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Posts with tag iTunes

Switched Download: TuneUp iTunes Plug-In

Hands On With TuneUp iTunes Plug-In


What it is
:

Got a messy, disorganized iTunes library? Here's a solution: Launched last week, TuneUp is a free iTunes plug-in that is supposed to help you reign in your unwieldy music collection by cleaning up tags, like misspelled song titles and unnumbered tracks, as well as add missing album art. If that wasn't enough, it also tracks down YouTube videos related to artists you're listening to and looks for upcoming concerts in your area.


How it works:


The reasonably small 12-megabyte (MB) download adds a side bar to your iTunes with tabs for "cleaning up" your music, adding missing album art, a "now playing" tab with related videos, and a tab of upcoming concerts in your area.

What we like:

We're a bunch of lazy bastards. Anything that will correct all of our (legally?) downloaded music's tags without us spending 20 minutes selecting and typing is welcome addition to our computer toolbox. We also enjoy how much more effective TuneUp is at finding album art than the album art finder built into iTunes, which works 20 percent of the time on a good day.


What we don't:

We realize it's brand new and subject to quirks, but this thing is buggier than a South Bronx housing project. We managed to bring iTunes to a grinding halt (which is admitedly not hard to do) about half a dozen times in our first half hour with TuneUp. TuneUp works great as long as you don't do things like add new music to your library, which can take the plug-in out of service for up to 10 minutes.

The concert tab and album art tab could use some organizing or a search feature. The cover art tab lists every album's missing artwork, which can get overwhelming on larger music collections. And the concert tab lists every upcoming event in your area, which is quite a lot if you live a major metropolitan area like New York City. Neither tab offers any way of browsing them outside of scrolling through the lengthy lists.

Also, despite being designed for iTunes, TuneUp is currently Windows only....odd.

Verdict:
Despite its shortcomings, TuneUp would be worth keeping an eye on as it matures if it weren't for one thing - the price. The free version is limited to cleaning 500 tracks and finding the album art for 50 albums, which is fine for smaller collections, or well-kept large music libraries with just a few missing pieces. However, we can't see shelling out $11.95 a year or $19.95 for a life time of the service until it runs more smoothly and gets some design and navigation updates.There's no doubt that music-library organizing apps are much needed by music collectors, so despite the price, we'll be keeping an eye on this one and keep you posted.

iTunes Doctors Image From Hit TV Show





Don't believe everything you read... or see.

It's a time-honored practice to alter photos that don't adhere to certain political, strategic or social goals. Leon Trotsky was removed from photographs under Vladimir Lenin's reign. Celebrity magazine covers are notorious for air-brushing starlets to appear thinner, tanner or wrinkle-free. Even news events are skewed when states (just the rogue sort?) send out propaganda of missile tests that supposedly go off without a flaw but instead turn out to be doctored.

So it comes as no surprise that in the world of entertainment and advertising, the original message is made more, shall we say, family-friendly when, for example, all the guns are removed from the movie 'E.T.,' or now when the iTunes store wipes out the image of a cigarette from its page for the hit cable TV show 'Mad Men.'

Yes, the TV show about 1960s Madison Avenue advertising executives peddling the benefits of cigarette smoking had the cigarette removed from the official iTunes page.

While we were looking into the matter, though, the cigarette magically reappeared. Hmmmm. Compare the three images above for yourself. The first is from the 'Mad Men' Web site. The second is from iTunes earlier in the day. And the third is current.

Looks like someone in Apple-land has been busy with Photoshop. [Source: Gawker]

Engadget

iTunes Activation Servers Down, iPhone Customers Being Sent Home Unactivated


In a repeat of last year's problems, it looks like the insane demand for the iPhone 3G has taken its toll on Apple's iTunes activation servers -- that's a picture of iTunes locking up in the Chicago AT&T flagship earlier this morning. We're hearing that the servers are now definitely down after being intermittently active for the past few hours, and that customers are either being turned away or sent home from both Apple and AT&T stores to activate at home using iTunes. That's especially interesting since it suggests that AT&T was insisting on in-store activation to thwart unlockers, but for right now the real news is that lots of eager iPhone 3G buyers are stuck with two useless phones, since upgrading from a first-gen unit disables the SIM. Ouch. We'll keep you updated.

