[octover]

This article is largely ignorant of the larger issues in play. Media companies only sell the rights to distribute in certain geographic markets. If Apple could let everyone buy from the US store tomorrow they would. Granted there are not iTunes Stores for every country, but a larger number. Many of these only have Apps and iTunes U, but that's because Apple doesn't have the legal rights to distribute music or movies in those markets. While perhaps some markets have been ignored, I bet that largely it's not because of a lack of trying. The groundwork for the iTunes Store has already been done in many cases. Every thing I've heard has presented the iTunes Store as targeted to be revenue neutral, designed to help drive sales of Apple hardware.

[rmc]

I agree with you that the record labels are probably the root cause. However I don't like the idea that "It's not Apple's fault, it's the labels". Apple claimed the record labels forced them to put DRM on iTunes, but then Apple put DRM on the AppStore. Did the record labels really insist on DRM for indie app developers? Fact is Apple likes DRM and control.