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Credits intentionally clipped in iTunes TV Episodes?
Remember how that one episode of the Office downloaded sans credits? Well, today, I finally received an email reply from the iTMS support team: "Dear C.K., Thank you for contacting the iTunes Music Store. We sincerely apologize for the delay regarding this issue. The iTunes Music Store team has researched the issue you described in your email message. We have confirmed with the artist that the video you received is as it was intended. The credits are not included as intended."So, it wasn't an iTunes Music Store screw up, but an NBC screw up. Odd.Let us know if you've noticed any similar malformed TV episodes in the comments and tell us about any replies you may have received from the iTMS support team.
Select Disney short films now available on iTunes
That certainly didn't take long! The ink is hardly dry on the Disney/Pixar deal and now we see Disney Short films (that's an iTunes link) made available on the iTunes Music Store. That was first rumored to happen a few days ago, and it seems that the rumor was fact.They are all going for $1.99 and amongst the offerings you can find 'The Three Little Pigs,' 'The Ugly Duckling,' and 'Ferdinand the Bull' (of which I have fond, but fuzzy, memories).All told there are currently 10 available on the iTMS (all of which have won or were nominated for an Oscar), but certainly more will follow. Thanks, Greenline.
iTunes MiniStore now asks for your permission
We're happy that Apple has now decided to turn off the iTunes MiniStore by default when you install and run iTunes 6.0.2. Advocates worried about data that the MiniStore was sending back to the Apple mother ship will be slightly appeased that Apple has added a warning pop down message at the bottom of the iTunes window. The message warns that data will be sent to Apple, but that Apple will not store said data.Personally, I think most advocates are slightly delusional if they think that Apple wasn't collecting your listening preference data before. I'm not sure this makes the idea of a data logging MiniStore any less offensive however.[via Boing Boing]
Sony (finally) joins iTMS Australia
It seems that Sony BMG has finally become part of the iTMS in Australia this week. When the Aussie version of the iTMS launched this past October, Sony was the only major record house missing.Neither Apple nor Sony have released any details as to why this partnership took so long, but now the Australian iTMS will include Sony BMG's catalog from Australia and abroad. Some notable artists to be added from this partnership include: The Strokes, The Foo Fighters, and the king himself, Elvis Presley.[via ZDNet.com.au]
NBC and ABC gets higher ratings thanks to iTunes
NBC is seeing great ratings for The Office, and they think that the iTunes Music Store is part of the reason. It is the most downloaded of all NBC material on iTunes, and it is consistently the top downloaded TV show. ABC is also seeing similar gains with their shows that are available on iTunes. Does this mean that they will both soon open the floodgates and make available much more content on iTunes? I sure hope so, because I want to cancel my cable and watch only iTunes downloaded videos.[via iLounge]
New MiniStore in iTunes 6.0.2
Among the maintenance updates in iTunes 6.0.2 is an actual new feature: the MiniStore. While browsing your own library, the Edit menu now contains a "Show MiniStore" option that will bring up a small window containing exactly what you may think: a mini version of the iTMS. There doesn't appear to be any way to search the MiniStore, but it contains lists of the top songs, albums and new releases, as well as links to sections such as audiobooks, TV shows, iTunes Essentials and more. This seems like a handy new feature of iTunes, especially since it's so easy to toggle on and off.
Free promotional episode of Monk to be available on iTunes
According to this graphic on the iTunes Music Store you will soon be able to download a free promotional episode of Monk, the USA detective show (which I happen to be a big fan of). At the time I am writing this when you click on that graphic it takes you to the 3rd episode of season 4, but lists the price as $1.99. I expect this to change shortly (to free).Is this just the first of many free promo shows? I sure hope so.
What needs to happen with TV shows on the iTMS
I almost gave up complaining as my New Year's resolution, when I realized that I gave up New Year's resolutions as my New Year's resolution back in 2000.In any case, since you all know I am rather fond of beating dead horses, here's my current gripe: Last night, Arrested Development and Surface were both new episodes. I watched Arrested Development, knowing that I would be able to either grab Surface off of iTunes or via bittorrent later. As I am up this morning, preparing for work, I check the iTMS and there is no new Surface. Apple and NBC both just missed out on $1.99. I'll grab the show off of bittorrent for free, since it's not ready to go when I need it. I also have no problem doing this because I don't see how temporarily grabbing something off of the Internet (supposedly illegal) differs largely from recording it on my Replay TV the night it was showing and downloading it to my computer and then to my iPod (legal).Now, whether this is really what I do or not (wink wink), the above paragraph describes the actions of a certain percentage of the market that is escaping the sales of Apple and the TV networks. If Apple and these networks really want to profit and change the face of media, then they need to start releasing the shows simultaneous with the airing of the show. They could even charge $.25 extra as an "early bird" fee, and they'd most likely make a lot more sales and a nice profit, because that's why the iTunes Music Store has been a success: it's more convenient than all the alternatives of questionable legality.Also, because of this, on the morning commute, I won't be watching Surface. I'll be watching things like Rocketboom and Channel Frederator. Free media daily and weekly with no odd restrictions. That's what the networks should be worried about more than presenting a nice space between airing the shows and offering them for download. What's that? They'll lose advertising dollars? Well, then, how about you cut out the middle man and rather than distributing the shows for $1.99 through the iTMS offer them for free with advertisements available from your website, pre-formatted for the iPod and the PSP in a nicely scalable MPEG-4 format. Slap it in an RSS feed, call it a podcast, and that way anyone can subscribe to your shows on any computer and you won't keep losing mindshare to new media.