Update: Apple has confirmed to us that activation is down, and that customers are being asked to take the phone home and activate via iTunes later. We're not sure what good that'll do, since the servers are down no matter where you are, but Apple says it's "working on a solution." In the meantime, it looks like the new SIM works in first-gen units, so at least upgraders aren't totally phone-deprived.
Engadget

Apple's Remote: Turns Your iPhone Into a WiFi Remote Control


There it is, the new freebie from Apple which turns your iPhone or iPod touch into a remote control. It works with Apple TV and iTunes over the Wi-Fi network to play, pause, skip and shuffle your songs stored in your iTunes library. You get access to playlists, album art (displayed in the Remote app), control over AirTunes speakers, and the ablity to search your entire library. No video support apparently but free is free and 1.0 is 1.0.

Update: Looks like Apple has updated Apple TV to 2.1 with support for the new remote app, along with support for MobileMe. Get it via your Apple TV's Update Software feature (check out Engadget for more images of the Apple TV update). Read [warning: iTunes URL]

Rhapsody, Verizon Finally Selling DRM-Free MP3s

Rhapsody Sets its Sights on iTunes

In the past, Rhapsody has put all of its efforts behind an all-you-can-eat, subscription-based music service, which is great for the insatiable music enthusiast who never leaves his or her desktop, but bad for the always on-the-go iPod addict. Now, Rhapsody is preparing to launch a downloadable MP3 store so it can directly compete with iTunes and hopefully attract more customers with its new iPod friendly format. These MP3s will be without DRM, which means they are free of the digital rights management (DRM) layer that prevents music files from being played on different types of players (like iPods).

Rhapsody's catalog of four million songs will also be available through partners like Yahoo! Music and Verizon Wireless' VCAST Music service, which will be selling DRM-free MP3s for $1.99 over-the-air (or 99 cents on your PC). This will certainly be a boon to Verizon VCAST Music customers, who heretofore were stuck with heavily-DRM-laden WMA files that were hard to move from one player or computer to another.

While the move from competing with Apple to embracing MP3s and the iPod may sound good on paper, the Web is scattered with the remains of those who tried to take on Apple's store and its iconic media player. Wal-Mart, Amazon, Napster, E-Music, and now Rhapsody, are all stuck fighting for the table scraps left over from iTunes' more than 70 percent market share. [Source: Reuters]

Amazon MP3 Offering Coldplay Albums for as Little as $1.99

Amazon Offering Coldplay Albums for Dirt CheapAmazon is looking to blunt Apple's iTunes-exclusive marketing blitz surrounding Coldplay's new album 'Viva la Vida.' Despite Apple's claims of exclusivity, 'Viva la Vida' is the number one selling album on the Amazon MP3 store.

Amazon's plan of action is to greatly undercut Apple on prices. Coldplay's new album is a full dollar cheaper at Amazon ($8.99) than on iTunes, but the really dirt cheap prices are on Coldplay's back catalog. Each week, an old Coldplay album will be made available for $1.99 for a period of seven days, then the the next album in the catalog will go on sale for the bargain-basement of $1.99 the following week.

The Coldplay deal is just part of a larger marketing strategy by Amazon that includes a Friday Five, which is five albums for five dollars, rotated out weekly, and a Daily Deal that offers a different album every day at steep discounts.

Amazon's lower prices are sure to win over some converts, but it still remains to be seen whether or not 'X & Y' can be called a "deal" -- even at $1.99. [Source: BetaNews]

Radiohead Back Catalog Finally on iTunes

Radiohead Catalog Finally on iTunes
Along with the Beatles, one of the biggest hold outs on iTunes has been the art-rock geniuses Radiohead. The dispute that has caused this delay has been over the bundling of Radiohead's albums. The band gave EMI permission to distribute its music digitally as long as the albums weren't broken up into individual songs. iTunes requires that albums be unbundled and for sale as individual tracks.

But with the band's last album 'In Rainbows,' Radiohead had a change of heart. Following the splash made by its payment optional debut, the album went on sale on iTunes earlier this year, unbundled. But as of yesterday morning, Radiohead has finally released its entire back-catalog of albums to iTunes just in time for the release of it's new greatest hits record.

