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Idol Uploads to iTunes
02/18/2008 10:29 AM, E! Online
Joal Ryan
Yes, American Idol will air three times this week. But is that really enough?
Nah.
Starting Monday, an Idol-free day in the TV universe, eager-beaver fans can preorder the newly minted Top 24's vocal performances via iTunes.
The sales will go down at iTunes' new Idol store, launched Monday as part of a new alliance between the two giants.
"We think American Idol viewers are going to love the ability to purchase and download Idol performances from iTunes," Eddy Cue, an Apple exec who oversees iTunes, said in a statement.
The deal marks a curious partnership in that Fox recently launched the would-be YouTube-killer, Hulu, in partnership with NBC, which last year dropped its own deal with iTunes.
So, while iTunes junkies can no longer get their fix of Heroes on the Apple site, they'll not want for Chikezie.
The singularly named Chikezie is one of the Idol Top 24, as unveiled last week. He'll take the stage with the other 11 male semifinalists Tuesday. The 12 females get their turns at the mike on Wednesday.
The downloading at iTunes, meanwhile, presumably has begun. The word presumably comes into play because, unlike the rest of iTunes, where shows and tracks are ranked by popularity, the site isn't releasing any sales information.
According to copy on the Idol's iTunes store, the blackout is all about maintaining Fox New Channel-esque decorum.
"iTunes and Fox are committed to presenting contestants in a fair and balanced manner online and on-air," the site says. "For this reason, sales performances from American Idol contestants from the current season will not be reflected in the iTunes charts."
Audio tracks from the Top 24 are going for 99 cents a pop. Starting Mar. 11, videos of the show's Top 12 finalists can be purchased for $1.99 per clip.
iTunes has long been a key forum for Idol music. Though Jordin Sparks, for instance, has struggled to sell albums in stores, the reigning Idol champ has inspired a lot of downloads. On Monday, her single "Tattoo" stood at 24 on the site's Top Songs chart.
The bad news for Sparks and the other ex-Idols out there is that a whole lot more competition is on the way.
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