HBO Brings 'Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City' to iTunes
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]
Posts with tag itunes
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
Blockbuster Wants to Stream Movies to Your TV
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
Related links:
Music Industry Claims Throwing Away Free CDs is Illegal
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
Related Links:
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
Related Links:
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
Related Links:
Apple Considering Unlimited "All You Can Eat" Approach For iTunes
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
Related Links
BlackBerrys 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
Related Links:
Sony and Apple Say There's No Beatles On iTunes Deal
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
Related Links:
The Beatles (Finally) Coming to iTunes
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
Related Links:
iTunes is #2 Music Retailer, CD Sales Continue to Plummet
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
Related Links:
BBC Coming to iTunes
Currently, BBC programs are made available on the free, UK-only iPlayer application after airing on TV, and short clips and previews are available on the BBC YouTube Channel. The new deal with Apple outlines the BBC's plan to offers at least 10 series through iTunes, including "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes." Simon Danker, director of digital media at BBC Worldwide, said, "We want to give audiences a wide variety of options on how and where to view their favorite BBC shows." Once purchased and downloaded, users will be able to view the content in iTunes and on iPods, iPhones, and Apple TVs.
While we're encouraged by the BBC's first step in making this content available worldwide, we're hoping that more of the enormous BBC archives will be opened up and made available on iTunes soon.
from BBC News
Related Posts:
Netflix Movies for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360?
Last month when Netflix decided to offer unlimited streaming of its online movies, rumors started swirling of partnerships with Microsoft and Sony video game consoles to keep the service ahead of new competition from iTunes. Now we have some potential details culled from a Netflix survey that shed some light on just how streaming movies to consoles would work. According to the blogger, the survey asks the following question:
If as part of your Netflix membership you could instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your TV with your PS/3 or XBOX 360, how likely would you/anyone in your household be to do that?The answer, for many at least, is very, very likely indeed! The survey goes on to detail that, for the PlayStation 3 (PS3), a $3 disc would be required to enable streaming of Netflix. For the Xbox 360, however, no disc is mentioned. Presumably this is because Netflix already works with Microsoft's copy protection, something the 360 can already handle. The PS3, however, needs a little help, but beyond the possible $3 disc there'd be no additional charge for this service.
There's no mention of when this might come to pass, though. So don't get too excited about it yet, since there's only one source talking about this survey. If and when console streaming becomes a reality,however, Netflix, having already dispatched Blockbuster, should have plenty of ammunition to stay ahead of iTunes in the online rental business.
From Seanbajuice
Related Links:
Blockbuster Stock Tumbles After Apple's Movie Rental Announcement
Blockbuster has been struggling to compete with Netflix mail order rentals and online content deliver, which was made completely free and unlimited to subscribers ahead of the anticipated debut of iTunes' movie rentals. Over the past several months, Blockbuster's web site traffic has dwindled, stores have closed, and massive layoffs seem unavoidable. The national movie rental chain's stock prices are about half of what they were as recently as November.
Instead of stemming the tide Blockbuster just seems to be slipping faster and faster into a footnote in content delivery history. The iTune's rentals may just be the nail in the coffin.
From Newsvine
Related links:
HD-DVD's Long Walk Back to the Locker Room of Shame
Now that everyone has declared BluRay the winner in the high-def war, what with Warner's announcement and Sony finally allowing adult films to be published on the format, I think it's important to take a look at HD-DVD's long walk back to the locker room after a game well-played.
It would be a mistake to say that HD-DVD will cease to exist tomorrow. In fact, expect to see just the opposite of that. HD-DVD continue on as an underground favorite format, much like Betamax did in the 70s and laser discs did in the 90s. Remember laser discs, the giant optical discs that came before DVD, the stuff of early home theater buffs who could tell you a thing or two about digital mastering way before half of Hollywood was even Bar Mitzvah'd? No? How about beta, the superior tape format that Sony wanted you to buy instead of VHS?