All of the band's EMI released material, including videos, is now available DRM-free through iTunes, which means you can play it on any audio player (not just iPods). So, if you've been holding out on picking up 'Ok Computer' for some reason, you can rest assured that now is as good a time as any to pull the trigger. [Source: Wired]

Re-Re-Launched Napster Offers 6M Songs Free of Copyright Protection

Re-Re-Launched Napter Brings Six Million Songs to MarketFor many, the name Napster still evokes memories of the carefree early days of music downloading, when songs were free and illegal, but nobody seemed to mind. Those days, of course, didn't last long, with the service being effectively shut down by pressure from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was later re-launched as a legal download service, but never quite regained the sort of attention it had in its previous life.

Now, the site is being re-launched yet again as an MP3 download store designed to directly take on the competition from Amazon and Apple.

Apple's iTunes is, of course, the reigning leader in the music download space. Lately, though, online music buyers have been rebelling against the restrictive copy protection that Apple still forces on many of its tracks, and the proprietary format that only really works on Apple's iPods isn't helping, either. Apple last year launched a DRM-free store last year -- DRM- or copyright-free means that the tracks can be played on any MP3 player -- but the majority of the iTunes offerings still have copy restrictions. Similarly, Amazon launched its amazonmp3 service last year, featuring songs in the industry-standard MP3 format and no copy protection.

Now, Napter is also offering MP3 downloads free of copy protection, with most tracks priced at $.99, or $9.95 per album, which is slightly higher than Amazon's offerings. Even so, Amazon can't compare to Napster's six million copyright-free tracks available for download right away, which makes it the world's largest MP3 store. The two services will surely keep competing, which is good news for consumers, and it remains to be seen what iTunes will do to keep up. [Source: AOL News]

Engadget

HBO Brings 'Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City' to iTunes


It's official. HBO content just entered the digital halls of iTunes with variable pricing. Episodes of 'Rome' and 'The Sopranos' pop for $2.99 while 'The Wire' and 'Sex and the City' (yes ,the complete series) go for the iTunes "standard" pricing of $1.99. We just fired-up iTunes and confirmed it just like the rumor predicted. With Apple backing down from its strict, flat-rate pricing policy, don't be surprised to see additional content from previously iTunes-shy providers arriving in succession.

Update: 'Deadwood' ($2.99) and 'Flight of the Conchords' ($1.99) are also available with "much more" apparently in the works.

Update 2: Apple just released the PR.

[Thanks, Turki]
Engadget HD

Apple Quietly Introduces Movie Purchases On Apple TV


We can't say we're too terribly fond of purchasing movies on a proprietary set-top-box (à la VUDU), but for those with no real attachment to physical media, Apple's looking to hook you up. Aside from announcing that day-and-date DVD releases were coming to iTunes, Cupertino has also enabled its Apple TV to purchase full-length films; prior to today, users could only rent them for a window of time. Details are pretty scant at the moment, and we're not even sure if HD films can be purchased (or if a premium is added on), but feel free to fire up your box and let us know how it goes in comments below. [Source: iLounge]

Blockbuster Wants to Stream Movies to Your TV

Blockbuster Wants to Stream Movies to Your TV
Rumors are swirling that Blockbuster is getting ready to take a major risk by entering the set-top box market with a streaming video player. This a move that others have speculated that Netflix would make, though there has been little public information about the project. The box would be an off-shoot of Blockbuster's Movielink service, which the video rental company has failed to fully integrate into its Blockbuster branding since purchasing the movie download service. Movielink has also been overshadowed by digital rental services from higher profile companies like Netflix and iTunes.

Streaming digital media straight to the TV is the ultimate goal of the rental outlets, but figuring out that last mile has been tough. Apple built a set top box (the Apple TV), but Apple was already in the hardware business and so it wasn't as big a risk for them. Netflix and Blockbuster have no experience designing, building, or selling hardware or software.

Perhaps the more logical solution, at least for now, would be to piggyback off of other entertainment devices. Netflix is offering its streaming services via Xbox 360 and rumored soon to be on the PlayStation 3, and Amazon's Unbox movie-and-TV-show download service is already on TiVo, leaving the field a little spare for Blockbuster.

Even so, it might be wise to experiment with delivery on a pre-built device before throwing piles of cash the company clearly doesn't have at a new Blockbuster branded set top box.

