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Report: iTunes Store to Offer 90-Second Clips, Labels Be Damned

by Lee Bains on November 3, 2010 at 12:05 PM

itunes connect letter
It's befallen us several times: we'll hear a kickass, unfamiliar song, or remember pieces of a long-forgotten one, and search for it on iTunes. We're pretty sure it's James Carr singing, and we think we have a handle on the title, but we listen to a few song samples just to be sure. So, we pick a song in the iTunes Store, click play, and listen to a 30-second clip of an organ ride and improvised shouting -- hardly enough to figure out if this is the song or not. But, if Engadget's sources are correct, we all might soon be saved from such a frustrating fate.

Apparently, a written notice from Apple has informed labels that the company plans to begin offering 90-second sample clips of all iTunes songs that are longer than 2 minutes and 30 seconds. From the looks of things, Jobs & Co. aren't leaving the labels with much recourse, either; the letter states, "All you have to do is continue making your content available on the iTunes Store, which will confirm your acceptance to the [aforementioned] terms." While we should be surprised to hear of any labels' objections to this alleged policy change, the music biz is never hesitant to bite the hand that feeds it.

Tags: apple, itunes, itunes store, itunesstore, music, recordlabel, shopping, top

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