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Technical Help & Discussion => General Tech Discussion, News & Q&A => Topic started by: sam on February 12, 2011, 15:49

Title: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: sam on February 12, 2011, 15:49: Quote
There’s much to be said in favor of a successor to iTunes. Not just the application itself, though I’d love to see it disappear, but the whole service. Things move fast, and although Apple moved faster than the music industry, it now finds itself in a distressingly similar, and vulnerable, position. Sony seems to think the iron is hot, and consequently is preparing to strike; SCE CEO Michael Ephraim is quoted by The Age as saying, “Publishers are being held to ransom by Apple and they are looking for other delivery systems, and we are waiting to see what the next three to five years will hold.”

http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/sony-publishers-are-being-held-to-ransom-by-apple/
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 15:55: I'd like to see the demise of iTunes, but I suspect Apple will retain the stranglehold for its own hardware.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:08: It does it's job, for me, but there's lots of things with it that could be easier.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:09: And better done. The number of times I've ripped an album for the iPod and iTunes has split it into two or three different albums.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:15: Really? That's never happened to me. I make a point of ensuring sure live albums, in particular, run in the correct sequence, and are gapless.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:17: I've had it happen a lot, particularly with compilations. I suspect the Gracenotes database favours American releases, so doesn't always recognise compilations from the UK market.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:37: I wish it was easier to re-sequence albums, particularly home made compilations. I have an album of my Queen remixes, and it's a pain to add one track, as you have to then re-sequence all the rest, and they don't always auto sort by track number.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:38: Just one of many niggles. Album artwork is another.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:39: Oh, I don't have a problem with that. I just nab the cover from Google Images.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:43: Tell me more...
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:43: What do you want to know?
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:45: How do you (a) find the image and (b) attach it to iTunes.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:51: OK, well just search for the artist and album: Queen A Night At The Opera (http://www.google.com/search?q=queen+a+night+at+the+opera&start=0), click on Images, then download one of the covers.

In iTunes, select all the tracks from your album, then right click one > Get Info. You should see the screen below, then double click in the box (which will be blank) where the Queen logo on mine is. You can then navigate to your downloaded image, and insert it. Click OK, and you're done.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 16:53: Thanks. I'd never noticed that option. :thumbs:
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:56: Took me a while. I've found that you can do most things in iTunes, but it isn't always very straightforward.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: sam on February 12, 2011, 17:01: iTunes is a pain and I hate to use it but at the moment I can't get my nano to work with the linux tools (not quite supported by the software it seems) but that's not really an issue. iTunes isn't so bad I guess its just it takes up so much in resources.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:02: Quote from: Simon on February 12, 2011, 16:56
Took me a while. I've found that you can do most things in iTunes, but it isn't always very straightforward.

No, and the support is not brilliant either. :(
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:03: Quote from: sam on February 12, 2011, 17:01
iTunes isn't so bad I guess its just it takes up so much in resources.

You're right there, Sam, plus it insists on installing itself to Outlook. What on earth for?
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: sam on February 12, 2011, 17:04: to outlook??
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:04: Quote from: sam on February 12, 2011, 17:01
iTunes is a pain and I hate to use it but at the moment I can't get my nano to work with the linux tools (not quite supported by the software it seems) but that's not really an issue. iTunes isn't so bad I guess its just it takes up so much in resources.

Haven't really noticed a resource issue, but it does take ages to start.

Quote from: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:02
No, and the support is not brilliant either. :(

Thankfully, I've never had to seek it.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:05: Quote from: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:03
You're right there, Sam, plus it insists on installing itself to Outlook. What on earth for?

:huh3:
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:10: If you use Outlook, it installs a COM add-on. No idea why, or what it's meant to do. What I have found is that it tends to stop Outlook shutting down correctly. It can, luckily, be disabled.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:23: I have Outlook running, as I use the calendar function (not mail), and I've never noticed any attachment to iTunes, (that doesn't mean it isn't there) or any problems in shutting down. :dunno:
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:27: Check Tools > Options > Other > Advanced options > COM add-ins.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:30: You're right. Now disabled. :dunno:
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:37: I really don't see what possible use it would have been.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:39: http://www.eggheadcafe.com/software/aspnet/32169731/itunes-outlook-addin.aspx

Quote
This software gets added to Outlook EVERY TIME Itunes is run, even if it is
deleted. Find it in Tools - Options - Other - Advanced Options - Com
Addins. It is designed to sync calendars between Outlook and Apple
products.

Searching Google provides many examples of Outlook probems caussed by the
Itunes Outlook Addin (Outlook won't shut down; Outlook remains in task
manager processes; disruption of Outlook Calendar).

Until Microsoft provides a software fix (ideally, an option to lock out com
addins), be prepared to manually delete this program EVERY TIME you use the
Itunes software.

So now we know.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:40: Indeed. But do we care? ;D
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 12, 2011, 17:41: No. I've not, incidentally, found it turns back on after I've disabled it (but am about to check!).
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: sam on February 13, 2011, 00:21: Quote from: Simon on February 12, 2011, 17:04
Haven't really noticed a resource issue, but it does take ages to start.

guess it depends on how much music you have on it... / where it is accessing it from
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 12:13: Here's a thing. Sometimes, when I add a track to iTunes, then move it elsewhere on my computer, iTunes complains that it cannot locate the file. If all files are stored in the iTunes library, which is a separate folder, how does this happen?
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 12:53: The file's location is stored in the library unless you opt to copy files to the iTunes folder.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 12:54: I thought it did that anyway. :dunno:
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 12:59: No, you can choose whether to or not. I go for the copy option so the whole library is in one place.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 13:02: Where's the option? Can't say I've noticed it.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 13:11: Edit > Preferences > Advanced, tick the 'Copy files to the iTunes media folder when adding to the library'.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 13:21: Found it. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to want to 'backdate', so some files will still not be there.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 15:54: No, it's very much an 'in future' switch.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 16:07: Although, most files are already there, without the box being ticked, so I don't know how that happened. The only ones missing are some of my Queen compilation, so I've got copies of all of them anyway.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 16:17: What file format did you opt for?
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 16:42: Aiff, converted to aac.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Rik on February 13, 2011, 16:43: That might automatically move them to iTunes. MP3s are left alone unless ripped by iTunes.
Title: Re: Sony: “Publishers Are Being Held To Ransom By Apple”
Post by: Simon on February 13, 2011, 16:44: That would explain it.