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iTunes New Music Releases

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Discover New Music

  • How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

    • 6 out of 10
    • U2
    • U2's latest entry is a mostly underwhelming collection of songs that does very little to sound any different from its equally pedestrian predecessor, 2000's "All That You Can't Leave Behind." While

  • Never Let Me Down [ECD]

    • 4 out of 10
    • David Bowie
    • It must be a lonely place to be considered David Bowie's worst album by just about everyone, including the artist himself. As the last album before Bowie "rebooted" and formed the band Tin Machine, "N
  • The Last 5 Years (2002 Off-Broadway Cast)

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jason Robert Brown
    • The soundtrack to this moving off-broadway musical is heart moving. The lyrics follow a couple in a relationship for five years, one point of view going forward in time, and the other tracing time fr
  • Music Has The Right To Children

    • 10 out of 10
    • Boards of Canada
    • This one will haunt you. From the first notes to the last, their sound surrounds you. BOC has put out a fantastic catalogue, and this album is a great starting point for a new listener. Jump straight
  • Abnormal Anonymous

    • 8 out of 10
    • Congo Norvell
    • Very few albums manage to capture snapshots of a quality of life in the manner that Congo Norvell's sophomore record, "Abnormals Anonymous," does.

      Comparisons to the Velvet Underground are

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News

Microsoft Lets Zune Subscribers Keep Some Music

Microsoft shifted gears with its Zune Pass music subscription service and is now letting users keep ten songs a month. Subscribers will be able to choose from DRM-free MP3 tracks from Universal Music and Sony BMG, along with copy protected songs from several other labels.

The ten song per month offer is included in the US$14.99 Zune Pass monthly subscription fee.

Despite the company’s small move towards an iTunes-like pay per track model, Microsoft and its partners insist that its subscription-based music model is best option for consumers. Simon Renshaw, chief executive officer of Strategic Artist Management, commented "The subscription model continues to redefine the digital music landscape, and today’s announcement is great news for consumers, artists and labels."

He did, however, add that letting Zune users buy the music they listen to instead of renting it is a "breakthrough offer," and said that it makes it easier for consumers "to discover new music and will encourage deeper engagement in the digital music space, and that is good for the entire industry."

Microsoft’s Zune media player and Zune Pass music subscription service trail far behind Apple’s iPod and iTunes Music Store. While Microsoft’s shift to allow users to keep at least a handful of the songs they pay for each month may help the company keep more of its subscribers, it won’t likely help the company steal away much market share from Apple.

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