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NPD Survey Places Amazon Second to iTunes
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Apple, Internet, Music,
The NPD Group has a new report that states that in 2008, 87% of all digital music buyers in the U.S. used iTunes while 16% were purchased through Amazon MP3. Analyst Russ Crupnick says that being in second place is encouraging considering that it has only been around for 18 months.
“It used to be that iTunes was first, and second was practically nobody,” Crupnick said. The survey also reported that many of the consumers are older and still purchase CDs.
Read More 
| cnet
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American Idol 8: Top 8 Perform
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, Video,
The theme on American Idol Tuesday was songs from the year each contestant was born, which (considering the age restrictions on the show) really doesn’t create the biggest range in songwriting history. But it does mean baby photos, always a nice development.
Photos of the judges in their younger days were also shown, but for this night (the first hour-long performance broadcast this season) there was very little time for chitchatting. The pics of the judges were shown; even a Ryan Seacrest baby photo was slipped into the slide show. But with little delay, it was time for the singing to begin.
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American Idol 8: Top 9 Results
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip, Video,
The American Idol Top 9 results show began, appropriately enough, with a montage. The remainder of the episode would feature much more of the same, as it always does.
As eliminated contestant Alexis Grace watched, Ryan Seacrest announced that 36 million votes were tallied to bring us the Wednesday results. The host spent a few moments talking with Randy Jackson on the subject of song choice. “Maybe it was too wide,” said Jackson, referring to the theme of Tuesday’s performance round.
“For me, it’s about knowing who you are, and delivering that confidence with conviction,” Paula Abdul stated. “Go for it!” She advised the Idol group. “Anoop, Matt, Megan,” Simon Cowell went through a list of those he thought might want to worry about the upcoming results.
The Ford video (clip above) followed, another poorly-done attempt at entertainment set to music. Seriously, these are growing steadily worse as weeks progress.
Click to continue reading American Idol 8: Top 9 Results
American Idol 8: Top 9 Perform
Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Gossip,
Ryan Seacrest’s opening monologue on American Idol concerned rising stakes and building pressure. Though these Top 9 are safely on the summer tour, they are not safe on the show by any means. One of them will be eliminated this week. One of them will win the coveted reality title. And, if they’re very lucky, some of them might become stars.
Sure, there’s plenty of pressure.
Seacrest asked Randy Jackson for his thoughts on the Top 9. “The competition’s just getting tougher, dude,” the judge offered. Kara DioGuardi defined her concept of artistry next: “I think artistry is taking those songs that you’ve heard a million times, and doing it in a way that’s unique.” DioGuardi used the word several times during performances last week.
The theme for the week was iTunes, making it a veritable free-for-all and a clever sponsor plug. Good one, Idol.
I’m just being sarcastic. It’s not much of a theme at all, but you don’t need me to tell you that.
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iPhone 3.0 keynote now available in iTunes
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Corporate News, Handhelds, Software,
Yesterday, Apple finally unveiled the iPhone 3.0 OS. We are stilling digging deep into the update, and will be bringing you our thoughts in just a bit, but we felt that it might behoove us to let you know that you can now download the iPhone 3.0 keynote presentation directly from iTunes now, in it’s entirety
(minus the Q&A session.) Go ahead and get a first-hand look at cut, copy, and paste, MMS, global Spotlight search, and all the demos. If you aren’t a developer, then you can look forward to downloading the update in June, which will probably be alongside this years iPhone release.
Read More | iPhone 3.0 Keynote [iTunes Link]
Dexim Shu-Lip USB Charger
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Accessories, USB, Portable Audio / Video,
We have shown you a ton of iPod shuffle 3G accessories that are mostly in-line headphones, docks or basic speakers, so it is nice to find something unique. Dexim’s Shu-Lip can charge your music player via USB 2.0. Compatible with both PC and Mac, it is made of aluminum, can sync with iTunes and comes at a price of $9.90. Contact Dexim for more information and availability.
Read More | Dexim
Ashford and Simpson Tribute to Barack Obama
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smartphones, Handhelds, Internet, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
After SNL turned their famous tune into “Solid as Barack,” the singing team of Ashford and Simpson decided to turn the entire song into a real tribute. If you would like to download it, it is available for $.99 on Amazon and through iTunes. There is also a ringtone version. Simply text “aands” to 66937. We forsee all sorts of music titles following suit, such as Paul Simon’s “I am Barack, I am Obama (“I Am a Rock,”) Queen’s “We Will Barack You” and AC/DC’s “Let There Be Barack.”
Read More | Amazon
Sundance Films Available for Free
Posted by Veronica Santiago Categories: Independent,
For most of us, getting tickets to Sundance screenings is just as hard as getting access to Barack Obama’s inauguration. Fortunately, we can set aside the Uggs and watch several of this year’s films from the comfort of our warm homes.
Late last week, a list of entries from the 2009 festival were made available as free downloads. The ten short films - “representing a variety of countries, styles, genres, and stories” - can all be accessed through iTunes.
Act quick! The titles will only be offered through January 25th.
Read More | MTV Movies
How to upgrade your iTunes purchases to DRM-free iTunes Plus
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Features, Music, Software,
Earlier today during the MacWorld 2009 keynote, Apple announced that the iTunes Store was on the way to completely dropping DRM. As of today, 8,000,000 of the 10,000,000 tracks are now available as DRM-free iTunes Plus tracks, and that even includes music videos. We figured we’d give you a quick look at how you go about upgrading your library of purchased content.
So the first thing you want to do is go to the iTunes Store, and look on the right-hand side. You’ll see “iTunes Plus” as one of the links, with a number next to it. That number represents the number of pieces of content that you have available that can be upgraded. Click on that.
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iTunes goes DRM-free, gets price adjustments
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Smartphones, Music, Software, Wireless / WiFi,
In the final announcement of the MacWorld 2009 keynote, Phil Schiller listed off some of the changes coming to the iTunes ecosystem. First and foremost, in our mind, is that iTunes is going completely DRM-free. Starting today, 8 millions songs on the service will be DRM-free, and by the end of March, all 10 million will be without DRM. Consumers will be able to upgrade their entire purchased music library to iTunes Plus, which means no DRM and much higher quality at 256 kbps.
In a related note, Apple also announced that the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store is no more, and that instead, your iPhone can now download iTunes tracks no matter what connection you are on - that means no need to find a Wi-Fi hotspot in order to download the latest from Flo Rida. Of course, iPhone downloads are also DRM-free and sport the same quality.
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