Steve Jobs, the executioner of classic music industry?

Almost two years after the launching of iTunes, Apple's music download service, the leaders of the record companies are extremely concerned about the influence and the importance gained by this service in such a short time.

Apple's boss attitude towards the prices of songs and the intransigence with which he approaches subjects of vital importance for the mechanisms of the music industry have forced the producers to turn to new partners, like cell phone operators. Associating with these previously unexplored domains, could open new horizons for the digital music industry. In the same time it would diminish Apple's influence on this market.

"The economic plans of cell phone operators are very similar to our strategies and we notice a huge difference between Apple's approach and the solution we focus on ", says the president of a famous record company who preferred to remain anonymous because of the collaboration with Apple.

Although Steve Jobs is credited for promoting the digital format music commerce, several record companies are complaining about iTunes's supremacy on the download market, very well reflected in its 70%.

Apple's fixed price policy is greatly restraining the freedom of the record companies, eliminating any possibility of making special offers or launching bonuses.

iTunes's supremacy is confirmed by the unprecedented success of the iPod products, which are incompatible with other formats distributed by competitors. Still, despite these market domination practices, Apple continues to receive favorable critics and to have impressive sales.