iTunes exclusive wins Grammy award
updated 01:15 pm EST, Mon February 14, 2011
Reflects iTunes' industry dominance
For the first time, music recorded specifically for the iTunes Store has won a Grammy award. A Train song, "Hey, Soul Sister," took home the award for Best Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at last night's 2011 Grammys ceremony. The track initially debuted on the band's iTunes Session last fall, although it is now available on Amazon as part of a Grammys compilation.
The award may reflect the fact that the iTunes Store is now the primary sales venue for music in the US, whether online or at retail. iTunes Sessions have also become a staple internationally, a competitive advantage in some cases over alternatives like Amazon or eMusic. The advantage typically attributed to iTunes, however, is the integration of a storefront with the same software used to play and sync music.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2009
still copyrighted by Sony Music
I was hoping music recorded specifically for the iTunes store could be done without the (lack of) benefit of a record label. I checked and the original session is still copyrighted by Sony Music so Sony still gets most of the money instead of the band. I hope there will come a time when some of these major bands can do their own distribution and keep their money instead of giving most of it away.