News Topic - iTunes
Articles 1 - 10 of most recent articles
Bento: beautiful in design and easy to use
Like many small business owners, RealSimple's Erin knew that “databases can simplify life and work, but until now, I've never been able to design them myself.” Until she began using Bento, that is. “Bento looks, feels and works like other Mac applications. Organizing your information into collections in Bento is much like organizing songs in iTunes,” she writes. It's “just another reason to consider a Mac.”
Apple.com – 2 hours, 57 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Computer
Like many small business owners, RealSimple's Erin knew that “databases can simplify life and work, but until now, I've never been able to design them myself.” Until she began using Bento, that is. “Bento looks, feels and works like other Mac applications. Organizing your information into collections in Bento is much like organizing songs in iTunes,” she writes. It's “just another reason to consider a Mac.”
Apple.com – 2 hours, 57 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Computer
Apple's New Boston Store, "A Diamond in a Rock Pile"
: Apple opens its largest store in the United States at 6 p.m. EST today, a glass-and-steel extravaganza in downtown Boston.The Thursday grand opening is unusual for Apple, and likely coincides with an off day for the Boston Red Sox. Players are rumored to be showing up for the event. The line to be among the first inside the store numbers more than 300, and stretches back four blocks. Many in line hope to get a free poster and maybe something more. At previous openings, Apple has randomly given away MacBooks, iPods and iTunes gift cards.Left: The three-story, 20,000-square-foot store sits smack in the middle of the posh Boylston Street shopping strip. The glass-fronted store is sandwiched between a pair of older stone buildings, a juxtaposition described by one Gizmodo commentator as "a diamond in a rock pile."Photo: Michael Oh/Tech Superpowers: The Boston store is Apple's second-largest store: The store on London's Regent Street is 28,000 square feet.Ron Johnson, the head of Apple retailing, said Apple had been eyeing the spot for several years, and that the size of the store is in line with Apple's growth. “If we had opened this store in 2001, it would have been one level,” Johnson said at a media event Wednesday. “If we had opened it in 2005, it would have been a two-level store. But in 2008, it's the largest store in the U.S.” The store will be open for extended hours, but won't operate 24/7. Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The store has three stories connected by a glass spiral staircase. Computers are on the first floor; iPods, iPhones and accessories on the second; and the troubleshooting Genius Bar on the third floor. The Genius Bar is large enough to handle up to 1,000 queries a day, Apple says.The product placement is reminiscent of the old supermarket strategy of making shoppers walk through the store to get to staples like bread and milk. Customers are led down the aisles in the hope that they'll pick up more expensive products along the way.The third floor will also have a "Studio" section for tutorials and personal training. Members of Apple's One to One training program will receive personal tutorials in moviemaking, music, office productivity and more. The store will also host school nights and summer-camp programs.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The new store is right across the street from another Apple dealer, Tech Superpowers. Afraid his business will be crushed by the new store, owner Michael Oh buried a company shirt below the Apple store to curse it, a la the Red Sox shirt initially buried below the new Yankee Stadium. "We're doing it with a wink," Oh told the Boston Globe.Apple now has 210 stores: 183 in the United States and 17 more in Japan, Canada, Britain and Italy. The stores are a cash cow, earning $1.45 billion in the second quarter. Apple plans to open 45 more stores during 2008, concentrating on overseas expansion in China, Europe and Australia.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: Apple received more than 5,000 applications for 165 jobs at the store, according to the Globe. The staff wears different colored shirts to indicate their roles: "Concierges" who greet new customers wear orange, sales "specialists" wear light blue, and the "geniuses" wear dark blue.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The design of the store was carefully supervised by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, co-holder of a patent for the signature glass staircase used in many of Apple's "flagship" stores.The stores use a lot of the same materials and design cues as Apple's products -- steel, glass and aluminum. Johnson told reporters that the floor is the same stone used in sidewalks in Florence, Italy. “It's a common palette of materials,” he told Reuters, “both old and new.” Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: Apple's stores are built on the idea of bringing "high-touch" service to selling technology. Instead of cacophonous big-box stores staffed by ill-informed and unkempt teenagers, Apple's stores are no-pressure spaces where consumers can get comfortable with machines before making a purchase.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The store has a number of green touches. There's a characteristic skylight in the roof -- Steve Jobs and his architects are fans of natural light. And the rooftop features a small garden, covered in grass (the kind that's mown, not smoked).The building collects and filters rainwater, which is fed into Boston's Back Bay water table."We're highly confident that we've built a store here that is going to have a great [positive] environmental impact," Johnston said.Photo: jdlouhy/Flickr
