And now Google Music with its big announcement on November 16. Google Music gets rid of the beta status and remains a free service for all users (from the United States, and those who know how to use a proxy). Users can store up to 20,000 songs on Google servers.

The Google Music store offers a library of 13 million songs which can be purchased on the Android Market. Songs cost 99 cent and are provided in 320 Kbit quality. Users can download songs or stream them to other devices. Google Music users who make purchases can share their purchases on Google+. This allows others to listen to the song once on Google’s social networking platform.

Payments are currently limited to T-Mobile US customers which benefit from carrier billing support. This basically means that Google Music purchases will appear on the monthly cellphone bill which improves the buying experience significantly. T-Mobile customers will get exclusive contents for free until the end of the year as part of the promotion to establish the service in the United States.

Artists can create their own space on Google Music where they can sell their music directly. The initial fee to setup an artist page is $25 US Dollars. It is likely – but not confirmed – that artists will have to share their earnings with Google.

When you look at both Google Music and iTunes Match, you will notice that they are both US-only at this point in time. Google Music is even more limited as the store is currently only available to T-Mobile USA customers.

What’s your take on the recent development? If you are living in the US, will you be using one of the services?

The service has been designed to match a user’s music library with the cloud. You basically point iTunes Match to your local music collection to start the process. Unlike other music synchronization services, iTunes Match tries to identify songs in Apple’s vast library of songs. Songs that match are added from the store which reduces the number of songs that need to be transferred. Any song in the store becomes available automatically, only unknown songs, e.g. free music, mixes or indie artists are uploaded from the user’s computer to make them available on iCloud as well.

Music in the cloud can then be streamed to compatible devices and stored on devices as well in 256 Kbps quality (free of digital rights management drm).

There service offers two interesting features. First the ability to match music to reduce the upload bandwidth and second the ability to download and stream 256 Kbps songs even if the original song was of lower quality. The latter is only true if iTunes was able to match the song.

About the matching feature. Apple does not check if a song of a music collection has been bought, ripped from CD or Internet radio or acquired from P2P networks. That’s great but it does not mean that you can legalize your music collection with an iTunes Match account.

The iTunes Match service has a 25,000 song limitation currently. It is not clear if Apple will raise the limit in the future or offer upgrades to the service to increase the amount of songs that can be hosted in the cloud.

In comparison, Google Music offers space for 20,000 songs (but without payment currently).

Will you be using iTunes Match? Users from outside the US, are you interested in a guide on how to get the service without being in the US?

For that we need to look at two things. First we need to download and convert YouTube videos and then add them to the song collection. There are lots of options to download YouTube videos, but in this guide I will concentrate on methods that make it as easy as possible.

First option is the web based service Youtube to Mp3. It is one of the easiest to use if you only want to download and convert a handful of YouTube music videos to mp3 to add them to your iTunes music collection.

All that needs to be done is to paste a YouTube video url into the form on the site. A click on the convert video button displays information about the video and an option to download the mp3.

Add-ons are available for Firefox and Google Chrome that display the download mp3 link next to YouTube videos directly making the process more comfortable.

The second option is a desktop program for Windows that can mass download YouTube videos and convert them to mp3 locally. Download and install Free FLV Converter from the developer website over at Koyotesoft. Make sure you pay attention to the installation dialog if you do not want a new search provider or search page in your default web browser.

Once installed enter a search term on the Search Video page and click on Search. This displays a list of YouTube video matches. Before you now start to download videos switch to the TubeQueue tab and select Audio only as the output format. This automatically converts downloaded videos to mp3 so that it is not necessary to convert the files manually. You can configure output settings in detail here. If you prefer a different output bitrate or audio codec you can configure it here.

Switch back to the Search Video tab and click the Download button to start downloading all the selected files. The program saves and converts the videos automatically so that you end up with audio files that you can import into iTunes.

Adding the new songs to iTunes is actually not a big problem. One could drag and drop songs or folders to the iTunes window to add them, launch them in iTunes or select File > Add File or Folder to iTunes.

The two methods describes above can be used to add new songs found on YouTube to iTunes or the local mp3 collection. Is it legal? That depends largely on your local laws. Consult a lawyer if you are unsure.

There are various workarounds for this problem, but most are hit and miss. There is no one size fits all solution to this problem, but there is one series of changes that works for many Linux users. It builds up to the installation of a program called “ideviceinstaller,” and it works for about 90% of users. If you are frustrated with your iPod/iPad/iPhone and really just want to back things up, it’s probably worth a try.

