12/27/2005, 1:50pm, EST

Tuesday, December 27th

Apple to sell podcasts via iTunes?

Apple may begin selling subscriptions to podcasts via its popular iTunes service begining as early next year. Although Apple currently offers a full podcast directory, all of the listed content--from both individuals and growing number of companies--is available for free; however, that may change soon. According to a Macworld UK report, Apple will begin offering fee-based podcasts through iTunes in early 2006. The report draws from a press release from a new company--called What I Want Podcasting--that promises to offer podcasts for sale through iTunes "in the very near future." The company says it will offer live performance footage from the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues festival which takes place in late January 2006.

"We have developed exclusive video invitations from artists appearing at the festival and created a promotional podcast concert series. We then distributed it throughout the Web, on iTunes, podcast directories, Google Video, and many more websites." says Martin Elmore, president of What I Want Podcasting.

"In the very near future, we are going to offer podcasts for sale on iTunes, which will feature clips of the concert this January 26-28."

Filed under: industry
Other story tags: digital music/video

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Peter Bonte

12/27, 2:16pm, EST

It was expected, there had to be a way to get payed for a podcast. Is Apple acting as the record company now? Clearly a first careful step into that direction. :)

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debohun

What Apple should be...

12/27, 8:29pm, EST

This is precisely what Apple should be doing, creating new markets for media (rather then wasting their time on petty law suits). If this is indeed in the works, all I have to say is Way to Go Apple. I hope you make a bundle of money.

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mymacluvsme

All podcasts,

12/28, 4:30am, EST

or just certain ones, such as professionally produced? I won't pay for cheesy home-made podcasts.

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JohnnyFive

re: all podcasts,

12/28, 12:25pm, EST

That, and no commercials.

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testudo

re: all podcasts

12/28, 1:07pm, EST

Hey, people pay for cheesy home-made music, why not for home-made podcasts. They'll sell what people are willing to buy. Easy enough. Of course, you listen to a podcast for its content (in theory), not whether its cheesily made. So if the content is worth it, who cares if its professional quality or two guys with a reel-to-reel tape recorder?

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MacnnGregor

Decision...

12/28, 6:03pm, EST

For Apple as podcasts start numbering in the thousands, I see that there will need to be a separation between free and paid podcasts within the iTMS, but at some point it will be too expensive to have both and once paid are numerous and profitable, the free stuff will come from other sites.

It is called a maturing media area.

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