Wired News – 21 hours, 17 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Technology
: Apple opens its largest store in the United States at 6 p.m. EST today, a glass-and-steel extravaganza in downtown Boston.The Thursday grand opening is unusual for Apple, and likely coincides with an off day for the Boston Red Sox. Players are rumored to be showing up for the event. The line to be among the first inside the store numbers more than 300, and stretches back four blocks. Many in line hope to get a free poster and maybe something more. At previous openings, Apple has randomly given away MacBooks, iPods and iTunes gift cards.Left: The three-story, 20,000-square-foot store sits smack in the middle of the posh Boylston Street shopping strip. The glass-fronted store is sandwiched between a pair of older stone buildings, a juxtaposition described by one Gizmodo commentator as "a diamond in a rock pile."Photo: Michael Oh/Tech Superpowers: The Boston store is Apple's second-largest store: The store on London's Regent Street is 28,000 square feet.Ron Johnson, the head of Apple retailing, said Apple had been eyeing the spot for several years, and that the size of the store is in line with Apple's growth. “If we had opened this store in 2001, it would have been one level,” Johnson said at a media event Wednesday. “If we had opened it in 2005, it would have been a two-level store. But in 2008, it's the largest store in the U.S.” The store will be open for extended hours, but won't operate 24/7. Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The store has three stories connected by a glass spiral staircase. Computers are on the first floor; iPods, iPhones and accessories on the second; and the troubleshooting Genius Bar on the third floor. The Genius Bar is large enough to handle up to 1,000 queries a day, Apple says.The product placement is reminiscent of the old supermarket strategy of making shoppers walk through the store to get to staples like bread and milk. Customers are led down the aisles in the hope that they'll pick up more expensive products along the way.The third floor will also have a "Studio" section for tutorials and personal training. Members of Apple's One to One training program will receive personal tutorials in moviemaking, music, office productivity and more. The store will also host school nights and summer-camp programs.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The new store is right across the street from another Apple dealer, Tech Superpowers. Afraid his business will be crushed by the new store, owner Michael Oh buried a company shirt below the Apple store to curse it, a la the Red Sox shirt initially buried below the new Yankee Stadium. "We're doing it with a wink," Oh told the Boston Globe.Apple now has 210 stores: 183 in the United States and 17 more in Japan, Canada, Britain and Italy. The stores are a cash cow, earning $1.45 billion in the second quarter. Apple plans to open 45 more stores during 2008, concentrating on overseas expansion in China, Europe and Australia.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: Apple received more than 5,000 applications for 165 jobs at the store, according to the Globe. The staff wears different colored shirts to indicate their roles: "Concierges" who greet new customers wear orange, sales "specialists" wear light blue, and the "geniuses" wear dark blue.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The design of the store was carefully supervised by Apple CEO Steve Jobs, co-holder of a patent for the signature glass staircase used in many of Apple's "flagship" stores.The stores use a lot of the same materials and design cues as Apple's products -- steel, glass and aluminum. Johnson told reporters that the floor is the same stone used in sidewalks in Florence, Italy. “It's a common palette of materials,” he told Reuters, “both old and new.” Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: Apple's stores are built on the idea of bringing "high-touch" service to selling technology. Instead of cacophonous big-box stores staffed by ill-informed and unkempt teenagers, Apple's stores are no-pressure spaces where consumers can get comfortable with machines before making a purchase.Photo: sushiesque/Flickr: The store has a number of green touches. There's a characteristic skylight in the roof -- Steve Jobs and his architects are fans of natural light. And the rooftop features a small garden, covered in grass (the kind that's mown, not smoked).The building collects and filters rainwater, which is fed into Boston's Back Bay water table."We're highly confident that we've built a store here that is going to have a great [positive] environmental impact," Johnston said.Photo: jdlouhy/Flickr
Wired News – 21 hours, 17 minutes ago ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Music Videos and Older IPods
There's some confusion surrounding what you can and can't do with music videos purchased from the iTunes Store. Need proof...