First, download all the little helpers that you might need along the way. Open up a terminal window and type in the following list:

sudo apt-get install libtool automake autoconf libplist-dev libplist++-dev libplist++1 libzip-dev libclutter-1.0-dev libclutter-gtk-0.10-dev libusbmuxd-dev libglib2.0-dev libgnutls-dev git-core swig intltool build-essential python-dev

That should update your system with almost everything you might need to start installing the programs necessary to get your devices identifying and syncing up with your computer. Next you need to download and install the latest version of a program called “libimobiledevice” which will enable ideviceinstaller to work properly when you install it later. Unlike the last piece of text you inserted into the terminal, take these one line at a time, and make sure your system has finished the process before stepping forward to the next. Again in the terminal:

cd ~/Downloads
wget http://www.libimobiledevice.org/downloads/libimobiledevice-1.0.1.tar.bz2
tar xvjf libimobiledevice-1.0.1.tar.bz2
cd ~/Downloads/libimobiledevice-1.0.1
./configure
make
sudo make install

You now have almost everything that you need to get ideviceinstaller working properly. But before we install the final auxiliary program, install ideviceinstaller onto your system. To do so, type the following into your terminal:

git clone git://git.sukimashita.com/ideviceinstaller.git
cd ideviceinstaller/
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install

Now it’s time for one last installation. The program “sbmanager” is the final component necessary for everything to run smoothly. In the terminal, type:

git clone git://git.sukimashita.com/sbmanager.git
cd sbmanager
./autogen.sh
./configure
make
sudo make install

With any luck, your system should now be ready to take whatever your Apple hand helds can throw at it. Close out of your terminal, plug in your devices, and see if it works.

Here are a few of the most important tasks you can do with the program. To run any of them, simply open your terminal window while your devices are plugged it.

idevicebackup backup ~/backup Creates a backup file of your device
idevicebackup restore ~/backup Restores your device to its previous backup state
ideviceinstaller -a [name of application, without brackets]
Creates an archival copy of an app
ideviceinstaller -r [name of application, without brackets]
Restores an app to its previous archived state
ideviceinstaller -l Displays a list of all apps on your Apple device

While most users will be set to go after following these steps, be prepared to spend some time fixing any errors along the way. The most common is that libimobiledevice.so.1 does not exist. To fix this, type the following in your terminal:

sudo ln -s /usr/local/lib/libimobiledevice.so.1.0.1 /usr/lib/libimobiledevice.so.1

That should fix 90% of the problems you may encounter in running this how-to. Have fun and good luck!

But what about the system requirements of the service? We know that iTunes is needed to use iCloud. The latest iTunes 10.3 is compatible with Windows XP Service Pack 2 and newer versions and editions of the Microsoft operating system.

When you look at the iCloud website on the other hand, you will notice different requirements at the bottom of the page:

Features are subject to change. Access to some services is limited to 10 devices. See www.apple.com/legal/itunes/ww/ for more information. Some features of iCloud require iOS 5 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac computer with OS X Lion or a PC with Windows Vista or Windows 7 (Outlook 2007 or 2010 recommended). Some music features of iCloud are available in beta now in the U.S. only and require iOS 4.3.3 on iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (GSM model), iPod touch (3rd and 4th generation), iPad, or iPad 2, or a Mac or PC with iTunes 10.3. Download iTunes 10.3 free.

Notice the part about Windows compatibility of the service? Apple explicitly mentions Windows Vista and Windows 7 as the only two Microsoft operating systems supported by iCloud. While that does not necessarily mean that Windows XP users cannot use iCloud at all, it at least means that Apple will not answer support requests for the unsupported operating system.

Windows XP users: Have you signed up for the iCloud service yet? What’s your experience with the service?

You have to sign in with your Apple ID and then you will be presented with this screen. You will notice that there are three steps that have to be completed in order for the genius feature to be activated. Once the process has been completed, you will see that Genius has been turned on.

Okay, so now we have activated the ‘Genius’ feature, it is time to start creating playlist. What we have to do is select a song and then click on the genius button at the bottom of the page. You can alternatively right-click a song and select Start Genius from the context menu. When this is done we just have to wait for the results. The Genius feature populates a playlist based on the selected song.

