Here’s something cool and new: iTunes is now offering iTunesU, a collection of lectures from Yale, Harvard, Stanford and other universities across the nation. I just downloaded Yvon Choinard, famous Yosemite big-wall climber and president of Patagonia clothing talking at Stanford University. Nice part is it’s FREE.
Again an Oklahoma judge has thrown out a lawsuit by RIAA and ordered them to reimburse the defendant for fees incurred while defending herself in the lawsuit.
“…Court did conclude that the Fogertv factor regarding the need for compensating the prevailing party under the particular circumstances of the case was, in fact, met. The Court noted that where, as here, the prevailing party is the defendant who, by definition, receives no award for damages at the successful conclusion of a meritorious defense, considerations of compensation become particularly important.” (Recording Industry vs. The People)
You can view the full decision at the Internet Law & Regulation Website.
If you’ve ever looked at this blog you’ve probably saw me mention Songbird (www.songbirdnest.com) before but now there’s even more reason to rejoice. Songbird now imports all the tracks from your iTunes library! How cool is that? But, wait, there’s more. Songbird also synchs with mobile devices including the iPod. So you can buy music from any of the plethora of music services Songbird supports (e.g. Odeo, Audible, CD Bay, etc.) and put it on your iPod.
Songbird works on PC, Mac and Linux and is available for download free at www.songbirdnest.com
Purchasing music online through Apple’s iTunes Music store is as easy as going to the grocery store but when the checkout clerk rings up an item too many times you point it out to them so they can correct the problem. But what about the iTunes store? What if you get double-charged, can’t download, or a gifted title doesn’t go through? What do you do then? Well visit the iTunes Store Support page of course.
The iTunes Store Support page offers articles and assistance with all your purchases made in iTunes. Wondering how to back up your purchases? Visit iTunes Store Support for answers. Need help resetting your password or with other account information? Visit iTunes Store Support. It’s all there.
With everyones apparent addiction to iTunes it was only a matter of time until some started venturing forth seeking the “holy grail” (play on the Davinci Code) that would tie all the music services together. In this case the “sangraal” appears to be Songbird.
Songbirdnest: Songbird™ is a desktop Web player, a digital jukebox and Web browser mash-up. Like Winamp, it supports extensions and skins feathers. Like Firefox®, it is built from Mozilla®, cross-platform and open source.
You may remember that I played with Songbird some months back and had only good things to say. This latest version is spectacular and does what it’s intended to do very well. There is one slight problem that I can’t figure out how to get it to burn to disk (option is grayed out for me) but that may be something coming in later versions or possibly I’m just an idiot (no surprise there).
Songbird is still in developer preview but definitely check it out. Visit songbirdnest.com or get the download directly here.
If you’ve been a loyal Microsoft customer and have been using a Microsoft only compatible music device then it looks like you could be in for some trouble. The BBC published an article stating that after the release of the new Microsoft music player, Zune, the MSN store will be shutting down and you’ll be stuck without a source for music and with music files that won’t work on the new player thanks to DRM (Digital Rights Management).
BBC: “Microsoft has said it will stop selling music from MSN music from 14 November, when Zune goes on sale in the US.
But in a move that could alienate some customers, MSN-bought tracks will not be compatible with the new gadget.
The move could also spell problems for the makers of MP3 players which are built to work with the MSN store.”
When I was a kid growing up and heavy metal was popular I gravitated to the punk scene bands like Black Flag, the Ramones, The Clash, Joan Jett and other bands that made their way to the top by frequenting the famous CBGB’s in NY. An icon for over 30 years CBGB’s will be nothing but a memory Sunday after they close the doors one final time.
Yahoo News:After Sunday, memories are all that will remain when the cramped club with its capacity of barely 300 people goes out of business after 33 years. Although its boom years are long gone, CBGB’s remained a Manhattan music scene fixture: part museum, part barroom, home to more than a few rock and roll ghosts.
One of the best new bands I’ve heard in a LONG LONG TIME,Fall Out Boy has a blog. Nothing unusual about that except that they ACTUALLY BLOG. Almost every day yet. Awesome.
If you haven’t heard them yet, give them a listen. They’re going places.
So I picked up the newColdplay album X&Y and I must say, I’m wholly impressed. This is probably their best album yet. I like every single track on the album. Since I picked the album up on iTunes it was only $11.99 for the digital download and came with a video and digital booklet. A very equitable deal.