Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Beatles on iTunes? Nope. MP3? Yes.
No, you still can’t buy the Beatles on iTunes. But next month, you will finally be able to buy the band’s music–legally–in MP3 form. Provided you’re willing to pay way, way up.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Apple’s iTunes Pitch: TV for $30 a Month
Would you pay $30 a month to watch TV via iTunes?
That’s the pitch Apple has been making to TV networks in recent weeks. The company is trying to round up support for a monthly subscription service that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software, multiple sources tell me. The industry finds this idea both tempting and terrifying.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Google Steps Gingerly Into Music With “One Box”
Google insists, over and over, that it has no intention of getting into the content business. So how is it finessing its way into the music business? Very carefully.
The search giant is working on a new service that will provide searchers with streaming music, which sounds a whole lot like a content play at first blush. But Google will only be offering limited bits of music, and it will be relying on other companies–Lala.com, MySpace’s iLike and Imeem, sources say–to actually provide the tunes.
Friday, October 16, 2009
iTunes Michael Jackson Policy: Want the Song? Buy the Album.
Want to get Michael Jackson’s new single? You will be able to get it on iTunes this month, contrary to earlier reports. But there’s a catch: You’re going to have to buy some of the late singer’s other songs, too.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
We Are The World! Sony, Michael Jackson’s Estate Working With iTunes, After All.
After Michael Jackson died, fans flooded iTunes to snap up his music. And contrary to an earlier report, “This Is It,” the singer’s final work, will also be sold by Apple this month.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Music’s Sales Slump Slowed–But Not Stopped–By Michael Jackson and the Beatles
The good news: Two of music’s biggest acts helped slow the industry’s sales slump last quarter. The bad news: It’s still slumping. And the Fab Four and MJ are probably out of tricks.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
How to Market an iPhone App: Get Apple to Market Your iPhone App
There 85,000 apps available. So how do you get Apple to highlight yours in national TV ads?
Monday, September 28, 2009
Apple’s Apps Flying Off the Virtual Shelves: 6.6 Million Downloads Per Day
It took Apple a year to move its first 1.5 billion apps from its iTunes store. It took a mere 76 days to move the next 500 million.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Former CBS DJ Adam Carolla Gets a New Gig: CBS Podcast Host
Adam Carolla, the former CBS radio host who started a podcast once he lost his job, has figured out how to turn his talent and Internet audience into money. He’s going back to work for CBS.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Let It Be: Beatles Still Not Coming to iTunes Tomorrow
iPods with cameras? Maybe. iTunes with new features? For sure. iTunes with Beatles? Nope.
I’m sure that Apple will indeed sell the Fab Four’s music via its digital music store one day. But it’s not happening at Apple’s keynote presentation tomorrow.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Gamestopped: Videogame Sales Slump Hits Videogame Sales Giant. Who Knew?
When videogame sales tank, what happens to sales at the world’s biggest videogame retailer? The answer shouldn’t be a surprise, but somehow the performance that Gamestop put in this morning managed to catch Wall Street off guard anyway.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Not Dead Yet! The CD Still Rules Music (But iTunes Is Closing the Gap).
Ready to toss dirt on the old, unloved CD? You’re going to have to wait a while. Compact discs are increasingly hard to find (at least in physical stores), but someone out there keeps buying them: The ancient format still makes up the majority of music sales in the U.S. And since album-length CDs are a whole lot more lucrative for the industry than iTunes singles, expect to see the industry cling to them as long it can get away with it.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Pirate Bay Still Hasn’t Gone Legit, Still Enjoys Poking Big Media in the Eye: The “$675,000 Mixtape”
Remember how the rascals at file-sharing site The Pirate Bay, chastened by the Swedish courts, were going to straighten up and go legit? Going to have to keep waiting on that one. Here’s the latest reminder: Yet another thumb in the eye to the big music labels.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
RealNetworks Still Barred From the DVD Backup Business. Why Does RealNetworks Want to Be in the DVD Backup Business?
So now that the RealNetworks attempt to get into the movie-copying business has been rebuffed by a federal court once again, I’ve got a question: Why, exactly does RealNetworks want to be in the movie-copying business?
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
No Matter How Hard You Try, You Can’t Get Apple to Say Anything Nice About a Netbook
This is now an Apple earnings-call tradition: Analysts try their hardest to convince Apple executives to express interest in the booming market for cheap netbooks and Apple executives make it perfectly clear how much disdain they have for netbooks. But an $800 iTablet? That’s something else altogether…
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About Peter
Peter Kafka has been covering media and technology since 1997, when he joined the staff of Forbes magazine. Most recently, he has been the managing editor of the tech and media Web site, Silicon Alley Insider.
Ethics Statement
Here is a statement of my ethics and coverage policies. It is more than most of you want to know, but, in the age of suspicion of the media, I am laying it all out.