PC World – May 15, 2008 7:04 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
There's some confusion surrounding what you can and can't do with music videos purchased from the iTunes Store. Need proof...
PC World – May 15, 2008 7:04 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Guitar Tutorials Rocket Up iTunes Podcast Charts
Downloadable guitar lessons from iVideosongs prove popular with a new wave of ax slingers.
Wired News – May 15, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Downloadable guitar lessons from iVideosongs prove popular with a new wave of ax slingers.
Wired News – May 15, 2008 04:00 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
DOT.TUNES Revenues Driven by iPhone, iPod Touch, Wii and PSP Plug-In Sales
DOT.TUNES, the web application that puts a user's entire iTunes library at their fingertips allowing content to be accessed from virtually any target device with a web browser, continues to expand its brand, and the company's coffers, through the sale of popular plug-ins including the iPhone, iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstaton plug-ins. [PR.com - February 16, 2008]
PR.com – May 15, 2008 01:36 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
DOT.TUNES, the web application that puts a user's entire iTunes library at their fingertips allowing content to be accessed from virtually any target device with a web browser, continues to expand its brand, and the company's coffers, through the sale of popular plug-ins including the iPhone, iPod Touch, Nintendo Wii and Sony Playstaton plug-ins. [PR.com - February 16, 2008]
PR.com – May 15, 2008 01:36 AM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
How Apple is changing DRM
When Apple approached record companies about selling their music digitally five years ago, they "were extremely cautious and required Apple to protect their music from being illegally copied", according to Steve Jobs's recollection of the process. That meant using digital rights management (DRM) - a software wrapper - to protect songs from unlimited copying. Jobs says it is crucial to the contract: "If our DRM system is compromised and their music becomes playable on unauthorized devices, we have only a small number of weeks to fix the problem or they can withdraw their entire music catalog from our iTunes store." But what's the real effect of DRM? Last year, EMI began offering songs without it on iTunes. "The industry has finally been able to get some hard data about how removing DRM restrictions from legitimately purchased tracks affects piracy," says Bill Rosenplatt, DRM specialist and president of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies. "The statistics show that there's no effect on piracy." No effect. The assertion is remarkable. If DRM does not in fact discourage piracy, then it is merely a nuisance for the user. Now the Guardian understands that most download stores will remove DRM on permanent music downloads. "We are going to be selling non-DRM music from the summer", says Dave Elston, HMV's digital content manager, adding that it would solve "obvious interoperability issues" - primarily compatibility with Apple's iPod. Amazon has announced that its DRM-free MP3 download store, already online in the US, will be rolled out internationally later this year. Napster in the US is moving to MP3 for non-subscription downloads, and sources close to the company implied that the UK service will follow suit. And Apple offers DRM-free downloads for an increasing number of tracks. Ironically, the music companies are now abandoning DRM because it worked too well. Apple wouldn't license its version to rivals - so the best-selling iPod drove the iTunes store to its present position, where it is the third-largest music retailer in any form in the US. Rosenblatt says that record labels "have been desperate to find a viable competitor to Apple and iTunes". Industry sources suggest that Apple's iTunes store has more than 70% of the UK download market, and growing. "The record companies don't like dealing with Apple, because Apple is in a position where it can dictate the economic terms and dictate the business models," says Rosenblatt. "What's going to draw people away from iTunes? One answer is to get rid of DRM." Licences revoked In the meantime, some early adopters are suffering the consequences of DRM's failure. Last month, former customers of Microsoft's defunct MSN Music store in the US received an unwelcome email. "As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of licence keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers," it said. So what does that mean? Protected music files are encrypted and locked with a key. To play the file, the media player must acquire a digital licence that is specific to the PC or portable device on which it is played. The licence may permit music to be copied to other computers or devices, but each device must be individually authorised by an online licence server. Without such a server, former customers of MSN Music will