The Genius Mixes feature searches your iTunes library to find songs that go great together, then organizes them into mixes you’ll love. These mixes are like channels programmed entirely with your music. Under Genius, click Genius Mixes. You’ll see Genius Mixes that have been created for you. Click one to play. Rearrange and rename the mixes you want to keep, and delete the ones you don’t.

Based on the song Play with fire by The Rolling Stones, we now have a whole playlist created. Included in the playlist are songs from The Byrds, The Who, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Dire Straits and Nirvana. The selection depends largely on the available songs in your library.

As you can see, this is a very easy feature to use, and also a very useful one to have available. If this is not the sort of thing that you are looking for, then it is a good idea to take a look at the iTunes DJ feature. This feature creates a continuous mix of songs based on your library. Let’s take a look, first of all, we need to click on the ‘iTunes DJ’ tab one the left hand side of the page. This will then bring up the page below.

The iTunes DJ feature automatically picks songs from your entire library or from a specific playlist to create an endless mix of music. Review upcoming songs to reorder or remove on the fly, or add songs to the playlist at any time.

The core difference in functionality between the genius and dj feature is that genius tries to find matching songs for the playlist, while dj adds a random selection of songs to a playlist. Privacy conscious users on the other hand may not like the fact that library information are transferred to Apple if the Genius feature is activated.

Usually the most popular downloads are shown on the home page of the iTunes store. As you can see from this image the film ‘The Tourist’ with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp is on display, as well as some of the top singles this week. However, these are not cheap. Obviously, one or two downloads a week isn’t going to break the bank, but for those who like to discover new music, this isn’t really an option. This is why free downloads on iTunes are great.

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits that come with downloading free music from iTunes. Firstly, there is the ability to discover new music that you probably would not have been able to find otherwise. There are several artists available on iTunes with free tracks. The good thing about this is that you can continuously add new music to your iTunes library and possibly discover an artist that you love and would like to hear more of. When you are buying music from iTunes you are only going to be buying songs by artists that you have actually heard of whereas free music offers a much wider range of different styles of music that you would not otherwise listen to.

Of course, there are downsides to downloading free music on iTunes, but these negatives are far outweighed by the positives. The only real negative is that you are not going to be able to get well known songs by really popular artists for free. Occasionally, there will be popular songs available for free download such as live versions, but this is not a regular occurrence. So, you may be wondering how you can download free music from iTunes. The good news is that this really couldn’t be simpler. First, you are going to want to scroll down to the bottom of the home page, as shown below.

Here you will see a section labelled as ‘Free On iTunes’. Please note that this section may not be available in all localized iTunes stores.Once you see this section you should click on the ‘See All’ tab, and you will be presented with the page shown below.

The great thing about this section is that not only can you download free music, but you can also download TV episodes, movies, music videos, and apps all for free. As you can see from the image shown above, this is a really easy page to navigate. All you have to do is click on the song that you want to download and then it will start downloading automatically. Once the download is complete you will find it in your library on iTunes. It really is as simple as that. So, there you go, a quick guide on getting free stuff from iTunes!

The iTunes store is regularly replacing the free music, tv shows and other media with new free media. It pays to check the section regularly.

You do need an Apple iTunes account that is associated with a real person in the iTunes store’s country to download free music, tv shows and other media.

It is theoretically possible to create a fake account to download the free music and stuff from iTunes. It is not that complicated to setup but legally questionable.

The program can perform a variety of tasks, its major features are the following:

• Transfer music, movies and photos to apple devices
• Backup music, movies and photos to computer
• Share iPod music and movies with friends
• Recover iTunes Library in case computer crashed

The software program requires that a version of iTunes is installed on the computer system, and that an Apple device such as an iPod, iPad or iPhone is connected as well. If the pre-requisites are met it will display information about the connected device on the start screen.

All it takes to transfer data from the Apple device to the computer is to select the data that you want transferred, for instance all music or photos, and click the transfer button. The program will automatically do the transferring and syncing with iTunes for you. Files can also be transferred from the computer’s iTunes library to an Apple device in a similar way.

One interesting option is the ability to share music, photos or videos with another Apple device. Just connect the two devices to the computer and you are able to share data between them directly. That’s handy for families with multiple iPods, iPhones or Ipads for instance, dorms, work places or other locations.

