Apple has released an update to iTunes, adding a new Party Shuffle mode that lets you aggregate different playlists into a live, dynamic mix, lossless encoding via the ‘Apple Lossless Codec’ (which is hopefully a FLAC implementation, and not just a high bit rate version of AAC), new links into the iTunes Music Store, CD case printing, as well as new restrictions on playlist-to-CD burning (down from 10 to just 7) that are mitigated by an increase for Rendezvous-based music sharing from just three machines up to five. The new 4.5 version is available for both Mac OS X and Windows.
And so hey, that’s cool, because I like iTunes a lot, especially as a music library and player, but what if I could buy music for way less than $.99 a song? SMH is reporting of a new service that parleys weak Russian copyright law into a pay-by-the-megabyte music download service called ‘Allofmp3.com,’ where music can be legally downloaded (at least according to Russian law) for just $5 for 500 megabytes. The coolest part, besides the 6.8 cents a track price, is the service’s ability to dynamically rip the music from the source CDs (or just from Allofmp3’s local lossless copy, as has been suggested to me) in a variety of formats and encoder settings, including MP3, MPEG4-AAC, OGG, MPC, WMA, or even lossless formats like FLAC. Want a copy of the music in 128-bit AAC for your flash player and another lossless version for your PC? If you pay for the bandwidth, the music can be yours. Thanks, John and Andrew!
I know, let’s start an Allofmp3.com death watch! The RIAA is probably checking their nuclear capability as we speak.
Read – iTunes 4.5 Download [Apple]