not be able to play their DRM-protected music on any new PCs or portable players that they buy. The problem is worse than it first appears, since a "new" device may actually be your existing PC. Some users habitually reinstall Windows to keep it running sweetly, but doing so removes its authorisation; even adding or changing a hardware component can also break the DRM, as Microsoft notes matter-of-factly in a support article. Worse still, the DRM component in Windows can get corrupted for no apparent reason. This is a common problem for users installing the BBC's iPlayer software, for example, which also uses Microsoft DRM. The fix, described in detail on the iPlayer support pages, involves deleting all the files in the hidden DRM folder within Windows. A side effect is that existing licences are destroyed - so existing DRM-protected files could well no longer play. In other words, there are multiple scenarios in which customers who have bought music, supposedly for a lifetime, may need to re-authorise their purchases. If the licence server has been turned off, the music will never, ever play again. What if you back up your licences? This used to be possible through Windows Media Player. But Microsoft removed the option from version 11, introduced for Windows Vista. Microsoft's Adam Anderson told us that licence backup did not work properly anyway. Getting your backup "The ability to back up content was not granted by every service, leading to user confusion and frustration," he says. "Third-party digital content service providers are best positioned to meet the backup and restoration needs of their customers." So the trail leads back to the licence server - which Microsoft is turning off for its customers. Why is it doing that? According to Rob Bennett, who wrote the shock email, it was too complicated to support. "Every time there is an OS upgrade, you saw support issues. People would call in because they couldn't download licences. We had to write new code, new configurations each time," he told CNet. There are a few mitigating factors. One is that purchased downloads usually include the right to burn CDs - thus removing the DRM, and allowing proper backup. Though it's not quite perfect: most download formats are compressed. The CD will sound the same as the download - but if it is ripped back to a PC in a lossy format (such as MP3), the recompressed file will not sound as good. Customers outside the US are not directly affected by Microsoft's move. Although several download services in the UK use Microsoft DRM - including MSN Music (which is run by Nokia), Napster and HMV - these stores have their own licence servers. Still, if Microsoft itself has done this, and if DRM for this type of purchase is on the way out, then customers with an investment in downloaded music should be cautious. Best burn them to CD, just in case. Some, however, won't let you. Subscription services such as Napster To Go, which gives temporary access to around 5m songs, will keep using DRM. But so far the subscription concept has not taken off. Yet Rosenblatt thinks that subscriptions may turn out to be Apple's answer to the DRM-free competition - because it has already laid the groundwork with films which expire a certain length of time after being downloaded or watched. "You can now rent a movie on your iPod. The functionality on the iPod that enables that to happen is part of the functionality that you would need to support music subscription services," Rosenblatt says. Same old problems And that could mean the record labels will face the same problem all over again. Just as they remove DRM from their products, Apple would re-impose it. Apple customers with a subscription would probably never buy from third-party services, even while the likes of Amazon could undercut iTunes and be iPod-compatible. Mark Mulligan, digital music analyst at Jupiter Research, also expects Apple to change its approach. "It's highly likely Apple will get into the next-generation service game. That could be Apple selling iPods preinstalled with unlimited access to music, or with a bundle to a subscription offering," he says. Mulligan sees the market evolving into multiple tiers. At the top end, a minority will be willing to pay a premium for the best quality, DRM-free downloads. The middle tier will be "subsidised offerings like Nokia's Comes With Music, where you buy a device and the cost of the music is included subsidised"; while at the bottom will be advertising-supported services such as Qtrax, SpiralFrog and We7, where free music is paid for by embedded advertising. That would leave Apple with the top-end iTunes downloads and a subscription business. But would Jobs back it? In January 2007, Reuters asked him if Apple would do so. "Never say never, but customers don't seem to be interested in it," Jobs said. "The subscription model has failed so far." Which hardly rules it out forever. DRM might not stop pirates, but it does rivals. And in business, the latter can be a greater threat than the former.
