyone Defecting from iTunes to Amazon's MP3 Store?

For the same reason people still use AOL, they've been using it for years and it works for them. It doesn't matter if there is something else out there, even if it's better. They've already got to much invested to make any changes now.

The main problem is iTunes doesn't work with it directly --> and iTunes is basically the only way to get music onto an iPod (as the average user). Average Joe is not going to spend the extra couple minutes to figure out how to use Amazon's service, download from there and then figure out how to transfer it into iTunes so it can get on his iPod -- especially when he uses only the iPod to listen to music <-- thus defeating the need for DRM-free music to begin with.

I applaud Amazon for there efforts, but the only switchers will be those who know and care about DRM and don't know how to take it off their iTunes-bought songs. While that may seem like blasphemy on this kind of a site, Average Joe doesn't know or care about DRM as long as the music plays on his iPod.

I love Amazon's MP3 store. Personally, I don't think there are any cons to purchasing from them. They're cheaper and all of the music is 256 from the get-go.

I stopped buying from iTunes almost as soon as I started because of the DRM and at $9.99 for a full DRM album of music, I would rather buy the CD from Amazon for a little more and have higher quality (both the CD AND better MP3s).

to some extent, the same goes for Amazon's MP3 store, though I do buy from it occasionally with the DRM lovin' goin' on there; especially with some lesser known artists only available on Amazon as download.

The biggest reason I don't buy / download from iTunes (and a lesser extent Amazon):

eMusic.com - the best deal in town. AND, they even have the Rolling Stones now.

@Mandatory_Field: Good one! (I just switched from Vista - the OS without a vision - to OS X.)

@Discofunk: Both Amazon's and eMusic's download managers will put the music into iTunes.

AND, you're right, iTunes has real performance issues on Windows - something I didn't fully realize until I abandoned Windows for OS X and found the iTunes on the Mac is 100x better in its performance on that platform.

I usually dont buy from itunes unless it's itunes plus, and cheaper than the actual CD. CD's are so much more secure. If your hard drive crashes, you've got backed up music! Anyways, I think iTunes is much more apparent to the casual iPod user. They may not even know amazon sells music. And they probably don't know or care what DRM is either.

I think the reality is that MOST Ipod owners don't have any clue what DRM is. Or that Amazon is selling DRM-free mp3's ... let alone why they should care.

The masses don't care about DRM, I know tons of people that are just happy if they can get a song to play on it, using it in one app makes it that much easier for the average person. I on the other hand search for it there and only buy if the album is good enough or artist deserves it, otherwise its all about the torrents.

Marketing?

Actually, It sickens me that I still buy from iTunes. In fact, this post is going to make me switch.

I am guessing because the Amazon MP3 downloader sucks. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes to download an album, even with my 10M cable connection here in Japan. Also sometimes the downloader won't function at all. However, with iTunes you just click the buy album and it is downloaded in minutes. Sometimes I feel it is worth the wait though because the albums on Amazon are DRM free and are half the price at times.

It's just like all those Bluray/HD-DVD headlines constantly being posted to gizmodo. Interesting to gizmodo readers, but 98% of "regular people" couldn't care less.

here is a reason why (I dont know if this has been said already) people are afraid of anything besides itunes for their ipod, lets face it most people don't really know what happens in the tech world. a lot of people dont see a reason for changing also, not to mention if i asked people in my school they wouldn't know that amazon sells music that isnt cd's

Why haven't I switched? Its simple, why should I? Yeah, I disagree with DRM on principle, but iTunes DRM has never gotten in my way, and hasn't stopped me from doing anything i want with the music I bought, so the basic answer is, my distaste for drm in general isnt worth my switching just to make a point.

@Discofunk: That is the exact reason why iTunes is the #1 MP3 music seller or at least that's why I don't use Amazon that much.

oh and most people don't know what DRM is in my grade 8th somone in my class was going to present a projec that she did on illegal downloading, I asked her what she thought of DRM and she had no idea what I was talking about, I then asked the rest of my class, and nobdy knew what I was talking about, and many others didnt (and dont) know what drm is , and I think that kids are a large chunk ofthe people who buy music from itunes. and that there arent many getting music in any other way besides for illegally

I never even thought about. Now that I have thought about it, I see that Amazon doesn't offer downloads in Canada.

I recently switched. I'll still do iTunes if I can find it without DRM and it's not on Amazon. The problem with Amazon is that it doesn't have a lot of the stuff iTunes has. Frustrating.

As a DRM-hating iPod user I'm actually a user of both but unfortunately all my relatives and friends keep giving me iTunes gift cards. Apparently it's hard to turn down free (stuff that's as good as) money. I'm the most net savy of most of my peers and I can't get half my friends to understand the concept of finding my wish lists on Amazon let alone getting any kind of electronic voucher for future goods or services. In short, iTunes/iPod is just so ubiquitous.

@japhar81:

Bingo. Unless someone is just desperate to make lots and lots of the same CD with the exact same playlist, iTunes' DRM is invisible anyway.

Now if there were some great tide of people going from iPods to iRiver or something, then people would recognize the DRM of course. But 99 percent of iPod owners stay with iPods. They have an app they know, accessories, etc.

