So Apple is dancing around, boasting of one million users having joined Ping in under 48 hours. That’s a pretty funky dance, Apple. “One-third of the people who have downloaded iTunes 10 have joined Ping,“ says Eddy Cue, vice president of Internet Services. “As many more people download iTunes 10 in the coming weeks, we expect the Ping community to continue growing.” Alright, Ed. Granted, that sounds impressive. But consider the following: Spider-Man 3 is one of the top-grossing movies of all time. It is also universally hailed as one of the worst movies of all time. The perceived popularity…

It must be identity crisis week in the tech industry. No one wants to eat their own lunch anymore, the guy sitting next to you always has a jucier hamburger. This has been covered before, but Google wants to be Apple. Any everyone else. But primarily Apple. Allegedly, the search monster is in talks with music labels to release a service that competes with iTunes. The music industry is more than a little moist at the idea of a company large enough and tech savvy enough to take on Apple and do a better job than Sony, Coke and a number of other try-hards that couldn’t cut it. 70% of digital music is sold by Apple,…

I’m not going to get dragged into the mudslinging over iTunes 10. I’m not. I flat out refuse. Two of my co-Techi’s have written, in some depth and with greater eloquence than I. Okay, seriously, WTF Apple? iTunes 10 UI changes-for-the-sake-of-changes aside, what is it you’ve actually got here? The ‘Facebook’ of music? The ‘Twitter’ of media? No. At best, you have a crappy, restrictive accounts system that users now have the option to make public. I know some people wanted this system, they see iTunes as Last.fm on steroids, but I really don’t see this as Apple’s advantage. Apple has typically done…

More than a few times, Techi readers have called me out in the comments section about my abuse of the word ‘rad’. Indeed, some have even refused to believe my endorsement or recommendation of a service, product or idea unless I say it. Suffice it to say, it seems to be my catchphrase. But let me tell you about something that isn’t rad. Something that could be rad, but verifiably isn’t. For now. That something is iTunes 10. I literally stayed up all night, moving some new music and fiddling around with the latest version of Apple’s music player, and guys. I have got to say. I’m not impressed. Now, bear in…

As someone who is under 60 and has used the internet at least once, when I hear the name Rupert Murdoch I get a little angry. Murdoch has long railed against any efforts to move any form of media into the digital age, and seems hell bent on keeping his old school media network intact at any cost. So it seems strange to me that NewsCorp, Murdoch’s company is behind Apple’s proposal to offer 99c TV episode rentals. Every other content provider has flatly refused to budge, preferring the current model of selling episodes either by the season for a lump sum or at around $2.99 per episode. Murdoch has stated…

There has been some concern over the past few days about a potential security hole in iTunes, although reviews by Apple and PayPal show that no vulnerability exists. The problem actually relates to a good old fashioned phishing scam, a common, non-technical approach to ripping people off online. The scam involves users following links or instructions in emails advising them to either change a password, click a link that ultimately leads them to malware or make some other inadvisable alteration to their account. TechCrunch first covered the story yesterday, although the article seems to accuse…

Some of Pink Floyd’s albums have been removed from the iTunes Music Store since EMI’s contract with the band is up. The outage includes some of the band’s most notable albums, including Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here have been removed. The band shopped around for a new record label earlier this year but while they do not have a contract none of their music can be sold online. It’s indicative of the record industry’s view of the digital music market that a product people might actually wish to purchase is now completely unavailable to them online for no good reason. The band’s back…

A few years ago, iTunes seemed like the future. In fact, in a sense, it was the future we’d all been promised. Here, finally, was a digital business that worked! The music labels, film studios and TV stations were on board. Selection was good. Sure it was closed, but everyone and their mother had an iPod or, later, an iPhone or iPad. This was the dream of ‘digital content’ realized. Trouble is, iTunes and other services like it are starting to feel a bit quaint. Don’t get me wrong: for what they are, they still work beautifully (well, the service I mean, not the software), and the selection on iTunes is…

If you’re looking for iTunes, Amazon, or other digital releases of Pink Floyd’s material this month, you’ll be appalled and dismayed to find that anything post-Dark Side of the Moon has been wiped off the bright side of the internet. The move comes after EMI’s contract with the band concerning the albums expired June 30th.  P-Floyd has been looking for a new suitor to take up licensing of the material, but reportedly, their asking price is astronomical. Which is I guess is not outlandish. It is Pink Floyd. Meanwhile, EMI is shaking in its boots, understandably worried that it may have another Radiohead…

The music industry, while far from perfect, is finally beginning to take baby steps in the right direction. Nowadays, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” is easier than ever before because of the numerous music services that have sprung up recently. But with the competition heating up and changes on the horizon, an important question arises: which of these players will ultimately bring music to our ears? The music industry is transforming itself. The big boys are beginning to let up on crazy restrictions and realizing that giving everyone affordable access is the key to encouraging growth. Many changes,…