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25% Of US Music Sales Via iTunes

“The NPD Group has released amazing numbers this week: Apple is generating one quarter of all US music sales. Equally impressive, but less surprising, is that Apple is also responsible for 69% of all online music sales.” Link

"Mad Men" Episode Leaks On iTunes

January Jones picture

“Having waited nearly a year for the new season of “Mad Men” to have its premiere last Sunday, some fans of that AMC drama discovered on Tuesday that they were briefly able to download the third episode of the new season from the Apple iTunes store, nearly two weeks before the episode is scheduled to be broadcast on television.” Link

iTunes Prices Going Up

iTunes Prices Going Up

Apple Adding More DRM-Free Music, Flexible Pricing

“Apple has cut deals that will finally enable iTunes to offer songs free of digital rights management software from the three largest music labels, according to a source close to the negotiations. In exchange for DRM-free music, Apple has agreed to become more flexible on pricing, the source said. ” [Link]

Apple Raises Censorship Concern By Banning Book From App Store

“David Carnoy’s book, entitled Knife Music, was rejected twice by Apple. Yesterday, Apple deemed some of its content objectionable, saying the book does not follow the company’s guidelines in its software-development kit, according to Carnoy. One line in particular, where a teenage girl uses expletives during a romantic encounter, is at the core of Apple’s objections. ” [Link]

Claim: Apple iTunes Going DRM Free

“A report from last week brought to AppleInsider’s attention by French technology site ElectronLibre asserts that it’s now “clear” Apple will spark new interest in its music store by removing DRM from tracks published by Sony, Universal and Warner on December 9th.” [Link]

Brits Coldplay, Leona Lewis Top iTunes Sales For 2008

Leona Lewis picture

“Coldplay’s Viva la Vida was the best-selling album on iTunes for 2008, the music downloading service has announced. The album featuring frontman Chris Martin (a.k.a. Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow) has sold more than 2 million copies since being released in June – and has sold more than 500,000 digitally, the Associated Press reports. Another Brit, Leona Lewis, claimed the year’s top-selling single with her addictively catchy hit ‘Bleeding Love.’ ” [Link]

Apple: We'll Shut Down iTunes Store If Royalties Go Up

“‘If the [iTunes music store] was forced to absorb any increase in the … royalty rate, the result would be to significantly increase the likelihood of the store operating at a financial loss – which is no alternative at all,’ Cue wrote. ‘Apple has repeatedly made it clear that it is in this business to make money, and most likely would not continue to operate [the iTunes music store] if it were no longer possible to do so profitably.’” [Link]

NBC Shows Return To iTunes

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In press conference, Steve Jobs announces that NBC programs will be returning to iTunes with version 8.0 of the software…