The Guardian – May 14, 2008 11:43 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
When Apple approached record companies about selling their music digitally five years ago, they "were extremely cautious and required Apple to protect their music from being illegally copied", according to Steve Jobs's recollection of the process. That meant using digital rights management (DRM) - a software wrapper - to protect songs from unlimited copying. Jobs says it is crucial to the contract: "If our DRM system is compromised and their music becomes playable on unauthorized devices, we have only a small number of weeks to fix the problem or they can withdraw their entire music catalog from our iTunes store." But what's the real effect of DRM? Last year, EMI began offering songs without it on iTunes. "The industry has finally been able to get some hard data about how removing DRM restrictions from legitimately purchased tracks affects piracy," says Bill Rosenplatt, DRM specialist and president of GiantSteps Media Technology Strategies. "The statistics show that there's no effect on piracy." No effect. The assertion is remarkable. If DRM does not in fact discourage piracy, then it is merely a nuisance for the user. Now the Guardian understands that most download stores will remove DRM on permanent music downloads. "We are going to be selling non-DRM music from the summer", says Dave Elston, HMV's digital content manager, adding that it would solve "obvious interoperability issues" - primarily compatibility with Apple's iPod. Amazon has announced that its DRM-free MP3 download store, already online in the US, will be rolled out internationally later this year. Napster in the US is moving to MP3 for non-subscription downloads, and sources close to the company implied that the UK service will follow suit. And Apple offers DRM-free downloads for an increasing number of tracks. Ironically, the music companies are now abandoning DRM because it worked too well. Apple wouldn't license its version to rivals - so the best-selling iPod drove the iTunes store to its present position, where it is the third-largest music retailer in any form in the US. Rosenblatt says that record labels "have been desperate to find a viable competitor to Apple and iTunes". Industry sources suggest that Apple's iTunes store has more than 70% of the UK download market, and growing. "The record companies don't like dealing with Apple, because Apple is in a position where it can dictate the economic terms and dictate the business models," says Rosenblatt. "What's going to draw people away from iTunes? One answer is to get rid of DRM." Licences revoked In the meantime, some early adopters are suffering the consequences of DRM's failure. Last month, former customers of Microsoft's defunct MSN Music store in the US received an unwelcome email. "As of August 31, 2008, we will no longer be able to support the retrieval of licence keys for the songs you purchased from MSN Music or the authorization of additional computers," it said. So what does that mean? Protected music files are encrypted and locked with a key. To play the file, the media player must acquire a digital licence that is specific to the PC or portable device on which it is played. The licence may permit music to be copied to other computers or devices, but each device must be individually authorised by an online licence server. Without such a server, former customers of MSN Music will not be able to play their DRM-protected music on any new PCs or portable players that they buy. The problem is worse than it first appears, since a "new" device may actually be your existing PC. Some users habitually reinstall Windows to keep it running sweetly, but doing so removes its authorisation; even adding or changing a hardware component can also break the DRM, as Microsoft notes matter-of-factly in a support article. Worse still, the DRM component in Windows can get corrupted for no apparent reason. This is a common problem for users installing the BBC's iPlayer software, for example, which also uses Microsoft DRM. The fix, described in detail on the iPlayer support pages, involves deleting all the files in the hidden DRM folder within Windows. A side effect is that existing licences are destroyed - so existing DRM-protected files could well no longer play. In other words, there are multiple scenarios in which customers who have bought music, supposedly for a lifetime, may need to re-authorise their purchases. If the licence server has been turned off, the music will never, ever play again. What if you back up your licences? This used to be possible through Windows Media Player. But Microsoft removed the option from version 11, introduced for Windows Vista. Microsoft's Adam Anderson told us that licence backup did not work properly anyway. Getting your backup "The ability to back up content was not granted by every service, leading to user confusion and frustration," he says. "Third-party digital content service providers are best positioned to meet the backup and restoration needs of their customers." So the trail leads back to the licence server - which Microsoft is turning off for its customers. Why is it doing that? According to Rob Bennett, who wrote the shock email, it was too complicated to support. "Every time there is an OS