03/09/2006, 2:25am, EST
Thursday, March 9th
Apple tweaks podcasts for Limbaugh
The podcast delivery changes would presumably allow any content creator to offer member-only content via the iTunes Music Store. While the listing of restricted content is a departure from the current listing of freely available podcasts, Apple's move will help drive traffic to the iTunes Music Store and help it maintain a comprehensive listing of all podcast content.
The report says that the change is expected to go live on Monday and will seamless enable access to podcasts to members of Rush 24/7 as well as allow users to store their name/password for future access. RUSH 24/7 currently charges $50 for access to content for one year or monthly membership for $7 per month.
"This is as idiot proof as anything I have seen on a computer. What will happen on Monday if you are a subscriber at Rush 24/7 you will go to the new page that we will set up, and there's a link there, and when you click on that link, automatically your iTunes will open, be it Mac or Windows: iTunes will ask you for your user name and your password. You enter that, you click the box that says "remember my password," and you never have to do another thing again. The following day, or that day, later that day, the next day, every podcast will automatically download to your iTunes as long as your iTunes is open and running."
Apple's new podcasts delivery tweaks will enable access to all new podcasts released after Monday, but not access to ones previously offered. Limbaugh also praised Apple for working to bring his podcast content to iTunes.
"The people at Apple were great. I mean, they realize there's a lot of podcast content out there, and they're just trying to find ways to drive traffic to the Apple music store and iTunes is the way you do that. So, no. It's a win-win for everybody. Win-win for everybody. I'm really excited about it. I'm going to continue my own rigorous testing but it worked for me the first time."
On Wednesday, Apple introduced new "multi-pass" monthly access to certain TV shows, offering "bundled" access to multiple episodes.
Filed under: industry
Other story tags: digital music/video
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(Answer : they have technology that works, which probably over-rides political consideration).
At least you have to pay to hear his views!
I suspect the other impetus here is that Rush is well known as an Apple/Jobs fanboy, which is hilarious. Idolizing one of his liberal enemies is probably what drove him to Oxycontin.
So the question isn't how did Apple swallow its pride -- it's how does Rush like having his podcast drive traffic to Eminem, Al Franken, Elton John, and some multicultural world music, all for the enrichment of liberal gay-friendly Apple? Pretty obvious who the bottom bitch is in this relationship.
namely the phil hendrie show.
the current ones use a custom downloader app... and they aren't tagged/formatted as 'podcast' when importing into iTunes. so they show up with all the other music and not in the podcast directory with all the features one gets with them being there. like not showing up on shuffle play with a bunch of music. or not having the speed control or bookmarking.
he's been charging for *access* to podcasts, not for the podcasts ("free when you subscribe to rush 24/7!") so he had to do something to be connected with iTMS but also make his subscribers think they were still golden.
on both parts this is pure business - and rush is as smart as anyone when it comes to business, and he's a great entertainer. he's dumb as a sack of hammers otherwise, but he knows how to turn his bile into money. and apple solved the someone-we-don't-all-care-for-might-be-using-our-computers thing years ago.
Why couldn't Rush listeners do the same? Am I missing a piece of the Rush puzzle...
Christopher