Apple to Unleash iTunes Music Extras via App Store?

One of the last "advantages" CDs had over music downloads (like iTunes or Amazon MP3) is the printed extras they could include in booklets, like photos, art, lyrics, and other assorted bonus material.

Well, get ready to kiss that goodbye. According to TechCrunch, who bills the story as "Apple Puts One More Nail Into the CD Coffin":

Apple will make [an App Store application] available to users in tandem with the release of Snow Patrol’s upcoming album, A Hundred Million Suns. The app will add the extra features to more iTunes albums over time, but because it will be made available through the company’s App Store, it will only provide the extra content on the iPhone and iPod touch.

Release date is on or around October 27, and it sounds (and looks!) good to us! Now if only the woefully out-of-touch recording industry would stop punishing legitimate consumers and provide DRM-free, 256-bit MP3's to iTunes the same way they give them to all its rivals, they might actually figure out a working 21st century business model!

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.