From Reuters

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Music Industry Claims Throwing Away Free CDs is Illegal

Music Industry Claims Throwing Away Free CDs is IllegalUniversal Music Group has filed a rather ... interesting legal brief in a case against a man accused of re-selling promotional CDs he legally purchased used at a record shop. UMG has claimed that not only was the man breaking the law by selling the albums, even the act of throwing them in the trash would have been committing music piracy.

The industry seems to be hoping to change the way you buy your music, so that if you purchase a CD you're not buying anything but a bit of plastic. The music on there isn't actually yours and, should you get tired of it, you don't have the right to resell it. This is traditionally known as the first-sale doctrine and is the reason why selling used books, CDs, and movies is legal. So is giving away those items -- for now.

Right now UMG's legal filing covers only promotional CDs, those given out for free to DJs and such, and it remains to be seen whether they'll even have any success making this argument. So, it's not the end of the used music store just yet. However, don't forget that when "buying" music files from stores like iTunes you're actually just licensing it, having sworn away your right to resell anything you download. So before you get too angry at UMG remember that you're embracing this sort of licensing elsewhere!

From TechDirt

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iTunes Tax Coming for Californians?

iTunes Tax Coming for Californians?

The blissfully tax-free nature online music shopping may be coming to an end. Buying virtual goods such as MP3s has been pretty much tax-free ever since the iTunes store launched in 2002, even though various money-hungry politicians around the country have been itching to levy Internet specific taxes for just as long. The latest is Democratic Assemblyman Charles Calderon from City of Industry, California, who wants to start applying a sales tax of 8.25 to 8.75 percent on digital downloads in an effort to remove the state's $8 billion budget deficit.

Calderon wants to update a 75-year-old law that indicates taxes must be applied to "tangible goods." Movies and music for download have so far been exempt from this tax, since users can't really touch or feel them. You can, however, see and hear them when played on a computer, which is good enough for Calderon. By also applying the tax to purchases of online pornography, Caleron believes he can increase state tax revenue by $500 million annually (still leaving $7.5 billion to go).

However, don't fret just yet, West Coast downloaders: Love 'em or leave 'em, the Republicans in California have your back. They are opposing this measure and are expected to block it from passing, meaning your $.99 downloads will stay just that -- at least for now.

From Mercury News

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Amazon Gaining On iTunes' Lead In Online Music Sales



Amazon recently moved into the number two online music retailer spot without much fanfare. Amazon's online MP3 store opened merely six months ago, and it appears to be gaining on the number one retailer -- Apple's iTunes Store, which commands 80% of online digital music sales.

The trends towards moving away from music burdened with digital rights management (DRM) software created new opportunities for Amazon. Why has DRM-free music -- which lets people play purchased tunes on any digital player or computer -- become such an important area of growth in the online music business? As Amazon's director of digital music, Pete Baltaxe, explained to USA Today: "Songs sold without DRM, at high quality, with album art, that's the best way to get people to buy music instead of stealing it," whereas DRM is a way to punish people who are buying...."

While Apple worked with record label EMI to sell DRM-free music in early 2007, the iTunes giant didn't have much luck getting other major labels immediately signed on. Instead of working with Apple -- currently offering 2 million DRM-free songs -- Warner, Sony/BMG and Universal decided to offer parts of their catalogs DRM-free on Amazon. Amazon's DRM-free library totals around 4.5 million, and is well-positioned to compete with iTunes.

Hopefully, the competition between the two retailers will result in better pricing and accessibility to music for consumers.

From USA Today

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Apple Considering Unlimited "All You Can Eat" Approach For iTunes


Apple is participating in talks with major record labels about new music distribution models, and the company is considering offering unlimited access to the iTunes Music Store at a premium. Unlike the current pay-per-download (a-la-carte) distribution model, the new model would enable music fans to purchase an Apple music device loaded with unlimited access to the entire iTunes store (over 6,000,000 songs).

This approach to music access is similar to Nokia's "Comes with Music" deal with Universal Music, where the cost of the unlimited music subscription is built into the cell phone. Apparently, the latest word from the talks is that the negotiations hinge on the price that Apple would pay for unlimited access to the labels' music libraries.

From FT, AOLNews, and Engadget



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