Amazon Sings New Tune for Online Music

Label to lift piracy protection—except on iTunes downloads

(NEWSER) - Universal Music will ditch the anti-piracy software on music it sells through most outlets, making it easy—but still illegal—to copy its tunes. In what one analyst calls “a bold-faced move to blunt Apple’s influence,” the plan conspicuously excludes iTunes. The company says Apple is a “control group” in its study of piracy, the LA Times reports. More»

At least five sites can help

(NEWSER) - Sure, you can listen to the hundreds of gigs of music you have on your computer—but why limit yourself? Mashable lists the top Web sites and applications to help you really utilize your audio library:

• Last.fm: One of the Web’s most popular music social networks, the site’s best feature is Scrobbler, which analyzes your listening habits and gives you recommendations based on your own tastes.

Prices change: They'll range from $0.69 to $1.29

(NEWSER) - Apple will remove DRM anti-piracy software from the music it sells on the iTunes store, the New York Times reports. As part of a new deal reached between Apple, Sony BMG, the Universal Music Group and the Warner Music Group, songs will be DRM-free and will be priced differently. New hits will be sold for $1.29 a song, while the majority of songs will cost 69 cents. More»

Streaming service works well; selection could be better

(NEWSER) - Amazon’s new Video on Demand service works well, Walter Mossberg writes in the Wall Street Journal, although the selection of titles could be better. The service allows users to individually purchase movies and TV to stream, with most rentals lasting 24 hours. The videos are stored on an Amazon server, which nicely remembers where you were so you can resume viewing instantly. More»

Compilation was offered free to Olympians

(NEWSER) - The Chinese government has blocked access to Apple’s iTunes music store for providing free downloads of a pro-Tibet compilation to Olympic athletes, the Telegraph reports. Users reported a blackout Monday, shortly after the Campaign for Tibet notes that 40 Olympians had downloaded the record. Only the Chinese iTunes store is blocked, however—people in China can access other countries' stores with foreign credit cards. More»