YouTube, EMI strike content deal...

YouTube and EMI on Thursday announced a deal that will see the music label's content legally available on the web video site. Visitors to the page would have the option of watching officially-sanctioned music videos, but would also have permission to clip segments of videos to blend them as part of their own unofficial projects. The agreement includes higher-profile artists such as Coldplay and represents the first time that all four major music labels have explitictly given approval to using their material online, according to YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley.

iTunes Plus review reveals "growing pains"...

A review of Apple's newly unveiled iTunes Plus service, which offers higher quality DRM-free audio tracks for an additional $0.30 cents above the company's $0.99 cent protected songs, reveals several "growing pains" with the service. PC World details notes that Apple requires iTunes 7.2 or later to use the new service, but presents some mixed up categories under the software's Genre pop-up menu. iTunes Plus users who choose to view unprotected tracks cannot see the less expensive DRM-wrapped version of the song, and the reverse is true when viewing protected tracks -- unprotected songs are hidden while browsing the cheaper $0.99 cent songs.

USBFever.com ships iPod USB FM Transmitter

USBFever.com has begun shipping its iPod USB FM Transmitter, enabling users to transmit iPod music over radio waves to a vehicle stereo system. Users simply plug the transmitter into the headphone jack of any MP3 player or PDA and turn on the car stereo to the clearest FM frequency. The device features a built-in USB interface for charging any USB-based device -- such as PDAs or GPS systems -- and offers a dock connector for Apple's iPod to charge the portable player while playing tunes over the stereo. The iPod USB FM Transmitter is priced at $30, and works with most portable media players.