I originally thought HD-DVD was completely done for before the Consumer Electronics Show. Warner's Blu-Ray-exclusive announcement and the HD-DVD group's decision to back out of their keynote made it sound like they would go away with a whimper. On the final day of the conference, however, I took one last walk by the HD-DVD booth just to see what was up. After all, I'm a sucker for a good heartbreak story.
"So I looked on bestbuy.com this morning," began the booth attendant, speaking to three half-asleep attendees who, by my estimation, were there more for the chair rest than the presentation. "You can now buy an HD-DVD drive for $179. That also comes with ten free discs. Ten free discs! That easily makes HD-DVD the best deal in high definition."
The guy had a point. Think about it -- for $179, you can get a high-end HD-DVD player that will also upscale your regular DVDs to high-definition resolution. It will also play your Super-Audio CDs. You also get ten free HD-DVD discs. Go try to buy ten new regular-definition DVDs for $179 -- I dare you. That evening I was ordering an HD-DVD drive from bestbuy.com. Call me a vulture if you will, but I'll be enjoying this winter in high-def heaven. Heck - I might even cancel my Netflix account for a few months and save another $50 or so.
That closing value on the HD-DVD format really is hard to beat. Even if another HD-DVD title never comes out, the closing cost of the format -- along with its hardware -- is easily worth the cost to anyone with a high-definition television. Is it an investment for the far future? Not so much, but most of us who already have home theaters and high-definition televisions aren't exactly known for our electronics long-term investment acumen -- we'll all have new TVs, receivers, and speakers in a few years anyway.
Anyway, with Apple's new iTunes Movie Rentals and NetFlix opening up the "View It Now" service to unlimited views, disc-based movies' days are numbered.
Enjoy the fire sale. I know I will.
Related Links:
It would be a mistake to say that HD-DVD will cease to exist tomorrow. In fact, expect to see just the opposite of that. HD-DVD continue on as an underground favorite format, much like Betamax did in the 70s and laser discs did in the 90s. Remember laser discs, the giant optical discs that came before DVD, the stuff of early home theater buffs who could tell you a thing or two about digital mastering way before half of Hollywood was even Bar Mitzvah'd? No? How about beta, the superior tape format that Sony wanted you to buy instead of VHS?
I originally thought HD-DVD was completely done for before the Consumer Electronics Show. Warner's Blu-Ray-exclusive announcement and the HD-DVD group's decision to back out of their keynote made it sound like they would go away with a whimper. On the final day of the conference, however, I took one last walk by the HD-DVD booth just to see what was up. After all, I'm a sucker for a good heartbreak story.
"So I looked on bestbuy.com this morning," began the booth attendant, speaking to three half-asleep attendees who, by my estimation, were there more for the chair rest than the presentation. "You can now buy an HD-DVD drive for $179. That also comes with ten free discs. Ten free discs! That easily makes HD-DVD the best deal in high definition."
The guy had a point. Think about it -- for $179, you can get a high-end HD-DVD player that will also upscale your regular DVDs to high-definition resolution. It will also play your Super-Audio CDs. You also get ten free HD-DVD discs. Go try to buy ten new regular-definition DVDs for $179 -- I dare you. That evening I was ordering an HD-DVD drive from bestbuy.com. Call me a vulture if you will, but I'll be enjoying this winter in high-def heaven. Heck - I might even cancel my Netflix account for a few months and save another $50 or so.
That closing value on the HD-DVD format really is hard to beat. Even if another HD-DVD title never comes out, the closing cost of the format -- along with its hardware -- is easily worth the cost to anyone with a high-definition television. Is it an investment for the far future? Not so much, but most of us who already have home theaters and high-definition televisions aren't exactly known for our electronics long-term investment acumen -- we'll all have new TVs, receivers, and speakers in a few years anyway.
Anyway, with Apple's new iTunes Movie Rentals and NetFlix opening up the "View It Now" service to unlimited views, disc-based movies' days are numbered.
Enjoy the fire sale. I know I will.
Related Links:
