iPod Tracker : iPod News

Rumors are circulating that Apple and Starbucks may be teaming up to allow customers to download songs onto their iPods at Starbucks coffee shops.

Starbucks already sell a range of funky-jazzy-coffee-music CDs that get airtime in the shop, but they currently don’t offer music downloads. But all that may change with a deal where customers can fill-up with coffee and music.

“A lot of our customers are asking for device fill-up, and going forward we’ll do that,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment, at the Midem music industry conference in Cannes.

Right now there is no definite link between Apple and Starbucks, but both companies have such popular products and complimenting demographics that any affiliation would certainly benefit both - and all those Starbuckers out there!

A graphic on the iTunes store reveals that an episode/s of Monk will be made available to download for free.

Monk is an incredibly popular TV detective show in the USA. At the time of writing the free download was not immediately online, but given that today is MacWorld I would expect it to change this afternoon.

A selection of Saturday Night Live episodes are now available for download through iTunes. The new content available is mostly made up of favourite episodes and Best Of’s such as shows guest-starring Adam Sandler, Glida Radner and Christopher Walken.

Each show is selling at $1.99 each with the whole collection priced at $9.99.

ABC’s Commander in Chief is now available to download from iTunes.

9 episodes of the popular show are available now at the same flat rate pricing as NBC content.

Apple have announced that Ken Reist from Steenokkerzeel in Belgium purchased the 100 millionth download from iTunes in Europe. Ken purchased Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and has been awarded Apple’s awesome prize.

NBC Universal are upset over news that TiVo and EchoStar are to offer their customers the ability to download content onto portable media players for free. In response to the news NBC Universal, who recently made 16 shows available on iTunes, said to expect more of the same.

“This is clearly not the proper way to behave. We have worked in concert with Apple to benefit the consumer; where others are not working with content providers is clearly not in the best interest of the consumer. You are going to see a series of announcements in the coming weeks,” said Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television, in an interview with Variety.

Shortly after announcing a deal to distribute NBC Universal TV shows on iTunes, Apple issued a press release stating that they have sold 3 million videos in their first 2 months of video sales.

“Customers have purchased and downloaded more than three million videos since their debut on October 12, making the iTunes Music Store the world’s most popular video download store,” reads a statement on Apple’s PR website.

NBC Universal and Apple today announced a new lineup of primetime, late-night and classic TV shows. Popular hit shows from NBC Universal include:

1. Law & Order
2. The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
3. Late Night with Conan O’Brien
4. The Office
5. Surface

(more…)

Apple is offering an amazing prize for the lucky person who downloads the 100 millionth tune from the iTunes Music Store. The prize consists of:

• 17-inch iMac G5
• 30GB iPod
• 10,000-song Gift Card for the iTunes Music Store
• Two tickets to see Robbie Williams in concert

Now that is a prize and a half!

Music fans in 17 countries around Europe are clicking their way to 100 million downloads on the European iTunes Music Stores. Selling 100 million songs on the iTunes Music Stores in Europe marks a dramatic acceleration in the purchase of legally downloadable music on the Internet,” reads Apple’s website.

My advice … wait for someone to release a download tracker for the cometition and give it a go! Best of luck.

In an interview at the Reuters Media and Advertising Summit yesterday, co-chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment spoke openly of his company’s willingness to work with Apple to sell content through iTunes.

“Of course, we’d be open to that. We believe it would be a great opportunity,” said James Gianopulos, co-chairman at Fox.

Apple is reportedly working with content providers and networks to boost the inventory of video downloads available at it’s store, which can then be played back on the iPod.