No reason on Earth for them to change.

I've defected... I'm just using iTunes for "legal" music videos. 'tis all.

iPod, what is an iPod? Can it play my MP3's better than my phone does?

Amazon isn't competing against iTunes. Amazon is competing against piracy.

i'm so sick of itunes bashing. fact of the matter is, itunes is the most thorough and elegant solution there is, and most consumers enjoy the experience. apple is trying to go all drm-free, but the record companies wish to bring down the king by giving amazon and others a special deal on the side. they hate anyone else having power. but there's nothing wrong with a king of the hill when they're playing nice.

and furthermore, why are all of the drm-free solutions mp3 and not mp4 (aac)? every player out there does aac now and the file size is much smaller. but everyone acts like it is apple's proprietary thing. it's open source, available to all, and a modern solution -- not a decade-old solution. i know i'd be more likely to shop amazon if i didn't have to convert all my files to a smaller size once i purchased them and downloaded them through some strange middleman downloader app.

sorry, i prefer easy, elegant, smaller size with better quality. and if the numbers keep pointing apple's way, the record companies will have to share the drm-free wealth.

Actually, the Amazon downloader isn't that bad. I just went to the site and bought the latest Modest Mouse album and it took about 2 min tops to download the whole album and it automatically adds the tracks to iTunes, which i found interesting.

I guess I can see why people may be slower to adopt it. I was holding out until the zune marketplace got more/cheaper/easily searchable MP3 section because i love the marketplace (its easier to search through than amazon), though i've never bought anything from either. Also its just one less piece of software to maintain. Well I broke down yesterday and purchased a few albums from Amazon. I have to say the download software is small and deadpan easy to use. I actually really liked it. But I still wish zune marketplace had the same MP3 selection.

Well, I only ever bought the occasional impulse track from iTunes to start with...and only cause it's so easy. I prefer to buy most of my music on CD. That and my subscription to emusic keeps me covered for the most part but when I DO get a yen for a quick download I tend these days to go to Amazon first.

But seriously - their downloading app sucks moose testicles. (to be fair, so does emusic's...)

Here is why I am still with iTunes. Convenience mostly because iTunes is an app that is readily available on my dock. Since, I have used it before all I have to do is 1-click, and I have it.

I find this very hard to believe and would love to see some hard facts. For example, just how did the study determine that only 10% of iTunes users are shopping at AmazonMP3 now? How big was the sample? Was it truly representative of the demographics of iTunes Store or was it a self selecting survey with no discernible demographic modeling?

I'm curious because where I work I know a patterns has been set, one that I developed myself a couple a weeks after Amazon starting selling music online. I go to the iTunes store to search for new music each week. If it is available without DRM I buy it there. If not, I head over to Amazon to buy it. Amazon does a lousy job of showcasing music but you can't beat the lack of DRM.

@write4truth: Valid points, but the majority is always to deem the most successful as being evil.

What is most interesting is that digital music sales are increasing, the studios are not crumbling iTS they way they wanted to, and the majority of Amazon users are using iPod (aka: Apple's bread-n-butter) with their music. Apple is winning here.

To echo the above. I'm lazy.
And by lazy I mean: "click" is better than "click" *wait* "click" "confirm" "click."

Apple's true genius is not in making the difficult tasks easy. It is in making the easy tasks even easier.

Plus, while I do have a position on DRM issues in general (and so should probably be voting with my $$$), on a personal level, I just don't really care all that much.

Who still buys music??

I don't pay with credit card, because I don't have one. I borrowed a number to activate iTunes, and I purchase exclusively with gift cards bought at stores. A little silly, but that's the way to get cheap albums that don't ship to my city. Amazon doesn't have gift cards at the grocery store in my neighbourhood. Apple does. Advantage: Apple.

the amazon mp3 website is ugly to use and look at. like seriously. just go there and look. you'll see.

@wildness: Actually I use them both a lot -- and XP, playing with the odd Linux distro in my "spare time" -- and they seem to piss me off pretty equally....

I prefer the technically superior AAC format to the old school mp3. One of the main reasons I stick with iTunes. Plus I can purchase iTunes music almost anywhere from my iPhone.

@wildness:

Are you fucking serious and pay a monthly subscription fee? Yeah, that definitely makes it the best music site!

@antitrust311: Its the UI, your right! The MP3 'store' is just a web-site that redirects to the downloader. Its not a integrated software piece liek iTunes is.

EASE of use, MARKETING and the PERCEPTION that your shit is best, is Marketing 101.

I can't stand apple's system, I never had an ipod, and I hate the long work around to make their music type into an mp3 for those who don't have ipods (burning it then reimporting the music through another program). Yeah I never followed the trend. I do want an apple computer but I'll stay with Amazon even then.

I tried Amazon last fall for a tv show and it was the biggest pain in the ass, I was put on que for an hour then the show took forever to download, then having to deal with unbox's program I was just left with a bitter taste from Amazon. So I went back to iTunes for all my legal downloading needs.

@rfaulder: Dude, EVERY Ralphs & Rite-Aid sells AMAZON giftcards.

I'm the only one who read that as "Why isn't anyone defecating from iTunes?"