Evidence suggests Apple could launch iTunes Live Streaming
A text label for "iTunes Live Streaming URL" discovered in iTunes 10.1 suggests Apple's announcement tomorrow will indeed launch the iTunes Live brand it trademarked earlier this year.
The French blog "Consomac" first noted the "iTunes Live Stream URL" label buried within iTunes' localized text strings.
In May, Apple trademarked the brand "iTunes Live," leading to speculation it would launch a live streaming service, likely based in part on its Lala acquisition.
However, Apple's ability to launch its streaming media service--long believed to be a cloud storage solution for users rather than a subscription service--has been held up by negotiations with labels, who want additional licensing fees from Apple for allowing users to play back their own music from Apple-hosted remote storage.
The same problems have held up Google's efforts to host users' music in the Cloud. Both Lala and Europe's Spotify were able to make music streaming deals with the labels, but a condition of their contracts made the deal worthless if those companies were ever acquired.
The long road to streaming
AppleInsider first noted that Apple had begun working to add a hosted, steaming music, movies and TV service to iTunes back in February of 2009, under the name iTunes Replay.
More than a year later, Apple was again reported to be working with the studios and labels to deliver a streaming iTunes product, then expected to arrive in the third quarter of this year.
By July however, reports of Apple's difficulties in negotiating terms with the labels indicated that such a service was not "imminent," and that while "industry insiders said Apple has indeed engaged in discussions with the music labels," it was also said that "the record executives haven't even seen all the details yet," and that no deals appeared ready to close.
A Wall Street Journal report in late April stated that Apple's negotiations hadn't made progress "because the labels argued that streaming a single purchase to multiple devices constituted multiple uses, which meant they should receive more for the songs they sell through iTunes."
A new report continues to cast doubt over Apple's ability to reach a deal with the studios and labels that would enable it to operate a live streaming service for users. However, the company appears determined to do it anyway.
iTunes Live
In May, Apple filed to trademark the brand "iTunes Live," describing it as "online retail store services in the field of entertainment featuring prerecorded musical, audio and audiovisual content." The graphic logo Apple included in the trademark application appears below.
Tomorrows' iTunes announcement, scheduled at 7 AM PST, is unusually early for the company's usual events, suggesting that the news may come from the East Coast where Apple's new North Carolina data center is located.
The French blog "Consomac" first noted the "iTunes Live Stream URL" label buried within iTunes' localized text strings.
In May, Apple trademarked the brand "iTunes Live," leading to speculation it would launch a live streaming service, likely based in part on its Lala acquisition.
However, Apple's ability to launch its streaming media service--long believed to be a cloud storage solution for users rather than a subscription service--has been held up by negotiations with labels, who want additional licensing fees from Apple for allowing users to play back their own music from Apple-hosted remote storage.
The same problems have held up Google's efforts to host users' music in the Cloud. Both Lala and Europe's Spotify were able to make music streaming deals with the labels, but a condition of their contracts made the deal worthless if those companies were ever acquired.
The long road to streaming
AppleInsider first noted that Apple had begun working to add a hosted, steaming music, movies and TV service to iTunes back in February of 2009, under the name iTunes Replay.
More than a year later, Apple was again reported to be working with the studios and labels to deliver a streaming iTunes product, then expected to arrive in the third quarter of this year.
By July however, reports of Apple's difficulties in negotiating terms with the labels indicated that such a service was not "imminent," and that while "industry insiders said Apple has indeed engaged in discussions with the music labels," it was also said that "the record executives haven't even seen all the details yet," and that no deals appeared ready to close.
A Wall Street Journal report in late April stated that Apple's negotiations hadn't made progress "because the labels argued that streaming a single purchase to multiple devices constituted multiple uses, which meant they should receive more for the songs they sell through iTunes."
A new report continues to cast doubt over Apple's ability to reach a deal with the studios and labels that would enable it to operate a live streaming service for users. However, the company appears determined to do it anyway.
iTunes Live
In May, Apple filed to trademark the brand "iTunes Live," describing it as "online retail store services in the field of entertainment featuring prerecorded musical, audio and audiovisual content." The graphic logo Apple included in the trademark application appears below.
Tomorrows' iTunes announcement, scheduled at 7 AM PST, is unusually early for the company's usual events, suggesting that the news may come from the East Coast where Apple's new North Carolina data center is located.
Comments
A text label for "iTunes Live Streaming URL" discovered in iTunes 10.1 suggests Apple's announcement tomorrow will indeed launch the iTunes Live brand it trademarked earlier this year.
iTune 'Live' sounds like a tag Microsoft would give their products.
It will be an apple branded teddy bear. That is all.
A day we will never forget...I'll never forget how disappointed I was.
You must have a blast at the races with that ability to know the future
I just received an email - The Radio and record industries are reporting Apple will announce the deal to sell the Beatles catalogue (finally), just in time for the holiday season.
Talking of which I have the original albums on vinyl in perfect condition and my wife wants to throw them out ...
I just received an email - The Radio and record industries are reporting Apple will announce the deal to sell the Beatles catalogue (finally), just in time for the holiday season.
Link? Anything?
btw: Mac OS X Server 10.6.5 update is back (10H575).
I'm going for Yoko Ono's entire collection of music being available.
Hopefully you mean the collection she owns, not the music she’s made.
Link? Anything?
It's everywhere, google it.
here is one
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apple-...r-itunes/41716
McGruber has a rational take on this. The point of contention I have is the clocks actually meaning something. A 7am time is unusual so maybe midnight in Japan is representative of a new day, and thus the first moment that something can be released. Though it can?t be based on actual day, because there is Sydney and New Zealand time zones that comes before Japan.
Hopefully you mean the collection she owns, not the music she?s made.
Agreed!
It's everywhere, google it.
here is one
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/apple-...r-itunes/41716
He said he received an e-mail. Those tend to be a little more important than random news outlet postings.
Hopefully you mean the collection she owns, not the music she?s made.
What?! You don't like squelch?!
I just received an email - The Radio and record industries are reporting Apple will announce the deal to sell the Beatles catalogue (finally), just in time for the holiday season.
The Wall Street Journal cites "people familiar with the situation" as saying the announcement tomorrow will be about The Beatles:
"The deal resulted from talks that were taking place as recently as last week among executives of Apple, representatives of the Beatles and their record label, EMI Group Ltd,, according to these people."
That doesn't mean Apple won't announce streaming too, but it sounds like Beatles will be at least part of the announcement.
McGruber has a rational take on this. The point of contention I have is the clocks actually meaning something. A 7am time is unusual so maybe midnight in Japan is representative of a new day, and thus the first moment that something can be released. Though it can?t be based on actual day, because there is Sydney and New Zealand time zones that comes before Japan, and they all have the new splash page on Apple?s site, which isn?t the case with all country?s sites.
I dunno, he seems to be making a wild guess really. I mean he ends up saying it's about the Beatles catalogue which is probably the least likely option.
The clocks likely don't mean anything because they already mean what they are .. simply the times that the announcement will be made in those countries. There is no reason to assume there is some hidden *extra* meaning in the clocks given that they already have that meaning. They also don't spell anything, and are completely *dissimilar* to the cover of "Help!" no matter what you've heard about that.
Even if it turns out to be about the Beatles (although why anyone in Japan will get up at midnight to find out that I don't know), the idea that it is because the sentence is "sorta" like an old Paul McCartney song title, and the clocks "sorta" look like the cover of one of their old albums is ridiculous on the face of it.
Hopefully you mean the collection she owns, not the music she?s made.
Yoko Ono's complete music catalogue is and has been on iTunes for ages.