Breezeblog

Could frustrated Bermuda digital music fans finally be able to legitimately buy downloaded music from the iTunes store without having to resort to overseas credit cards and buying up iTunes gift cards when they’re on a trip? Maybe, according to yesterday’s story in the Bermuda Sun by Tim Hall:

Richard Todd, manager of the island’s iStore, is in negotiations with Apple to have the company’s licensing agreements extended to Bermuda.
Apple’s lawyers are looking at the proposal and are expected to make a decision in the first half of this year. It could mean Bermuda getting its own country-specific version of iTunes – the world’s biggest online music store. Such a move could also put pressure on other companies, such as Amazon, to offer digital music and movies to the island.

Meanwhile, Richard says he hopes to reach an agreement with Apple to at least sell the iTunes gift cards in Bermuda. He’s already managed to convince them to let him sell the Apple TV which – ludicrously – is one of the products Apple deemed a “US-only” product and not available in an Island 600 miles away, which it lumps in the Latin American region. This is also why you cannot buy the top-end 2.8 Extreme iMac in Bermuda either. If you want one, check out B&H in New York. They will ship to Bermuda via UPS.

Back to the Sun story: a couple of minor corrections – eMusic is wrongly listed as an illegal download site (it’s a totally legit, if limited, music store) and yours truly is not a Bermudian, despite the Gibbons surname. I am a mere permanent resident, although I do have a Bermudian daughter which will no doubt be confusing to off-rock readers. Welcome to Bermuda!