iTunes 9 available for download

Further to the release by Apple of Snow Leopard OS last week, iTunes 9 was rolled out with lots of goodies and extras during Apple’s keynote yesterday.

iTunes boasts the record of being the No1 music retailer in the world.

Other iTunes stats:

• Over 8.5 billion songs sold
• 100,000,000 million registered accounts (that’s scary!) – meaning also one of the largest stores on the net altogether

Features of iTunes 9

• Genuis playlists – over 54B songs have been submitted and analysed – smarter, faster
• Genius mixes – endless mixes and playlists from songs in your library and recommendations from iTunes
• Now genius recommendations for apps – suggestions will be made based on your previous apps downloads
• Better management of your apps, arrange however you like, drag & drop
• Improved syncing
• Home sharing (between up to 5 computers in your house) – not just streaming, copying to your library
• iTunes store redesign, better layout and navigation, artists pages, movies & TV pages, wishlists
• iTunes LP – includes lyrics, videos, photos, chronology, lienar notes, interviews, memorabilia etc.  Amazing content!
• Same for movies

iTunes 9 is of course a free download.

Where to download ringtones

Audiko is a fantastic site for ringtones.

Free for all

You can create a ringtone of your favourite song in just a few easy steps – for free!  Just upload the song, choose the section you want to use and download the ringtone to your phone. I think this way is better, as you know you own the songs you’re creating the ringtone from.

But, if you can’t be blowed doing that, then they also have heaps and heaps of ringtones ready to go.

You can:

• View top 100 popular ringtones
• See what YouTube ringtone videos are available
• Search the database for artists, by genre, tv shows etc
• See a list of similar artists

There’s even support for lots of older mobile phones.  AND iPhones (save your newly created ringtone as a .M4R)!

Easy as 1-2-3

Just select and download a ringtone to your desktop (for syncing or bluetooth transfer). Or if your phone supports barcodes, then you can just transfer it using the QR/barcode application.

The best part about free ringtones is that when your favourite song changes (like happens every few days? weeks? months?), you don’t have to keep shelling out cash to buy your new favourite song as a ringtone.

Enjoy!

Catch-up TV

Last week we posted about “Download missed TV shows” and one reader asked us if we knew of any free options.

We did a little research and came up with a few options.

Option #1

We found out that some of the tv show episodes from the Nine network are relayed on a site they have.

Check it out here: Catch-up TV

All you need to do is download their video player software ($nil) and away you go!

Quick – someone get the popcorn

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Consumers show their love and appreciate to Amazon

In the six months that Amazon has been selling digital rights management (DRM)-free MP3s online, they have secured themselves a No 2 ranking for digital music sales, second only to Apple iTunes.

If numbers are correct, although Apple iTunes have over 6,000,000 songs in their catalogue, Amazon now have two and a half times the DRM-free catalogue that the iTunes store does – and that’s ever-increasing.

“So, does DRM-free music lead to higher piracy?”

Amazon’s Baltaxe says the best defense against piracy is a good offense. “Songs sold without DRM, at high quality, with album art, that’s the best way to get people to buy music instead of stealing it. DRM is a way to punish people who are buying,” he says. “Offering a great product at a great price is a way to combat piracy.”

With single MP3s only $US0.89 and album prices from $US4.99, let’s hope for the artists sake, that is correct…

Now, just like most dangled carrots, we just have to wait for Amazon in Australia! *sigh*

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Related: Yahoo News on Amazon results