Thursday, February 05, 2004

the caffeinated music count

With my first winning bottle cap yesterday, I decided the most appropriate purchase would be the very song Apple and Pepsi used in their Superbowl commercial announcing the giveaway: "I Fought the Law" as covered by Green Day. I started the download over my slow dial-up at home just before bed last night, so I haven't heard it yet (and I missed the commercial)--I'm just crossing my fingers that it will be a decent song. As it's the number one song on the iTunes "Today's Top Songs" chart, I'm guessing it's a popular choice among bottle cap winners.
The redemption procedure was very simple, beginning with clicking a banner at the top of the iTunes Music Store (though I would have thought there would also be a text link in the box on the top left that directs people to other parts of the store like gift certificates and allowances). As you can see in this picture, Apple makes it very clear that you've gotten your credit for a free song (and you can see that in addition to the song, I have some money left from a gift certificate--thanks, C.K.!). I like the use of the "1 Song" term for the prize, instead of dealing with messy numbers like $0.99; it effectively ends any speculation that you could save up winning codes and buy a $9.99 album. All together a very slick experience.