hippiechick wrote: 
I usually don't use it, but wanted to see what you were talking about. holy crap! that's trippy.

Does anyone use the Visualizer? I do, a lot. Has anyone used the new one, with the magic balls? Do you like it more or less than the Classic?

I have noticed that when listening with iTunes, the info window at the top cycles between "Artist" - "Song Title" and then "http://www.radioparadise.com/graphics/covers/XXXXXX.jpg"  -  the jpg file name at the end changing with the song.

It seems obvious that is a reference (link) to the album art, but can I get iTunes to show that? 

I realize the web site playlist page has that but it would be nifty if somehow iTunes could do that.  I am always looking up to see who is playing, but it seems like that link is visible in iTunes 90% of the time I look up.

Suggestions?

 KevinM wrote: 
Yep, most of my D/Ls are from Amazon too. I expect Amazon won't let iTunes beat them on price most of the time, just as it has been.

 Inamorato wrote: 
So, Apple sez: customers would be able to pay a one-time fee to strip copying restrictions from music they have already bought on iTunes, at 30 cents a song or 30 percent of the album price.

I've already paid for the music once, why can't they just strip it for free? (I know you can burn it and then re-import the music but that's a hassle).

That's why I don't buy from iTunes anymore - Amazon mp3's for me.

Want to Copy iTunes Music? Go Ahead, Apple Says

iTunes to offer songs for as low as 69 cents

By BRAD STONE
The New York Times 

SAN FRANCISCO — In moves that will help shape the online future of the music business, Apple said Tuesday that it would remove anticopying restrictions on all of the songs in its popular iTunes Store and allow record companies to set a range of prices for them.

Beginning this week, three of the four major music labels — Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — will begin selling music through iTunes without digital rights management software, or D.R.M., which controls the copying and use of digital files. The fourth, EMI, was already doing so.

In return, Apple, whose dominance in online music sales gives it powerful leverage, agreed to a longstanding demand of the music labels and said it would move away from its insistence on pricing all individual song downloads on iTunes at 99 cents.

Instead, the majority of songs will drop to 69 cents beginning in April, while the biggest hits and newest songs will go for $1.29. Others that are moderately popular will remain at 99 cents.

The music companies are hoping that their eagerly awaited compromise with Apple will give a lift to digital downloads. They will be able to make more money on their best-selling songs and increase the appeal of older ones. 

And with the copying restrictions removed, people will be able to freely shift the songs they buy on iTunes among computers, phones and other digital devices.

Technologically sophisticated fans of digital music complain that D.R.M. imposes unfair restrictions on what they can do with the tracks they have bought. For example, the protected files from iTunes do not work on portable players made by companies other than Apple.

“I think the writing was on the wall, both for Apple and the labels, that basically consumers were not going to put up with D.R.M. anymore,” said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with Creative Strategies, a market research company. 

Music industry watchers widely applauded the move and said it could help digital music sales, which have shown signs of slowing down just five years after Apple introduced iTunes.

In particular, lower prices for some songs could spur consumers “to buy deeper into the catalog, and expand their relationship with digital music,” said Russ Crupnick, an analyst with the NPD Group.

The music industry could use a lift. Sales of CDs fell 20 percent last year from 2007. About 2.4 billion songs were bought on iTunes in the last year, aided by Apple’s expansion into international markets. But that was not nearly enough to make up for losses in traditional retail stores.

Industry pundits have long pointed to D.R.M. as one culprit for the music companies’ woes, saying it alienated some customers while doing little to slow piracy on file-sharing networks.

(Full story)

 ScottFromWyoming wrote: 
What? You're still trying to get songs added to the library? I gave up on that years ago.

 BillG wrote: 
Thanks, Bill. The only reason I would need MP3 is to upload to RP. Can you take my 256 AAC?

Also, I downloaded that LAME thing you linked to, but it's a standalone app, not a plugin, unless there's some way it can be both.

 lunar1963 wrote: 
Winamp does a good job managing the music library (I have an 80GB & use Winamp exclusively to manage it)  - but it does not handle anything else (videos, photos, etc.). 

What are the other options exactly, owning an iPod, to take care of your library? I find iTunes rather clumsy...

If you can figure out how to set it up properly then EAC (exact audio copy) is probably the best thing to use. It's a free download and i'm sure there is a how to guide with it or in Wiki.

As for myself, after Bill saying itunes was a crappy mp3 creator I use winamp which from what i've read is very good. Pretty simple to use to.

Thanks for the clarification, Bill.

 phineas wrote: 
Contrary to what others have posted here, the default setting when iTunes imports songs is 128k AAC.  AAC is not a proprietary format, but it is much less commonly used than MP3. It also delivers better sound quality, so if you're going to play the files in iTunes, or transfer them to an iPod, then AAC is just fine. 

If you'd like iTunes to import & store the songs as MP3 files instead, you can change that under Preferences -> General -> Import Settings.  However, iTunes makes really crappy MP3 files. If you *must* use it to rip CDs to MP3 files, and you're on a Mac, I suggest that you download the LAME iTunes plugin (http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/8837). If you're on Windows, I'm sure someone can suggest a decent MP3 encoder.

 phineas wrote: 
It's a sticky preference so pick something you can live with and that's that. I can't remember what default is but it's probably 128k mp3. I have ours set to 256AAC which seemed like a good compromise but no, it might not play on just any MP3 player (but I think most will play those. not sure).

 glassbuteo wrote: 
It will make me happier thus more productive hence higher earning potential. Sounds like a business expense to me.

 glassbuteo wrote: 
Mag is putting it on the last little bit of credit she has. I told her not to, but... or did I?

 manbirdexperiment wrote: 
He did say xmas, LaSilly. I don't think he meant it, though.

 Leslie wrote: 
Christmas is whenever I say it is. Anyway, I said "xmas".

 manbirdexperiment wrote: 
NICE!

Christmas is over.

I'm so stoked - I'm getting a 16 gig apple itouch for xmas! Now I will have online portability. I need to look for rabbit fields when I go out of town and I can use google maps with satellite view. Next best thing to having a laptop. Not sure how well I will be able to see on the little 4 inch screen. But I needed the mp3 player anywho.