The oft-rumored iTunes Japan has been launched, and with it comes the release of the Rolling Stones back catalog.
It’s August, and with 90+ degree temperatures comes the equally hot news that Apple has made iTunes Japan available. Previous launch dates had been rumored, and came and went with the occasional Apple statement that it wasn’t launching iTunes Japan.
But the last batch of chatter, spurred by Japanese music label Avex telling anyone who would listen that it had hammered out an agreement with Apple, spoke of an August launch.
Apple stayed quiet on that talk, and maybe that indicates a new way to get information out of the company that put Cupertino on the map. Just keep asking them about products, and when they stop addressing the rumor we’ll know a release date is coming.
Apple’s iTunes, along with the iconic iPod media player, has driven Apple’s success. While it’s nice Apple has developed a multi-button, excuse me, touch sensor, mouse with a multi-directional scroll ball, the company’s work and promotions with iTunes has been much more compelling.
A recent contest rewarded iTunes purchasers with gifts as sales of iTunes climbed to 500 million songs. An Indiana woman won the grand prize, which included 10 iPods of her choice and a trip to see Coldplay in concert. Steve Jobs also followed through on his talk at D: All Things Digital by getting podcasts into iTunes and pretty much bringing that medium into the mainstream.
The podcast buzz has diminished a little bit, as might be expected, and that might even be a bigger indicator of it going mainstream. Apple has created some new buzz with iTunes, in a surprising nod to older music fans.
Apple has secured rights to music label Abkco’s back catalog, and that includes several early Rolling Stones albums, including “Beggars Banquet” (Sympathy For The Devil, Street Fighting Man) and “Let It Bleed” (Gimme Shelter, You Can’t Always Get What You Want).
That deal gives Apple complete access to the Rolling Stones catalog. Also, the company is offering an exclusive video to people who pre-order the forthcoming Rolling Stones album “A Bigger Bang” from iTunes.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.
