I listened in on the Apple / Steve Jobs conference call today. (The potentially blockbuster news will get posted later today).
A few interesting tidbits from the conference call:
-Apple iTunes Music Store downloading 2.7 million songs a week; That’s a run rate of 140 million annually;
-ITMS now has 700,000+ songs, expects to have over 1 million songs by year’s end;
-Music Videos as well as film previews now playable thru the ITMS;
-HP is (or will be soon) shipping 8 million copies of iTunes pre-installed on Windows PCs;
-iTunes users now have access to a free single, every Tuesday;
-CD Insert Printing allows users to print a jewel case insert right from iTunes — Includes mixed CDs with multiple album covers;
-iTunes Music store was profitible this Quarter.
Here’s some more details from the official press release, :
— “iMix,” a new way for users to publish playlists of their favorite
songs on the iTunes Music Store for other users to preview, rate and
purchase. iMix creates a virtual iTunes community, enabling users to
discover new music recommended by fellow music fans and rate the iMixes
published by other iTunes users;— “Party Shuffle,” a new playlist that automatically chooses songs from a
user’s music library, displays just-played and upcoming songs, and
allows users to easily add, delete and rearrange the upcoming songs on
the fly. Party Shuffle is the ultimate DJ at any gathering, and a great
way for users to get reacquainted with their personal music library;— Radio Charts from more than 1,000 radio stations, enabling users to
easily find and buy the top songs played on local radio stations in
major US markets and buy directly from the charts with just one click;— A new Music Video section featuring more music videos than ever, and a
new Movie Trailer section with the most popular movie trailers on the
Internet and links to buy songs from the soundtrack or audiobooks
related to the movie;— The rights to play songs purchased from the iTunes Music Store,
including songs previously purchased, on up to five personal computers,
two more than before;
Fascinating stuff.
Wow.