That's probably why they limited it to that 30,000. Maybe if all of those sell out, that'll spur them to do another run (of a larger size)? Something tells me that 30,000 is a "toe in the water" move, more than anything.
"Just how popular are these guys in late 2009 that we can put their entire catalog on something like this and charge $50+ more than any reasonable person would consider spending?"
And if they sell only 4,000 or so,
that'll tell them they've overplayed their hand, and that they need to quit screwing around with excessively cute, gimmicky stuff (like USB apples)...and get their butts on iTunes (and/or Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.) if they're interested in selling their stuff in this century, to people who aren't into the idea of overpriced, physical CDs (which they're just gonna rip into computer/iPod-friendly format anyway).
At one time, being the holdout gave them some sort of aura or a cool sense of "legends too big for iTunes"...but now it's just annoying and makes them look a bit like foot-dragging asshats about it all.
If the Stones, Zeppelin and everyone
else on the planet (including Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr as solo artists) have landed on iTunes, here at the cusp of 2010, I think it's safe to say the damn Beatles can find their way there too. Enough already. I think it's a bit played-out and, at a point, people simply aren't going to care that much, and it won't be a big deal because folks are just tired of waiting for it to happen.
They could've made this happen
years ago, and they'd be even richer and more popular than they already are! It's not like iTunes is some cheesy, fly-by-night outfit or unproven vehicle or music sales. I don't know what the holdup is in all this...
