If you're one of the many iPhone users looking for an easier way to control the music playing on their iPhones, then you might want to check out PocketTouch. This app, which has just recently been bumped up to version 1.4.1, lets users control things like volume and which song is playing by way of simple swipes, taps, and even shakes. More in the full article.

Good news to music aficionados! We just got wind that Song BMG has plans to bring in their merchandise through an online subscription service for iPods. Now you can have your fill of music from the artists under the recording label. Know more on this in the full article.

So the rumored Beatles-to-iTunes is already old stuff? Not so, that is, if you want to believe Sir Paul McCartney himself. You can't buy them love, but over at iTunes, you just might be able to buy yourself some Beatles love. More details after the jump.

If you live in Europe and are bothered about the tracks you download having DRM, well then here's some good news that's surely to make you guys jump for joy.

7digital.com has just announced that will be offering mp3s from Warner Music International that's DMR-free. more on this after the jump!

If you consider yourself an audiophile that lives outside the US, acquiring music online can sometimes be a bummer. Now, the latest offering of Amazon could probably help you out.

They have released an announcement that they will be launching Amazon Mp3 this year giving access to music lovers to one of the biggest collection of online songs. Details in the full article.

iPod owners will be happy to know that crispSofties has recently released a new build for the iPod.iTunes tool for your Apple iPod. For the guys asking what this does, it synchronizes your iPod and computer, and evaluates the source for songs, videos and/or playlists (either from your machine or from the iPod) and only adds these.

And unlike the iPod's default auto-update function, iPod.iTunes doesn't delete content in its target, and can  transfer song-dependent data like My Rating, Last Played, Album Artwork, and more. This latest build is now at version 3.6.1 - we'll post a sample of the current changelog to give you an idea about what's been improved:

• Version 3.6.1
• For slower Macs with large iTunes libraries some functions have higher timeout values.
• Version 3.6
• iPod.iTunes has now the ability to update itself, as soon a newer release is available. This is done with one single click, making it much more easy to update the application. So I can release more often fixes/changes as soon they are done. If an update is available, you are presented by a list of the changes between your current version and the new version.
• Connecting/disconnecting iPods: No need to relaunch iPod.iTunes any longer to recognize an iPod.
• Synchronization to iPod: A possible "No more space left on iPod"-message (when there was space) will no longer appear.
• Mac OS 10.3.9: Fixed a possible problem regarding the recognition of the iTunes library file.
• Some fixes regarding the program flow.
• Various smaller changes in the user interface (mostly message texts).
• Version 3.5.2
• Compatibility for iTunes 7.4.2
  

Before you download this tool, keep in mind that iPod.iTunes reportedly does not work on either the iPod shuffle or the iPod Touch. There are two version available: One if for Mac OS X 10.3.9 to 10.4.10, the other is for Mac OS X 10.2.8 to 10.3.8. The downloads are available at the crispSofties site, via the read link.

Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) Associate Producer Ryan Hamlyn sent out word over at the official PlayStation Blog that Lair fans can now purchase the game's official soundtrack on Apple's iTunes. All one has to do is type in "John Debney Lair" at the store and the listing should appear.

In case you haven't heard yet, the soundtrack for Lair was recently nominated for Best Original Score in the Video Game Awards sponsored by British Academy of Film and Television Arts or BAFTA. Hamlyn shared that they are really proud with the game's music especially when played in the Concert Hall within the game's Extras.

"I think it's amazing how different the music sounds outside of the game setting and how well it works on its own, and yet how reminiscent of the game it is and how much it adds to the gameplay experience. Happy listening, and hope you enjoy," added Ryan Hamlyn.

The official Lair soundtrack costs US$ 9.99.

  

If you've been keeping tabs on Apple's war against DRM, you probably already know that users can now download DRM-free tracks from the iTunes store. But what you probably didn't know is that while you're able to download all the high-quality music you want, sharing it with others might not be such a good idea, as you could probably end up sharing your account info along with your playlist.

And no, we're not kidding. Try these simple steps to see that we're dead serious about this.

1. Launch Terminal.
2. Go to one of your iTunes plus downloads. Try downloading a song (an iTunes plus single of the week would do).
3. Use the UNIX "strings" command to take a gander at the text in your data and grep to search for your own name. (strings 01 Ooh La.m4a | grep name)
4. Similarly, you can try to open all the strings in TextEdit. (strings 01 Ooh La.m4a | open -f.)

If you did it correctly, you'll be able to find your own name embedded in that music file you've just downloaded - which would pretty much leave a direct trail to you should you torrent the songs you've just downloaded. So think first before making any rash decisions about illegal file-sharing - you may be giving away more than just free music.

Drink up! Coca-Cola is going to give everyone in Europe the chance to go on a fizzy binge for the next couple of months as their latest partnership with Apple will reward consumers with free music. Right now, this is Europe's biggest music promotion in history. Maybe even the whole world's history. How big? We're talking TWO BILLION tracks to be given away!

The partnership is to last from May until August, with a launching event during the Cannes Film Festival. The brunt of those free iTunes downloads will be subsidized by Coke.

Alongside the free music, other freebies are to be given away: iPods and free tickets to future concerts to be hosted by Apple and Coke. These concerts are to be recorded and made available for download in iTunes in the future as well.

Looks like a major promotional campaign for both companies. Still no word if they're giving away iPhones though, but we're wishing all the same.

Newsflash: you might want to upgrade your digital audio player to support the AAC format. After all, this is the format to be used by Apple in selling their non-DRM music from EMI from now on, with lots of major music labels expected to follow suit on the months to come.

AAC is known to be the better digital audio format in terms of sound quality compared to the more popular MP3. Yesterday, Apple and EMI announced that they will be selling non-DRM tracks for US$ 1.29 per song. Such songs will be available in the AAC format.

Will your digital audio player support AAC? As of now, Microsoft, Nokia, Sandisk (e200 line), and Sony already include AAC playback on their devices. Those that don't have AAC format support are players from Creative, Toshiba, Cowon, Philips, etc.

Thankfully, upgrading your digital music player to support AAC can be done via firmware update. Just check your manufacturer's support if you want an upgrade.