Happy Birthday iTunes!

 Well it's been five years now for Apple's iTunes and I will admit a great weakness for the service. The Apple business model will probably change over the next few years (or months!). Let's face it, if Amazon can sell songs for the same 99 cents or even 89 cents (for many songs) and be free of the DRM (Digital Rights Management) that restricts the number of copies that can be made to five, then the Apple business model will be forced to change. Apple may now be operating under artist contracts that promise a restriction on distribution and that could force Apple to delay a change until those contracts expire. The limit of five copies sounds reasonable but I have a whole bunch of computers, iPods, stereos and cars and frankly five is just too restrictive for me and I doubt that I am a minority on that subject. This is no, "pity me" rant, rather it is the reality that others are looking at, we want our music on many devices; not only that but we are willing to pay 10 cents less per song to do so!

 This week iTunes is giving away a super-cool song (Worrisome Heart) by Melody Gardot, a very fetching jazz singer, check it out.

 While writing this I was listening to some old R&B on the Mac that holds my iTunes library, some Bobby Womack and the Staple Singers.