News Archive for 06/05/09

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French iTunes law changes

05/09, 4:30pm

Apple, iTunes could stay in France

A newly proposed amendment may offer Apple some reprieve in France, following industry speculation that the company would likely pull out of the market before sharing its FairPlay DRM technologies with rivals. A new amendment offered by the French Senate would allow Apple to maintain its iPod/iTunes ecosystem if it were to negotiate deals with record labels and artists and obtain their authorization to use FairPlay DRM to copy-protect the songs its sells through iTunes. The draft Senate amendment, expected to be voted on this week, would allow Apple keep its FairPlay DRM proprietary if it were approved by the artists and the copyright holders themselves. Although Apple, which called the bill "state-sponsored piracy," would be required to renegotiate contracts, the proposed change would create a regulatory authority to oversee the exclusive music formats.

iTunes RHCP ticket promo

05/09, 1:45pm

iTunes RHCP ticket promo goes awry

Apple's first ever ticket promotion on iTunes appears to have gone awry and hundreds of iTunes customers expecting to be able purchase pre-sale tickets have been unable to obtain the necessary codes. According to AppleInsider, users have begun protesting and demanding for action and a refund, as the company touted Red Hot Chili Peppers pre-ticket sales as a means to drive electronic album purchases through its industry-leading iTunes Music Store. In April, the company launched a promotion in conjunciton with the release of Red Hot Chili Pepper's new album, Stadium Arcadium"; however, it appears that a large number of users have not received their special Ticketmaster code that would allow them purchase tickets before ticket pre-sales began on Tuesday morning.

Fox inks iTunes deal

05/09, 9:10am

Fox TV signs iTunes deal with Apple

Fox Entertainment Group (FEG) and Apple today announced that television programming from FOX, FX, SPEED, FUEL TV and 20th Century Fox Television library is now available for purchase on the iTunes Music Store. The new Fox programming features 16 series including "24," "Prison Break" and "The Shield," making it the largest network debut to date on iTunes. The content deal includes current hit programming from the drama, comedy and reality genres as well several classic favorites. iTunes now offers over 90 TV shows for $1.99 per episode for viewing on a computer or iPod. "As this partnership demonstrates, we're committed to delivering our content to consumers in as many ways as possible," said Peter Levinsohn, president, Fox Digital Media. "Today, with some of the world's premier television content, Fox is bringing unprecedented depth -- in a single launch -- to the iTunes Music Store."

NBA playoffs on iTunes

05/09, 8:30am

NBA, Apple ink iTunes 2006 playoff deal

The NBA has announced that it has teamed up with Apple to bring the 2006 Playoffs to the iTunes Music Store, providing basketball fans the ability to download full game recaps of every remaining NBA Playoffs and Finals game broadcast by all NBA networks including ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBATV. Users will be able to download episodes to their computer or iPod within 24 hours after games conclude. In addition to the 15 to 20 minute full game recaps available for each 2006 Playoffs game, users will also be able to purchase complete game replays of every Finals game the day after they air on ABC as well as purchase episodes of the Emmy Award-winning studio show, Inside the NBA on TNT. iTunes will offer several options for purchasing and downloading content, including team-based packages that provide recaps of each game a specific team plays along with a season recap video for $9 per team. Each game recap will also be available a la carte--along with individual episodes of Inside the NBA--for $1.99.