Apple explores new music options – iTunes Pass

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This is what I like to see – innovative new ways of buying music that encourages people to actually spend money on bands they love. Venturebeat reports that Apple is experimenting with something called iTunes Pass, which allows fans to buy a pass for a certain group or artist and then get everything that artist releases for a given time period.

Apple’s piloting it with Depeche Mode. You can buy a pass for $19 and you’ll get the band’s new single right now, the album when it comes out, and some other exclusive tracks too. You’ll also get any videos and artwork that the band puts out before June 16th, which is when the pass expires.

All the content you get is DRM-free, though it will show up in Apple’s AAC format. Apple also guarantees that the value of the pass won’t exceed the value of the individual items, so you’re getting a good deal however you look at it.

For my favourite bands, I’d definitely sign up for this. For stuff I’m less excited about, I wouldn’t, but that’s not really the point of the scheme. It’s about making fans feel special, giving bands a greater connection to those people, and maybe actually making some money off music again. Good work, Apple.

Is it something you’d use? What bands would you sign up for if they were offered? Let us know in the comments.

(via Venturebeat)

Insane Bandai 'Diorama' speaker

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File this one under ‘crazy’ and ‘Japanese’. It’s a pair of speakers, 2x1W, with a mounted diorama of a Tokyo street scene slapped on top of it. It’s so wonderfully tacky that I’m actually rather fond of it.

Want one? No? Okay. Well, if you know anyone who does, then tell them that it’s limited edition – just 2000 are being made – so get moving sharpish. It’ll cost them ¥198,000 (£1,640). That’s what’s known in the trade as ‘too much’.

Bandai (via Akihabaranews)

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The world's latest pretend girlfriend – Alison Carroll, AKA the new Lara Croft

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Every time, regular as clockwork. Three months before any major new Tomb Raider video game release comes the celebratory appointment of a new flesh-based spokesmodel. And here she is.

That’s Alison Carroll, the meat-based Lara Croft. Be nice to her, she’s going to get quite a lot of stick off the internet before the end of the year, when Tomb Raider: Underworld comes out and she’s sent to the ex-models home with all the rest…

You too can have thighs like this if you use an ASUS Eee PC…

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If this photo, above, isn’t the most compelling argument for purchasing an ASUS Eee PC notebook, then I don’t know what is.

Look! Using the Eee turns one thigh into two! You’ll magically find overnight that your left thigh will have a circumference the size of a breadstick. Just £219.95, and you don’t even have to do any leg presses down at the gym!

The aspirational thinsperation photo is available at I4U News in a downloadable 800 x 480 wallpaper….