Posts tagged Itunes at Switched

Posts with tag itunes

Rhapsody, Verizon Finally Selling DRM-Free MP3s

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jul 1st 2008 at 10:01AM

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

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 19th 2008 at 5:22PM

Amazon Offering Coldplay Albums for Dirt Cheap

Amazon 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

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Jun 5th 2008 at 2:38PM

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

by Tim Stevens, posted May 20th 2008 at 10:04AM

For 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]

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

by Thomas Ricker, posted May 13th 2008 at 10:01AM

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]

Apple Quietly Introduces Movie Purchases On Apple TV

by Darren Murph, posted May 2nd 2008 at 11:03AM

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

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 1:07PM

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

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 10th 2008 at 10:16AM

Universal 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?

by Tim Stevens, posted Apr 9th 2008 at 8:14PM

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

by Thomas Houston , posted Mar 27th 2008 at 10:02AM

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

by Thomas Houston , posted Mar 19th 2008 at 6:44PM

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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BlackBerrys Getting Music Download Service

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 13th 2008 at 9:36AM

BlackBerry Phones Getting Music Download Service

Just a few years ago the smart phone was a something only the slightly geeky business professionals of the world would carry, usually by clipping the bulky monstrosities onto their belts for all to see. Today, though, with slim and pocketable smart phones like Apple's iPhone and the HTC Touch, the devices have started to shrug off their professional manners and start to live it up a little. The BlackBerry line, the first truly popular smart phone, is still about the stuffiest out there, but is getting a bit more laid back with the announcement of a custom music store tailored just for the e-mail pushing devices.

The service, from a company called Puretracks, will launch in April and will let BlackBerry users do something that the usually enviable iPhone users can't: Download tracks from anywhere they can get a signal. The Puretracks store will available via the cellular network, while, at best, you can only connect to iTunes from your iPhone via a localized Wi-Fi signal. The BlackBerry will be able to access Wi-Fi as well for faster downloads, but if you're on the go you'll still have the ability to get the latest Project Jenny Project Jan album while you're in the back of a cab on your way to the airport.

No word on just what pricing will look like for the new service, but expect to pay a bit of a premium over iTunes' offerings.

From Engadget Mobile

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Sony and Apple Say There's No Beatles On iTunes Deal

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 11th 2008 at 3:01PM

Yesterday's breaking news of the Beatles coming to iTunes seems to sadly have been bogus, despite being reported on by major British papers like the 'Telegraph.' The story was attributed to the always ambiguous "unnamed sources" and now it's seeming as though those sources got it wrong, as it's being denied by people on both sides of the story.

Sony/ATV Music Publishing is the group that owns the rights to much of the Beatles catalog and a spokesman from there has called the reports "untrue." For its part Apple, creator and owner of iTunes, has similarly debunked the story, saying: "This is not news nor is it a scoop."

That seems to be the end of that, but neither side denied that such a deal is possible in the future ... so don't stop hoping.

From News.com and Billboard

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The Beatles (Finally) Coming to iTunes

by Tim Stevens, posted Mar 10th 2008 at 10:19AM

Enjoyed by (likely) billions of people worldwide, the Beatles are so popular, they've even had their songs rocketed off into space. Despite the group's global popularity, none of its albums have ever shown up on iTunes, due, unfortunately, to a bit of a legal tiff between Apple, the dudes behind iTunes, and Apple, the group's record label.

Well, all the parties involved -- namely, Paul McCartney and Apple (computer) -- have finally settled their differences and the Beatles invasion of iTunes is set to begin. McCartney indicated last year that he was working on the deal, even saying it would happen in 2008. Indeed it has happened, and it's apparently setting Apple (the computer guys) back $400 million, which will be distributed across all the members of the Fab Four (including the estates of the dearly departed ones), plus Apple (the music recording guys) and, of course, Michael Jackson, who does indeed own the publishing rights to many Beatles songs.

There's been no specific mention of exactly when the albums will show up online, but it shouldn't take long.

From Engadget and UPI

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iTunes is #2 Music Retailer, CD Sales Continue to Plummet

by Thomas Houston , posted Feb 27th 2008 at 5:57PM

Apple's iTunes Music Store, the leader in legal online music sales, overtook Best Buy to become the second largest music retailer in the country. Older music fans age 36 to 50 -- not teens -- are at the root of iTunes' growth, and iTunes now trails only Wal-Mart in music sales.

The music market continues to reel under the changes to distribution brought on by the Web. NPD Group, a market research firm, recently released a new study documenting music sales and purchasing trends in the US. Online music downloads continue to grow, and listeners of all ages are moving away from compact discs.

NPD found that although music purchasing is up among 36 to 50 year olds, less than half of teens bought a single CD in 2007. Overall, CD purchases dropped 19% last year. According to the report, over one million teens stopped regularly purchasing CDs in 2007. Music fans of all ages cite price, convenience and choice as reasons for moving away from CDs to online downloads. Last year, 29 million users regularly (and legally) downloaded music online.

From LA Times, Engadget and Macworld

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Rhapsody, Verizon Finally Selling DRM-Free MP3s

Amazon MP3 Offering Coldplay Albums for as Little as $1.99

Radiohead Back Catalog Finally on iTunes

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

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

Apple Quietly Introduces Movie Purchases On Apple TV

Blockbuster Wants to Stream Movies to Your TV

Music Industry Claims Throwing Away Free CDs is Illegal

iTunes Tax Coming for Californians?

Amazon Gaining On iTunes' Lead In Online Music Sales

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

BlackBerrys Getting Music Download Service

Sony and Apple Say There's No Beatles On iTunes Deal

The Beatles (Finally) Coming to iTunes

iTunes is #2 Music Retailer, CD Sales Continue to Plummet

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