SyncPod For Windows Features

• Transfer music from apple device to computer – Transfer iPods (iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod shuffle), iPhones (iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS)as well as the latest iPad music files to computer.
• Transfer pictures from harddisk to device – Move your best photos and pictures from computer to your iPod or iPhone device and you can DIY your own screen saver.
• Backup movies from device to computer – Backup iPods (iPod nano, iPod classic, iPod touch, iPod shuffle), iPhones (iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS)as well as the latest iPad movies and videos to computer or harddisk.
• Transfer photos and pictures from device to computer – Transfer your iPhone photos to your computer in case you want to save space for your portable devices.
• Sync media files from computer to device – Transfer your harddisk movies or songs to your iPod, iPhone or iPad within few clicks.
• Share iPod Music and Movies – Share iPod, iPhone or iPad music or movies with friends freely by transferring your iPod, iPhone or iPad files to computer; it will copy them to your friends’ iPod or iPhone all by itself.
• Easy iTunes(iTunes 10) Library Transfer – Helps you transfer music, movies, TV shows and photos from your old PC to your new one, or from your old iPod to your new device when you just got a new one.
• Time saver and free upgrade – Transfer everything from your device to computer in a flash!
• Recover iTunes Library – Perfect solution to transfer your music, movies and photos back to iTunes in case your computer crashed.
• Support latest iTunes 10 – A lifelong technical support will be provided for every customer; also the automatically searching for upgrade always provides customers with latest version.

SyncPod For Windows Giveaway

We have 30 licenses to give away. Just let us know which Apple device you own for a chance to win a license.

TuneSwift can be used to backup an iTunes library including iPod Touch, iPad or iPhone backups. Even better is the fact that the program uses incremental backups which means that only the latest changes can be backed up instead of the full library.

But the program offers more than that. It can also be used to transfer the iTunes library to a new computer, external hard drive or a new location on the same computer.

CopyTrans TuneSwift is offered in two versions, a standard version that needs to be installed and a portable version that can be run from the location the program is unpacked to. The requirements are a computer with a 32-bit or 64-bit Windows operating system and iTunes 10 installed. The full feature set includes:

• Back up the entire iTunes library including music, videos, applications, books, purchases, artworks, playlists, iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch backups and many more in a single archive
• Restore iTunes library from any backup on PC or Mac
• Save the latest changes of the iTunes library as an incremental backup
• Move iTunes library from Windows to Mac
• Transfer iTunes library to an external hard drive or a new folder
• Export iTunes library including iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad backups

TuneSwift is currently available free of charge. This will change in March 2011 when the program will be offered as a commercial software. Users who download the program now can activate it with the license code TUNESWIFT-ACTI-VATE-ME.

The software is easy to use, as it makes use of pictograms to guide the user through the process of backing up, restoring or transferring the computer’s iTunes library.

TuneSwift is available for download at the CopyTrans website. (via)

Nobody knows that the annoucement will be but the concensus on the web, and I’d agree with them all, is to expect a subscription-based streaming service.

To be honest this could be an extremely good thing to help get people away for their frankly awful effort that is the iTunes software itself.  It remains to be seen though just how mobile network carriers will see the move.  The majority of purchases through the iTunes store will now take place on devices such as the iPhone and adding a streaming service could place significant stresses on mobile networks that have already had to introduce usage caps for some smartphone users.

Some people are also speculating that the move could see the beginning of the end for the MP3.  To be honest I would say that mobile and home broadband connections need to get much faster and more reliable for this to happen, though new technologies are already beginning to be introduced that can help on the road to this.  The CD and vinyl LP were hard to kill off because people liked a physical ‘thing’ they could hold and collect.  It can very easily be argued that people won’t have any such attachment to a digital music or video file.

Whatever the announcement, and however (un)forgettable it turns out to be, we’ll bring you the news here at gHacks.net

The deal is reported to offer $10 to $15 monthly subscriptions what would offer unlimited music but with pricing that would be tiered depending on how much music you access and how long you’d have access to it for.

There have been rumours about an iTunes subscription service for some time now and, to be honest, it’s only a matter of time before Apple and the record labels hammer out a deal.

Apple already have stiff competition in this space, not the least of which is from Spotify which has a huge following that’s growing every day.  Apple will want to maintain its market dominance and as and when they can launch a subscription service, they won’t want to let Spotify maintain the top spot for more than a few weeks.

The reports, which come from Reuters, New York Post and CNET could well be true, but for now we’ll reserve judgement.  You can be certain though that if a deal is made we’ll be sure to let you know here at gHacks.