upgrade, you saw support issues. People would call in because they couldn't download licences. We had to write new code, new configurations each time," he told CNet. There are a few mitigating factors. One is that purchased downloads usually include the right to burn CDs - thus removing the DRM, and allowing proper backup. Though it's not quite perfect: most download formats are compressed. The CD will sound the same as the download - but if it is ripped back to a PC in a lossy format (such as MP3), the recompressed file will not sound as good. Customers outside the US are not directly affected by Microsoft's move. Although several download services in the UK use Microsoft DRM - including MSN Music (which is run by Nokia), Napster and HMV - these stores have their own licence servers. Still, if Microsoft itself has done this, and if DRM for this type of purchase is on the way out, then customers with an investment in downloaded music should be cautious. Best burn them to CD, just in case. Some, however, won't let you. Subscription services such as Napster To Go, which gives temporary access to around 5m songs, will keep using DRM. But so far the subscription concept has not taken off. Yet Rosenblatt thinks that subscriptions may turn out to be Apple's answer to the DRM-free competition - because it has already laid the groundwork with films which expire a certain length of time after being downloaded or watched. "You can now rent a movie on your iPod. The functionality on the iPod that enables that to happen is part of the functionality that you would need to support music subscription services," Rosenblatt says. Same old problems And that could mean the record labels will face the same problem all over again. Just as they remove DRM from their products, Apple would re-impose it. Apple customers with a subscription would probably never buy from third-party services, even while the likes of Amazon could undercut iTunes and be iPod-compatible. Mark Mulligan, digital music analyst at Jupiter Research, also expects Apple to change its approach. "It's highly likely Apple will get into the next-generation service game. That could be Apple selling iPods preinstalled with unlimited access to music, or with a bundle to a subscription offering," he says. Mulligan sees the market evolving into multiple tiers. At the top end, a minority will be willing to pay a premium for the best quality, DRM-free downloads. The middle tier will be "subsidised offerings like Nokia's Comes With Music, where you buy a device and the cost of the music is included subsidised"; while at the bottom will be advertising-supported services such as Qtrax, SpiralFrog and We7, where free music is paid for by embedded advertising. That would leave Apple with the top-end iTunes downloads and a subscription business. But would Jobs back it? In January 2007, Reuters asked him if Apple would do so. "Never say never, but customers don't seem to be interested in it," Jobs said. "The subscription model has failed so far." Which hardly rules it out forever. DRM might not stop pirates, but it does rivals. And in business, the latter can be a greater threat than the former.
The Guardian – May 14, 2008 11:43 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Piracy growing as fewer fans buy downloads
Record labels are losing their battle with digital piracy as the number of people who regularly download songs legally falls back, research will claim today. In the wake of innovative attempts from the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay to develop new marketing and distribution methods, record labels are being urged to overhaul their business models if they want to survive. The music industry had been hoping that an upsurge in legal download sales from sites like Apple's iTunes music store would start to compensate for the effects of online and offline piracy and falling CD sales. But figures due to be unveiled today by research group The Leading Question will show the number of music fans regularly buying downloads falling from 16% in 2006 to 14% in 2007. They also show that, on average, music fans pay for just 3.32 single track downloads per month. While 28% of music fans have paid to download music from a legal download store such as iTunes or 7 Digital, just as many have tried downloading from an illegal filesharing site. Tellingly, 22% have carried on sharing files illegally, but only 14% have continued to download tracks from legal sites. "Many UK music fans are telling us they are dissatisfied with the current legal, paid-for digital music experience," said Tim Walker, managing director of The Leading Question. "They might buy a few tracks from iTunes when they get a new iPod for Christmas, but few go on to become regular paying downloaders." Leading music labels have been undergoing a huge structural shift since Napster in its early days made digital piracy a mainstream activity. The BPI, which represents the British music industry, said download sales grew by more than 42% in the first four months of the year, but that "the digital music business doesn't begin or end with iTunes". Over the past two years it has modified its stance on file-sharing, focusing on reaching an agreement with ISPs to block persistent offenders, rather than suing individual uploaders.
