iTunes to Sell Music Without Copy Protection

Amazon says it intimidated record labels

(NEWSER) - The Justice Department is investigating whether something might be rotten in Apple's music business, sources tell the New York Times , focusing on whether the tech behemoth threw its weight into dissuading record labels from giving Amazon exclusives. Amazon wanted the exclusive right to sell certain songs for one day before wider release, and offered to promote them in its “MP3 Daily Deal” section. More»

Free All Music is innovative, but still might not work

(NEWSER) - A new site thinks it has the answer the music industry’s woes: Free All Music will allow users to download a high-quality mp3 with no copy restrictions in exchange for watching a 15-second video ad of their choosing. The site then takes a user’s handle and uses it to produce another ad, for third-party sites, that announces what the user downloaded and who sponsored it. Users may download 15 mp3s a month—and perhaps more if Free All Music eventually sells more sponsorships. More»

(NEWSER) - Apple has sold 928 million programs to mobile users and plans to celebrate its billionth App Store download by awarding a random customer a huge haul of merchandise, CNET reports. The lucky customer will walk away with a MacBook Pro, a 32GB iPod Touch, and a $10,000 iTunes gift certificate. Which of the 30,000 apps available propelled Apple to these heights? The Facebook app tops the free column, while the most customers paid for Crash Bandicoot Nitro Kart 3D. More»

Fox deal presages plans to shake up online distribution

(NEWSER) - Apple is getting ready to formally announce the launch of its online movie rental business, the AP reports. Fox is already on board, as the FT reported yesterday, and other studios are expected to follow in making their movies available for rent through iTunes. Apple's also planning a widespread licensing deal for its FairPlay anti-piracy technology. More»

Unlocked phones will be 'irreparably damaged' by upgrade

(NEWSER) - IPhones that have been unlocked to work on cellular networks other than AT&T may be damaged "irreparably" by an iPhone software update being released this week, Apple warned yesterday. What's worse, the company says the unlocking also voids the warranty, so users would have to pay for replacements out of pocket. One of the features included in the update will enable users to buy music over a WiFi connection. More»