Christmas has been good to the iTunes Music Store
The Australian is reporting that the iTunes Music Store saw a 50% traffic increase on December 24th and 25th as people rushed to fill their new iPods with video (we know a bunch of you got them) with tunes and videos. Downloads for this week are over 650,000 and may break a million downloads which would be a first.This also represents a 15% traffic increase for the iTMS since last Christmas.So, dear TUAWers, did you help with these numbers by downloading something from the iTMS this holiday season?
Free SNL video available on iTunes
iTunes and NBC have made available, for free download, a digital short that appeared on last weekend's Saturday Night Live. Called 'Lazy Sunday,' it is a rap video starring Adam Samberg and Chris Parnell as they rap their way to a screening of the 'Chronicles of Narnia,' and in the process eat a bunch of cupcakes. It is the funniest thing I have seen on SNL in a long, long time and well worth the price (oh, right it is free!).What a great Christmas present, thanks Apple and NBC!
Fix non-iTMS video labels
Another gem from MacOSXHints covers a method, albeit not exactly pretty, for labeling TV video files you bring into iTunes as TV shows. This helps with organizing videos and I believe using the new Search Bar in iTunes 6 (Edit > Show Search Bar).The MacOSXHints post offers a command line tool by the name of AtomicParsley for doing the editing and applying the correct label, while a commenter on the post created a GUI wrapper for it. Make sure you follow the instructions when using a tool like this, because it's playing around with some real low-level stuff in your video files.While these are some handy tools, I'm much more of a fan of simply editing all the files in iTunes using Get Info and applying a Grouping label. A Smart Playlist can then organize everything for me - no fuss, no muss.
Commander in Chief latest TV show added to iTunes
NBC said there were more shows on the way, however, here comes Geena Davis in Commander in Chief to prove that ABC isn't taking the iTunes Music Store lightly. That's right folks, everyone's favorite drama on ABC about a woman president is now available for download via iTunes.The pricing remains the same, and at the moment there are nine episodes available.Thanks to Jake for sending this in.
EFF translates iTunes Music Store rules
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has published a Guide to DRM (Digital Rights Management) for Online Music, attempting to translate into plain English restrictions on ownership of music you legitimately purchase from the iTunes Music Store and other music services. The article alleges that some music service DRMs give you less rights of ownership than you would have had if you purchased a CD (at least before CDs were also subject to DRMs). According to EFF, Apple's DRM restricts:Back-up copies—in that songs can only be copied to 5 computers;Formats—in that songs are only sold in AAC format;Player compatibility—to iPod and other Apple devices only;Remixing—through restrictions on editing, excerpting, and sampling songs.Transferability—restricting rights to give away or sell purchased music. EFF also points out that Apple reserves the right to change the rules regarding what you are allowed to do with purchased music. DRM's like these are no laughing matter. Violations may subject you to liability under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. Take a good look at the Terms of Sale and the Terms of Service at the iTunes Music Store before you buy.
Japanese artist clamoring to get into iTunes
Sell a million songs in four days and all sorts of cool things start to happen. Apple launched the iTunes Music Store in Japan only days ago, but it is now the most popular download service in the country. This popularity hasn't been lost on Japanese artists whose music isn't available on the iTunes Music Store.Sony artists are scrambling to get their music available on the iTMS with or without Sony's help (at the time of writing Sony and Apple haven't reached a deal on carrying Sony music on the iTMS). Artists' agents are even getting into the fray by trying to get their clients' work on without the intervention of the record labels.A harbinger of things to come? Do you think that Apple will displace the record companies as more and more artists go directly to the iTMS themselves?
iTMS dropping mature content?
Xeni over at Boing Boing is reporting that "adult" podcasts are being dropped from the iTMS, and adult podcasters are gnashing their teeth and rending their, er, bodices. It's not entirely clear what's happening, though. After reading Xeni's piece, I swung by the iTMS: all 13 casts of Violet Blue's Open Source Sex (one of the authors who talked to Xeni) seem to be there, and a search for "sex" returns 25 hits. I'm sure that represents only a fraction of the kinky things people are doing with their iPods, but it hardly looks like a crackdown in progress. Still, it's an interesting question, and I'd be curious to know how our readers feel: should Apple be making "explicit" and "mature content" casts available? If not, where and how should they draw the line? Personally, I think it's a tough call. I'm a firm believer in free speech, but I have sympathy for Apple's need to protect its reputation and not open itself up to liability. All in all, I'd say the fact that the conversation is taking place is a prime example of why I get nervous when corporations, especially ones positioned for radical influence, get involved in the distribution of free content. And of why we need to watch closely how all this develops, because there's more at stake than just RSS specs. For now, though, I guess the question is: will the iTunes Phones have a vibrate setting?
Breaking the Law: Stripping DRM from iTMS-purchased songs
I haven't raised everyone's ire with an anti-DRM rant in a while, so I thought I'd share this bit. Here's the warning: according to the DMCA circumventing the DRM in your iTMS tracks is illegal; however, as the DRM contravenes existing fair use laws in the first place, the DRM itself is illegal. Plus, if you are not pirating music, and you are simply trying to, say, grab a sound byte from a track you bought off of the iTMS to place in Garageband and feature in your podcast, and the RIAA happens to find out and actually bother to sue you....well, you can always point out to the judge that you could have simply burnt the song to CD and then re-ripped the songs without breaking any laws, and hopefully he/she will have the sense to throw the case out and fine the RIAA for wasting his/her time. //end warning
