Last week, there were reports that several movies have disappeared from the iTunes Movie catalog. Well according to CNET, each movie goes through a distribution process. The distribution process consist of the following stages: theaters, DVDs, pay-per-view (and iTunes) and finally, broadcast TV. When a movie goes transfers from the pay-per-view and iTunes stage into the broadcast TV stage, iTunes has to remove the movie from its catalog (the same is done with pay-per-view). CNET explained by saying:

Normally, release windows don’t affect retailers or video-rental services after they’ve begun selling or renting films. Warner Bros. doesn’t go into Best Buy and pull DVDs off the shelf when Comcast airs Casablanca. The corner Mom and Pop video store doesn’t surrender copies of Gladiator to Universal Studios when the film appears on ABC. But Internet stores are being treated differently. What this means for iTunes and Netflix customers is that movies will pop in and out of the services.

So basically, if you bookmarked a movie over a year ago, chances are you will not find it any more. But if you already purchased the film, you are in safe hands as you can still watch those films.

- Geoff

[Source: CNET]

A few weeks ago, we reported that Apple was in the works of offering more DRM-free music at their iTunes store. Yesterday, there were further reports that suggested that day has finally come. According to AppleInsider, via ElectronLibre, Apple iTunes will now start offering DRM-free music beginning today, Dec. 9. Well today has arrived and we still don’t have DRM-free music at iTunes. CNET reported today that it is very unlikely that we will see DRM-free tracks from the remaining big three music labels before the end of the year. So basically, all that hope we had for DRM-free music has gone down the drain. If anything, we MIGHT see it next year. But with the current economic state, I’m pretty sure the music industry is trying to squeeze every last dime they can take.

- Geoff

There have been reports that suggest Apple is currently trying to broker a deal with three out of the “Big 4″ record labels to start offering DRM-free music on iTunes. These record labels, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, and Song BMG, still refuse to allow Apple to sell DRM-free music on iTunes. Although they do offer DRM-free music on other services, they might rethink this strategy as iTunes continues to grow and dominate in the digital music arena. The only record label to offer free-DRM music on iTunes is EMI. If this story is true, hopefully Apple can pull out a deal. I can’t wait for the day we have DRM-free music on iTunes.

- Geoff

[Source: TheiPhoneBlog]

The Apple iPhone has just been released in Russia recently, yet they do not have an iTunes Store available for customers. As of the moment, Russia is a App Store-only country. But Apple is currently working on a deal with the three Russian wireless carriers who offer the Apple iPhone to allow customers to get a full iTunes Store ready by 2009 for Russian iPhone users. Out of the three Russian wireless companies, only MegaFon seems to be the closest to closing the deal. According to Vasily Kuzichev, the business development director of MegaFon, has stated that the negotiations with Apple is taking time because content in Russia is more expensive than any other country and the prices iTunes is considering for content in the country isn’t high enough for copyright owners. More details have yet to be announced regarding the iTunes store in Russia, but some speculate that it should come as early as early 2009. Please stay tuned as more information comes our way.

- Geoff

[Source: iLounge]

Apple changed the music industry when they first released iTunes. They changed the way consumers consume music with the introduction of iTunes. People began buying their music from iTunes, which makes iTunes the largest music retailer in the United States and one of the top music retailers in other parts of the world. But is Apple’s iTunes on the verge of losing business? Check out this article about the music industry and its relationship to Apple’s iTunes.

iTunes under threat as bands take their business elsewhere

Bands concerned for the ongoing commercial viability of albums are adding to the pressures on iTunes, says Brian Boyd
The previously unremarkable rap-rocker Kid Rock had a huge worldwide hit this summer with the single All Summer Long. The album it came from, Rock’n'Roll Jesus, has now sold more than two million copies.

Continue reading »

Check out this article regarding the status of the digital music market. Who can overcome Apple’s stranglehold on the digital music industry? Who can create a better digital music organizer than Apple’s iTunes? Well this article was written by Rory Cellan-Jones for BBC News and he addresses these very same issues.

Digital music - who can beat iTunes?

Every day seems to bring a new announcement from the world of digital music. Yesterday it was the ailing Napster subscription service being bought by Best Buy (sorry, too much alliteration).

Continue reading »

Thanks to the people at JoyofTech for providing this enlightening explanation on the workings of iTunes. The only thing this diagram is missing is a flux capacitor. Next time I fire up my iTunes I will definitely appreciate it more.

-Derek

[Source:Joyoftech]

Apple is said to have sold about 12 millions iPhone around the world and the Apple App Store has already sold over 100 million apps within its first two months online. Now the iPhone has broke another record, it is receiving downloads twice as fast as music from iTunes. It took two years for iTunes to hit one billion downloads while App Store is targeting at one billion downloads in about half the time. Some are saying the App Store will have a billion downloads even faster than that. Good news for Apples stock holders.

-Ray

[Source: techcrunch]

Ever wonder how the new iTunes Genius feature worked? The chart above has a step-by-step explanation of just how iTunes Genius is so well..Genius.

-Ray

Check out this article by Gregg Keizer of Computerworld on the status of the new iTunes. This could potentially be a pretty serious problem (o_o”)….

Apple Inc.’s latest version of iTunes crashes Windows Vista when an iPod or iPhone is connected to the PC, scores of users have reported on Apple’s support forum.

Continue reading »