Apple to lengthen music previews to 90 seconds
(PhysOrg.com) -- It was speculated in late August that iTunes would double the length of its audio clips from 30 seconds to 60. But starting soon, songs that aren’t shorter than two minutes and 30 seconds will be tripled to 90 seconds of listening time. For the songs that don't fit the length requirement, the clips will remain 30 seconds in length.
In an email sent to music label representatives on Tuesday, Apple's iTunes Store Team announced an intent to increase the length of audio in the iTunes store, in the United States.
"We believe that giving potential customers more time to listen to your music will lead to more purchases. All you have to do is continue making your content available on the iTunes Store, which will confirm your acceptance of the terms," the letter, obtained by MacRumors, stated.
More than 10 billion songs have been sold from the iTunes Store since its creation with over a quarter of all music sold in the United States, according to NPD research. The iTunes Store controls 70 percent of digital music sales in the digital downloads market alone, giving Apple some leverage in music label negotiations.
No specific date has been given as to when the new changes will take effect.
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