GizmoRip is a program specifically designed for Apple devices such as iPods, iPads or iPhones, offering options to transfer music and video back to iTunes or another location on the hard drive. The freeware will identify connected all supported Apple devices automatically, and display their contents in the program interface. It generates a general file listing of all multimedia contents and displays playlists stored on the device as well.

The software will recognize multiple devices, offering to switch between them easily from a pulldown menu in the main interface. It will also display the type of Apple device, and the free and used space on it. A click on the Recover Music button, or a selection of the same option under the File menu initiates the transfer of the playlists and multimedia files selected back to iTunes. This works on any computer system running iTunes, even if iTunes was just installed on it.

It is possible to restore just one playlist for instance, or everything that is on the iPod or iPhone. GizmoRip ignores existing files automatically, with an option to change that behavior in the program settings.

Here it is also possible to disable the import of the music and video contents to iTunes, and to specify an alternative export directory, in case iTunes is not installed on the target computer system.

GizmoRip is a nice to have software program for Windows. It can be useful in multiple ways, including restoring music after a hard drive crash, but also transferring music and videos to a computer that does not have iTunes installed. The program is compatible with all versions of the Windows operating system from Windows 2000 to Windows 7.

I say it’s unusual though you have to take into account here that neither of these products are cheap, but neither will be the development for the operating system.

The update is being distributed via iTunes with users being alerted that it is available.  It fixes very little by the way of bugs but does add some interesting new features including the new game centre for multi-player gaming, the abaility to take HDR pictures, rent TV shows from the iTunes store and work with HD video on YouTube.

The update is available for the iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPhone 4 and for the 3rd and 4th generation iPod Touch.

Version 4.2 of iOS is expected to be launched in November.

Ping allows them to follow friends and artists, and everyone will be able to post information including images, videos or music.

ITunes Ping feels a lot like Facebook in this regard. It requires a valid Apple ID and needs to be activated after the installation of iTunes 10 before it can be used.

Ping offers some interesting features, including custom top ten lists based on the listening habits of a user’s friends. The software will be available as an app on iPhone and iPod touch so that users can interact with the network from their mobile devices as well.

itunes ping

itunes ping friends

But iTunes Ping is just one of the new features in iTunes 10. TV show rentals are now available for 99 cents per episode. The shows are commercial free, come in HD, and are available for 48 hours in a 30 day period after renting the show. The shows can be watched on PC, Mac, Apple TV and iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch.

Additional features worth mentioning are improved syncing, which shows a capacity bar for devices connected to the computer, Apple TV support and AirPlay support so that AirPlay capable devices can connect to iTunes.

In other news, iTunes 10 is still one of the programs with the most active background processes after installation. The new version will automatically start AppleMobileDeviceHelper.exe, distnoted.exe and iTunesHelper.exe as permanent background processes:

The iTuneshelper.exe process can be removed from startup in msconfig or any other startup manager. The remaining background processes are triggered by services, specifically Apple Mobile Device and iPod Service.

Apple iTunes 10 can be downloaded from the official Apple website.

Those that use a different software to manage their music are left with the option to add the music to iTunes as well to synchronize it with the iPod or to use a third party syncing software like Froddle Pod or Yamipod.

A major problem for iPod owners who use a different software program to manage their music and iTunes to sync it to the iPod is that they have to add the music to two programs instead of just one.

They naturally add the music to their primary music management software but also to iTunes since they need to use it to sync the music to the device.

sync itunes

The portable software SynciTunes has been developed for this exact situation. It allows the iPod owner to select a music folder for synchronization with iTunes.

Options like including subfolders or preventing volume changes in iTunes are selectable in the program interface to customize the synchronization.

SynciTunes will automatically remove songs from the iTunes library that do not exist anymore. It will also update iTunes tags automatically if songs have been updated outside of iTunes.

Do you own an iPod? What’s your preferred way of adding songs to the device?

I have received two requests in the past week asking me how to download iTunes for Windows. The short answer is that you can download iTunes for Windows at the Apple website.

Here is what you need to know. Itunes is offered as a 32-bit and 64-bit application for Windows 7, Windows Vista and as a 32-bit application for Windows XP. The installer makes no difference between the different Windows operating system though, only 32-bit and 64-bit editions are separately available.

The easiest way to download iTunes is at the official Apple website which is accessible by following this link.

The downloads are listed on the left side. Just select Tunes 9.1.1 for Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 or iTunes 9.1.1 for Windows (64-bit) and click the download link to start the download. It is not necessary to enter an email address into the form below, the download will start regardless of that. The versions may differ as iTunes is updated regularly by Apple.

