World of Apple

Apple is offering for a limited time Gift Cards specific to artists on the iTunes Music Store which are available for purchase in Target Stores across the US.

And now, Limited Edition iTunes Gift Cards are available at all participating Target stores in the US. Each collector’s card boasts custom artwork featuring Sheryl Crow, Mary J. Blige, 50 cent, All American Rejects, Black-Eyed Peas, and Weezer. All cards are sold in $15 denominations and can be used for any purchase on the iTunes Store. Special Limited Edition iTunes Gift Cards featuring Jewel, Kanye West, James Blunt, Mariah Carey, Hoobastank, Dixie Chicks, and Panic! at the Disco also come with exclusive materials from the featured artist. Collect all thirteen cards or give them to your favorite fan.

Today Facebook.com the 7th most visited Internet website in the world has announced a back-to-school promotion to give away 10 million music samplers from the iTunes Music Store.

The site will give away 1 million, 25-song music samplers for the next 10 weeks, each sampler will feature “select songs from a different genre ranging from Alternative to Rock, Hip-Hop to Dance and Electronica.”

Warner Brothers and Apple revealed that episodes of Friends, MADtv, Babylon 5, The Jetsons and the The Flintstones will all be available for purchase on the US iTunes Music Store for $1.99 an episode.

Also available is a never before seen Pilot episode of “Aquaman” a contemporary reinterpretation of DC Comics’ Aquaman.

Think Secret is reporting that Steve Jobs will use his Keynote presentation to debut movie rentals through the iTunes Music Store.

The company is said to have ironed out all agreements with the studios, with only a few major players still in discussions.

Think Secret goes on to mention that its unknown whether Apple will announce the service or just the deals with the studios at WWDC on August 7.

The report mentions that because the movies are rented and not purchased then there will be a system in place to restrict playback, either after a certain number of plays or particular length of time.

Chicago Radio

Chicago radio station The Loop has unveiled a custom branded iTunes Music Store built right into their web page using Adobe Flash.

The new type of store-front offers third parties the ability to use affiliate linking but also offers users the ability to pick their favourite track and other suck features.

Many media outlets are reporting that French lawmakers have given final approval to a law which forces companies to open up their digital rights management.

“Any artist’s work that is legally acquired should be playable on any digital device,” Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres told lawmakers before the vote.

Since the law was first announced in March this year, it has been through many amendments with a softened version of the law being passed.

A new regulatory authority will have the power to order companies to license their exclusive file formats to rivals on request — but only if the compatibility restrictions they impose are “additional to, or independent of, those explicitly decided by the copyright holders.”

This means that Apple could avoid opening up its FairPlay DRM system, providing they receive permission from the original artist.

AppleInsider is reporting that Apple has quietly updated its iTunes Producer Software.

Apple Lossless is said to produce CD quality sound in “about half the storage space”, in the release of iTunes Producer 1.4 Apple has added support for Apple Lossless format.

Currently the iTunes Music Store only contains AAC format at varying encoded rates, with the new iTunes Producer Apple says that the software “now encodes music in Apple Lossless format, which produces larger audio files and will increase upload time.”

It is often been pointed out that the quality of downloads from the iTunes Music Store does not rival that of Compact Discs, with the addition of Apple Lossless format it’s possible that Apple will aim it at audiophiles, it is unknown whether Apple will charge more for Lossless downloads.

Apple and CBS have announced that they are offering prime time shows on the iTunes Music Store.

The shows offered are; Numb3rs, Survivor, NCIS, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York. All shows available for $1.99 an episode.

“We’re bringing popular and acclaimed programs from the most watched television network—including ‘CSI’ and ‘Survivor’—to iTunes,” said Larry Kramer, president, CBS Digital Media. “iTunes has proven that people enjoy viewing shows on their computer or iPod, which provides an opportunity to reach new audiences with our hit shows and gives our existing viewers a chance to catch up on missed episodes.”

NBC and the NHL announced this week that they plan to bring video content to the iTunes Music Store.

The NHL will allow fans to download 2006 Conference Finals and Stanly Cup Final game recaps, the Season Pass for each Stanly Cup Playoff series is $4.99 and includes 15-20 minutes of expanded highlights from each game. Alternatively for $1.99 fans can download single game highlight episodes.

“In addition to being the most passionate fans in sports, hockey fans love using the newest technology to connect with their NHL,” said Doug Perlman, NHL Executive Vice President of Media. “Our deal with Apple will enable our fans to download and re-live the most exciting action in professional sports — the Stanley Cup Playoffs

In addition to the NHL featuring content on iTMS, NBC has also announced that it will expand its current offerings further, it said to include news and documentaries but is also going to debut a series produced purely for iTunes.

As of today content from the Discovery Network will be available on the US iTunes Music Store.

“Now, new possibilities are opened for people who want to use Discovery’s high-quality knowledge-rich content on the go, while we also promote Discovery’s television networks,” said Don Baer, senior executive vice president, strategy and development, Discovery Communications. “Wherever they are and whenever they want, consumers can use the iPod to learn and be entertained with Discovery’s content about people, places, cultures, science, health and much more.”

Discovery programming available on the iTunes Music Store includes: World’s Best travel series, Amazing Babies, National Parls short films, Passport to Europe, Pregnancy for Dummies, and Kenny the Shark.

Additional programming includes: Mythbusters, Extreme Engineering, Breed All About it, and Most Extreme.