Sound Citizen » itunes

The Best Music Website You’re Not Using

Mike — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:05:11 +0000

While iTunes is the clear leader in the music download space (at least legally) it has one major flaw. It’s those pesky 30-second previews. That’s 30 measly seconds to decide if a song is worth a dollar or more. Good songs are so much more than 30 seconds – not to mention entire albums.

Well, Lala.com has your back. They have more than 7 million songs in their catalog and you can stream any of them once in their entirety, for free. The same goes for albums. Yep, listen to an entire album for free before spending a dime. And that’s not all:

Buy any song for 10 cents and stream it forever through your computer. If you want to download it for portability, it’s 79 cents more and DRM-free.
Get picks from artists and music reviewers delivered daily, share songs with friends, listen to their playlists, and network with other music fans.
If you want to make the switch to Lala full-time, they can import all of your music from your hard drive and get your library up and running.

No website offers a way to listen to and buy music like Lala. Where iTunes holds you hostage, Lala sets you free.

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iTunes Goes DRM-Free, Introduces New Prices

Mike — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 18:33:32 +0000

It has been officially announced that Apple’s iTunes will now be completely DRM-free. Apple signed a deal with Sony BMG, Universal and Warner to make it happen. This means that iTunes songs will not be limited to playing on Apple devices.

It has also been announced that a flexible pricing plan will be introduced – meaning you’ll pay more for premium, popular songs, and less for older, lesser-known songs. This is important for the record labels and musicians, who stand to make significant cash on hit songs and the download rush that follows. Flexible pricing was one of the roadblocks to DRM-free downloads in the first place. The structure will be $.69. $.99 and $1.29. Tracks from iTunes will also now be available for purchase over any 3G network.

Garage Band ’09 for Apple has been upgraded. Among other things, you can get some basic lessons on playing guitar and piano (9 for free, then $4.99), as well as clips of artists teaching you their songs, like Fall Out Boy, John Fogerty, Sting and Sarah McLachlan.

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FluidTunes: Minority Report for your iTunes

Mike — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:42:22 +0000

Minority Report always struck me as one of those movies that pegged an accurate depiction of a possible future. And perhaps that future is a little closer than we all thought.

If you have a webcam, check out FluidTunes. This little download lets you control your iTunes library via hand gestures captured through your cam. It’s downright cool, even if it’s not the most practical thing in the world. After clicking to install, you’ll get a zip file. Unzip the file and you’ll see some quick instructions, then you’re pretty much ready to go. I found that I needed to close the application, then open it again to get my iTunes library loaded in.

So, does it work? Well, yes it does. Broad swipes of the hand will move you quickly through your iTunes library, while smaller gestures will cycle your songs slowly. Wiggle your hand at one of the on-screen buttons to activate that button. Now, you’ll need to experiment to get the gestures right, and you’ll find that if you pass through the camera you might accidentally activate one of the buttons. You might also need to adjust your camera to get better results.

Overall, it’s a fun thing to use, but probably not the best way to play your songs. One unfortunate oversight is the lack of a “shuffle” button. That said, it’s worth a try and, if nothing else, makes an impressive little conversation piece for your next party. The video below shows how it all works.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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