Frustration with iTunes Store

[Larry]

The US iTunes store has a genre Religious - Gospel - the UK iTunes store does not have that genre, and where you might argue that some of the music in the US you cannot buy in the rest of the world....... some of that music can be bought.

Christian and Gospel is not available in the UK, and whereas I can use net shade to place a VPN with a US proxy to see it - I have to remember my selection and go to the UK store to buy it.

Though if I chose I could use spotify.........I have my library on iTunes.

I find this particularly frustrating, and I feel that Apple just make an assumption that the rest of the world does not share with the US their values....

[Xairbusdriver]

I can understand your frustrations. Many of us have the same feelings. I'm sure some group at Apple decided "Genre" was a useful way to categorize music, it's even a traditional way. But it is also rather subjective, unlike the 'either/or', 'yes/no', 'on/off', '1 or zero' way computers work. I assume that group threw all the 'genres' they could think of in a bucket and then took out 19 (a randomly created number, no doubt) and stuck them into iTunes.

You must remember, despite our Supreme Court rulings to the contrary, that Apple (a Corporation) is not a human, even if it has the right of "free speech". Nor will it ever be confused as a perfect 'person'. Sometimes I think a Corporation becomes a combination of all the worst traits of its management.

BTW, "Stereotyping" is one of the fastest growing pastimes in the World! It makes everything so simple! It has made life binary, just like a computer! We all know that computers never fail.

We all know that computers never fail.

We all know that... never...

We all...

[Paddy]

Well, Larry, if it's any consolation, the Canadian iTunes store doesn't have "Gospel" as one of the genres either. However, when I search with "Gospel" as my search term, it seems to turn up a fairly extensive list of albums, if you click on "See All" for the Album category. Might be worth a try, at any rate.

I have both a Canadian and a US iTunes account, since when I moved back to Canada from the US I still had a balance on my US account. Since then, I've occasionally recharged it with US iTunes cards purchased by my husband when he's in the US on business. Legal? Strictly speaking, no. But there are a few things I can get in the US that aren't available on Canada...

[Larry]

Thanks a lot Paddy and Xairbusdriver - sometime I think if only I could have a US credit card with a US address then I could watch Hulu better with net shade and then I think do I really need to watch US TV?

[Xairbusdriver]

QUOTE

do I really need to watch US TV?

Most of what I watch originally comes from the BBC via our Public Television network. Another large segment of shows are actually filmed and produced in Canada; DIY, HGTV and FYI channels. Those are mostly produced by <Scripps Networks, LLC> with headquarters in my State. The same company also produces a couple of food/cooking channels. Note, I'm talking about channels, not just a program(me) or two! I can only hope that you don't come across any "Honey Boo Boo" shows. Here's the least obscene and repulsive site I can find that explains that show. <Wikipedia page> It's really not worth the bits to even visit that page!

[krissel]

QUOTE(Larry @ Aug 31 2014, 12:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

... do I really need to watch US TV?

No.



As Jim said, most of the good stuff (PBS) is either from the UK or is based on programs that originated there. There are a few decent shows with US roots but you have to dig deeply to find them or choose self-help channels, that is unless you are a fan of crime and depravity.