The Guardian – May 14, 2008 11:43 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
Record labels are losing their battle with digital piracy as the number of people who regularly download songs legally falls back, research will claim today. In the wake of innovative attempts from the likes of Radiohead and Coldplay to develop new marketing and distribution methods, record labels are being urged to overhaul their business models if they want to survive. The music industry had been hoping that an upsurge in legal download sales from sites like Apple's iTunes music store would start to compensate for the effects of online and offline piracy and falling CD sales. But figures due to be unveiled today by research group The Leading Question will show the number of music fans regularly buying downloads falling from 16% in 2006 to 14% in 2007. They also show that, on average, music fans pay for just 3.32 single track downloads per month. While 28% of music fans have paid to download music from a legal download store such as iTunes or 7 Digital, just as many have tried downloading from an illegal filesharing site. Tellingly, 22% have carried on sharing files illegally, but only 14% have continued to download tracks from legal sites. "Many UK music fans are telling us they are dissatisfied with the current legal, paid-for digital music experience," said Tim Walker, managing director of The Leading Question. "They might buy a few tracks from iTunes when they get a new iPod for Christmas, but few go on to become regular paying downloaders." Leading music labels have been undergoing a huge structural shift since Napster in its early days made digital piracy a mainstream activity. The BPI, which represents the British music industry, said download sales grew by more than 42% in the first four months of the year, but that "the digital music business doesn't begin or end with iTunes". Over the past two years it has modified its stance on file-sharing, focusing on reaching an agreement with ISPs to block persistent offenders, rather than suing individual uploaders.
The Guardian – May 14, 2008 11:43 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology
HBO & Apple Bring Critically Acclaimed Television Programming to the iTunes Store
Favorites Including 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City' Now Available on iTunes - - NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, California.—HBO and Apple® today announced that programming from HBO is now available for p... [WebWire - Wednesday, May 14, 2008]
WebWire – May 14, 2008 4:39 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
Favorites Including 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City' Now Available on iTunes - - NEW YORK and CUPERTINO, California.—HBO and Apple® today announced that programming from HBO is now available for p... [WebWire - Wednesday, May 14, 2008]
WebWire – May 14, 2008 4:39 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Top Stories: Press Releases
Apple's iTunes Expected to Sell HBO Shows
Time Warner's HBO cable network is expected to start selling shows on Apple Inc's iTunes digital entertainment service, with flexible pricing, sources familiar with the discussions said on Monday.
PC Magazine – May 14, 2008 4:06 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Computer
Time Warner's HBO cable network is expected to start selling shows on Apple Inc's iTunes digital entertainment service, with flexible pricing, sources familiar with the discussions said on Monday.
PC Magazine – May 14, 2008 4:06 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Technology: Computer
iTunes Lands HBO Shows
Apple Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s HBO are partnering to sell HBO shows on iTunes, with Apple reeling in one of the last holdouts among major channels by agreeing to a rare pricing concession to offer shows like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City."
TheShowBuzz.com – May 13, 2008 10:00 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Entertainment: Television
Apple Inc. and Time Warner Inc.'s HBO are partnering to sell HBO shows on iTunes, with Apple reeling in one of the last holdouts among major channels by agreeing to a rare pricing concession to offer shows like "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City."
TheShowBuzz.com – May 13, 2008 10:00 PM [GMT] ¦ comment?
found in Entertainment: Television