The app phenomenon has really helped Apple stay ahead of their competitors, but in iTunes users still buy music more than anything else, according to a Tuesday study from the NPD Group.
NPD found that while nearly every iPhone and iPod Touch user has downloaded a free app, users were more likely to pay for music than an application.
Of the 3,862 people surveyed by NPD, about 82 percent of iPhone and iPod Touch users have purchased music, while 56 percent of iTunes users bought music from the service exclusively.
NPD found that 9 out of 10 iPhone and iPod touch users said they had downloaded a freebie app. Russ Crupnick, vice president and senior entertainment analyst at NPD, said this behavior could lead to a “major up-selling opportunity to paid versions of the same app.”
“Apps and video certainly do compete for consumer dollars, but they can also be used to promote music and re-energize digital music and video download sales,” Crupnick said.
Previously here on RouteNote we wrote about how one of our newest partners Spotify is launching very soon in the US market. However, today Spotify has new news, they have sent in their iPhone application for Apple to review. It is not guaranteed that the application will be accepted into the iTunes App store, mainly because it seems as those Spotify is a direct competitor to iTunes and their application may slow music sales in the iTunes store. Anyways, here is a preview of the new application.
On the Blackberry App World, UK-based 7digital is prepping an over-the-air download store for delivery in September, according to severalreports. First-run countries include the UK, US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, and downloads will be delivered as one-off, a-la-carte songs. Blackberry owner RIM believes that music is a big part of the mobile experience and they really want to be at the forefront.
Additionally, Shazam has sorted out their Blackberry Storm application. The Shazam update applies to the UK and North America, and unlike the iPhone, it includes a tiered pricing model – free for a limited version, $4.99 or 5 pounds for a more comprehensive edition.
Many musicians, both small and big, are tweeting away as we speak (i.e. ?uestlove of The Roots, Imogen Heap, Sonic Youth, etc.).The following is a list of five Twitter applications for musicians and bands aimed towards building a community around their music.For a link to the original source at IndieMusicTech.com, please click here.
1) twitpic: send photos from your mobile phone which will post links to them on twitter; a quick way to give your fans a visual look at what your band is currently doing (for example: recording, rehearsal, sound check, etc.)
2) twiddeo: similar to twitpic, but for video, allowing you to provide short video clips of your shows, interviews, touring adventures, etc.
3) twtpoll: ask your fans a question and get a response via twitter (e.g. what cities should we play next?)
4) twitzu: create an event (e.g. meet and greet) with description and location info and send it to your twitter followers and receive RSVPs from them
5) tweetchat – create rooms in Twitter to post tweets about a particular topic (e.g. your latest release)
If you have an iPhone or iPod touch you never need to worry about buying an expensive tuner every again. For £1.19 you can pick up eTuner from the iTunes App store.
eTuner is an interactive chromatic tuning application, which utilizes the quality audio and fine display capabilities of the iPhone or iPod touch to determine and display musical pitch information as you plan an instrument or sign a note.
eTuner works on a variety of instruments including wind, brass and string. Other instruments that produce a sustained tone will also work fine.
The app phenomenon has really helped Apple stay ahead of their competitors, but in iTunes users still buy music more than anything else, according to a Tuesday study from the NPD Group.
On the Blackberry App World, UK-based 7digital is prepping an over-the-air download store for delivery in September, according to 
