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iTunes Gets DRM Free, New Prices, Purchase Over 3G [Macworld 2009]
iTunes Gets DRM Free, New Prices, Purchase Over 3G [Macworld 2009]
iTunes is going DRM free and breaking their single-price rule with three points: .69 cents, .99 cents, and $1.29. Not surprised, given the pressure from other music stores. The iPhone will allow 3G downloads too. The new prices will come on April 1st. iTunes Plus will initially get 8 million ...
Changes Coming to the iTunes Store
apple.com — SAN FRANCISCO January 6, 2009 Apple today announced several changes to the iTunes Store ( www.itunes.com ). Beginning today, all four major music labels Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI, along with thousands of independent ... (more) Changes Coming to the iTunes Store
Sources: Apple to expand DRM-free music, new pricing
Sources: Apple to expand DRM-free music, new pricing
news.cnet.com — Apple has cut deals that will finally enable iTunes to offer songs free of copy protection software from the three largest music labels, according to two sources close to the negotiations. In exchange, Apple has agreed to become more flexible on ... (more) Sources: Apple to expand DRM-free music, new pricing
Apple inks deals for all DRM-free iTunes, 3G downloads
appleinsider.com — In what could be a significant victory for its online music store, Apple is believed to have landed agreements not only to remove copy protection from the music of all major labels but to also allow direct music downloads to iPhones over cellular ... (more) Apple inks deals for all DRM-free iTunes, 3G downloads
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iTunes Drops Most Copy Protection, Varies Prices [ITunes Store]
Lifehacker — [image] Update: Gizmodo confirms the announcement . The good news: CNET has sources saying the three largest music labels will allow Apple to offer music downloads free of copy-protection. And the bad news might not be that bad. In exchange for the DRM-free tracks, Apple will reportedly allow labels to push three tiers of pricing. Older songs from the archives will likely get cheaper than 99 cents, songs that are newer and "midline" (i.e. not big hits) will inhabit the familiar 99 cent mark, and newer, bigger hits will fetch higher, unnamed dollar amounts. If announced ...

Where's the Mac Mini? And Other Rumor Smashes! [Macworld 2009]
Gizmodo — If Wired, TUAW and Macrumors are independently reporting a Mac Mini is on its way, we know it exists. Evidently, we're just not going to see it at Macworld. So what about other rumors? From our original Macworld 2009 rumor roundup, here's the rundown on how all the rumors panned out. Came True: iLife and iWork '09 (with iWork in the cloud) DRM-Free iTunes 17-inch Macbook Pro Didn't Come True: New Mac Mini Updated 30-inch Cinema ...

iTunes Goes DRM Free - Cuts Prices
The Blade by Ron Schenone, MVP — ... iTunes Plus will initially get 8 million songs at 256kbps, with two million more coming at the end of the quarter. When the process is done, the entire iTunes Store catalog will be available DRM free. The iPhone will finally get songs purchasing over the 3G network, rather than being limited to Wi-Fi hotspots.  This is good news for the iTunes members.  Comments welcome. Source.

links for 2009-01-06
Jarrett House North — ... (tags: blogging newspapers journalism media) Macworld 2009: iTunes Gets DRM Free, New Prices, Purchase Over 3G (Gizmodo) Maybe the biggest news from the Phil-note–the whole store is going to iTunes Plus with ...

As Macworld Fades Into CES... [Apple]
Gizmodo — ... are now starting to realize that it might have been a necessary step in a whole new approach. • We finally got the 17" MacBook Pro that had been projected for so long, though with a truly Apple-flavored twist: a long-lasting but non-removable battery. • iWork got some improvements, but more importantly made its first lunge toward the cloud—for better or for worse. • iPhone owners got the chance to impulse-buy songs directly over AT&T;'s 3G network (and even the EDGE network, at their own ...

Top 10 CES and Macworld Announcements [Lifehacker Top 10]
Lifehacker — ... eager to leave feedback. Nobody's going to be overly impressed with the ooh-shiny, and, to some irate users' minds, the only mission of 7 is to fix the problems and issues of the upgrade many didn't end up wanting. Here's hoping those 5+ million eyeballs help the Redmond giant get a usable product out in late 2009/early 2010. 1. iTunes frees its music (and yours) [image] It wasn't a new iPhone, or even a new anything, but Apple's Macworld announcement that, from that day forward, everything in the store will be sold without copy protection is big news for two main types of ...

Roundup: The Best of CES/Macworld 2009, All In One Place [Roundup]
Gizmodo — ... image for the full post, and for all the coverage from each, see our tag pages: Macworld 2009, CES 2009 Macworld 2009: iLife 2009: Everything got touched, from facial recognition in iPhoto to piano lessons from Sting in Garage Band. 17-inch MacBook Pro: It got its expected Unibody makeover, complete with a long-lasting and non-removeable battery; here's how it works. iTunes dropped DRM for good (but with a revamped pricing structure), and now allows iPhones to ...

Yep, iTunes Embeds Your Email Address in DRM-Free Tracks, Move Along [ITunes]
Gizmodo — ... Yes, iTunes embeds your email address in its DRM-free iTunes Plus files, which now make up the entire iTunes store. But don't panic—it's been like this since ...

iTunes Wants $250 To Upgrade My Music Collection (Or the Deal's Off) [ITunes]
Gizmodo — ... Last Tuesday's announcement that iTunes would go DRM-free was good news in several ways: Not only might iTunes win me back as a customer, but I also would be able to upgrade the best stuff I bought over the years, so I could have it in high quality, playable not just on my Apple (TM) products, but also on Sonos or BlackBerry or any other fun music-savvy device that comes in and out of my house. ...

Steve Jobs Bullied Record Execs Into iTunes Deal on Christmas Eve [ITunes]
Gizmodo — ... wasn't personally at Macworld to reveal that iTunes was going DRM-free and OTA downloadable, he's the one who made it happen—he ...

The Worst Proprietary Gadget Offenses [Shame]
Gizmodo — ... With wider format support in new players, the slow death of the all-you-can-download rental WMA stores and Apple's new "our bad!" attitude towards audio DRM, it seems like we're taking a healthy step back to good ole' em-pee-threes. And while iPods will never play WMA, iTunes does convert 'em. And it's nice to see more Microsoft products supporting AAC, which Apple still won't shake off. ...

iTunes "Popular Songs Cost More Money" Pricing Goes Live April 7 [ITunes]
Gizmodo — ... Originally promised to launch on April 1, iTunes' new tiered pricing plan—with popular songs running $1.29, and not-so-popular songs fetching as little as 69 cents—will ...

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iTunes finally goes DRM-free … done anyone really care?
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Upgrading to a DRM-free iTunes library will cost youCNET News.com 1/6/2009
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Schiller keynote makes $1.29 the new black Macworld Expo Take your pick - the iTunes Store is going 100 per cent DRM-free, or Apple is whacking 30 cents onto the price of each song and encouraging you to upgrade your whole iTunes library to ...
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As you've probably heard by now, Apple just announced plans to ditch DRM for good. That means all songs you purchase from iTunes will arrive on your PC without the usual copy-protection shackles.