32-bit Windows users can also download an iTunes offline installer directly from the Apple servers.

The program displays some legal mumbo jumbo at startup, basically stating that the developer cannot be held responsible for any damages on the system. The program kills the explorer.exe process and displays a progress window afterwards that displays progress information of the removal.

The program will remove all traces of iTunes but Quicktime from the computer system. Included in the removal are the Bonjour services, other iTunes releated services, Registry keys, startup programs, files, shortcuts and directories.

Bye iTunes has been last updated in 2007. It seems however that it still works without causing troubles or problems on the computer system it is executed on.

Windows users can download the portable program Bye iTunes from the developer’s website.

• Addresses several stability issues with VoiceOver
• Addresses a usability issue with VoiceOver and Genius Mixes
• Addresses issues with converting songs to 128 kbps AAC while syncing
• Addresses other issues that improve stability and performance

The new iTunes 9.1.1 is available for download from the official Apple iTunes website or directly from within the iTunes software. A click on Help > Check for Updates will initiate the update check in iTunes.

The new version should be discovered automatically by the software which then guides the user through the installation process. Users should take note that the installation does not only offer to install iTunes and Quicktime but also the Safari web browser.

The Windows version of iTunes 9.1.1 has a size of about 94 Megabytes which is exactly the size of the full iTunes version that can be downloaded from the Apple website.

Some users might need to start iTunes as administrators to be able to install the update without difficulties. A computer restart is required after the installation.

The program is available for the Microsoft Windows operating system and requires iTunes to be running in the background to function at all.

It will automatically pick up the songs that are played in iTunes offering additional controls in its interface. These controls include rating songs, toggling shuffle and displaying lyrics that are pulled from the Internet.

Those features alone would probably convince only a few computer users to give the application a try. But what about global keyboard shortcuts, automated library maintenance and optimization, synchronization of playlists with USB mp3 players, playlist export, conversion of iTunes tracks into other supported music formats, copying of tracks to other locations, import of media files into the iTunes library or notification popups that show information about the track that has just been loaded?

The iTuner application offers many interesting features that are either not provided by iTunes natively or only accessible through several clicks in the iTunes software.

The program uses on the downside lots of computer resources while running (120 Megabytes on our Windows 7 test system). Windows users who want to test the program can download it from its Codeplex website.

So…with that said, in this article I am going to introduce you to the Ubuntu One Music Store and how it works. It’s time for the real fun to begin.

Traditionally when I want to download music, I would hop on to Amazon and enjoy their MP3 download tool. I gave up on iTunes a long time ago (due to DMA and then the difficult to migrate the music to other devices.) Now, I have a new source – one that is well integrated with my operating system – to rely on for music purchases.

Ubuntu One

In order to enjoy the Ubuntu One Music Store you will first have to have a Ubuntu One account. You will, of course, also need Ubuntu One installed on your system. If you are using 10.4 just make sure you’ve updated recently. Once you have Ubuntu One installed and an account, you are ready to go.

Rhythmbox

Figure 1

Fire up the Rhythmbox music player and you will notice the Ubuntu One link in the left navigation. Click on that link to open up the store (see Figure 1).  As you can see, the store is laid out very easily. Either search for the song, album, or artist you are looking for or click on the genre you want to peruse.

Figure 1

When you have found something you want to purchase, you will see Download links associated with either individual songs or entire albums (see Figure 2).  Of course you can also preview each song. And what I like about the Ubuntu One Music Store preview is that it’s quite longer than the snippet you get on iTunes.

When you click on a Download button you will then have the choice to Add More, Enter Voucher (not yet implemented), or Checkout. At the checkout portion you can use either Credit Card or Paypal to purchase your downloads. Thanks to the newly integrated browser in Rhythmbox everything will occur inside of thythmbox during your transaction (even Paypal purchases).

What is really great about this system is that the downloaded files go directly to your Ubuntu One account. So any of your systems that have Ubuntu One installed (and are logged into your account) can sync that music you just purchased. That means you can purchase once and sync to many. That feature alone is worth it’s weight in learning Linux! And, with Ubuntu 10.4, Rhythbox will work with iPhones out of the box. Now more having to work over night to get that Apple product syncing.

Final thoughts

It’s about time a Linux distribution released a product like this. The Ubuntu One Music Store should certainly change the way many people think about Linux. And hopefully, this tool with have more people migrating from those “other” operating systems.