Pinoy music site challenges iTunes

Ever tried to look for a song you've heard on local radio but couldn't find the album in any music store?
You don't have to look that far. With its library of over 100 ,000 original songs by Filipino artists, local digital music pioneer Fliptunes.net is challenging online music giant iTunes by catering to a more local audience.
In an interview on Mornings@ANC , Fliptunes president Ronald Aniceto said the Web site contains a gamut of original Pilipino music by various artists here and abroad, popular or not.
"There are actually music and tracks in Fliptunes that you wouldn't find in CDs...People are looking for something they wouldn't find anywhere else so we actually invited a lot of [independent] artists [and] a lot of labels that wanted to upload on digital only. And that is a lot more interesting in the outside market," he said.
Fliptunes, which went public in 2005, claims to offer the biggest selection of local tunes and music videos online. Some notables in the Fliptunes library are songs of Filipino rock groups and hip hop artists from New York and the US West Coast.
"We marketed first in the US. Slowly, we went to Europe and some people from the Middle East started to download also," Aniceto said.
"I'm trying to develop the local market as well. I think this market also has potential," he added.
Aniceto says 70 percent of Fliptunes' market is outside the Philippines because most Filipinos living in the country are still wary of purchasing items online.
Fliptunes charges P40 per song download from users in the Philippines and $0.99 for downloads outside the country. For videos, Fliptunes charges P80 for Philippine purchases and $1.99 if you are outside the Philippines.
Songs or videos from Fliptunes can be burned onto a CD up to three times.

via abs-cbnNEWS.com