Macenstein

Posted by Helper Monkey

Like many of you, each Tuesday I rush to my computer, launch iTunes, and greedily download the two horrible (yet free) “Free Downloads of the Week� Apple is nice enough to provide iTunes users with each week. Since the iTunes Music Store’s launch, I have downloaded each and every one, and I think there were perhaps 2 worth playing a second time (and one, Run by Snow Patrol, I had already purchased before it was featured as a free download).

Bad taste aside, the weekly free music selections from Apple have become somewhat of a staple at the iTunes store. Sure, they most likely are designed to get people to visit the store each week and perhaps browse the new releases while the latest R&B hopeful’s cat-warbling is being downloaded for free. But the fact remains that the songs are FREE, and therefore irresistible.

Apple has been quite consistent in updating the free song section (I think the only other time Apple was late updating the free selection was a day before a new iPod was released). Yet, here it is Thursday, and we are still being subjected to the “stellar� Jaguar Wright and The Sixteen tracks I downloaded and hated LAST Tuesday. So what’s up? Is Apple discontinuing the free song of the week? Probably not. If so they would take down the whole section, not just leave these two banal tracks up to taunt us. Are they about to release a new iPod then? Well, three days before Christmas would appear to be bad timing for that as well.

So I guess we’ll have to chalk this up to Apple being too busy this holiday season to go through the trouble of asking labels if they have any no-talent talent they are desperate to publicize this week.

It would seem Apple is playing the part of Scrooge this Christmas. However, given how bad the free songs usually are, perhaps Apple has given us the greatest Christmas present of all.

Happy Holidays everyone!