If true, it will mark the end of a 18-year run that kick-started the digital commerce revolution. RELATED: Apple replaces iTunes on Mac with three separate apps » Apple representatives did not respond to requests for comment on the report. Without them, it's almost impossible to make a dent.On Friday afternoon, social media erupted after Bloomberg News reported that Apple was set to announce the end of iTunes, which transformed the music business when it was launched.Īpple will hold its annual developer conference Monday, and among the slate of expected announcements is a reconfiguration that will divide iTunes’ offerings into three newly developed applications for music, TV and podcasts, according to Bloomberg. But the digital music road is tough enough for legal services like Rhapsody that have good relationships with the major labels. The company's PR rep said that development was almost done, and that Lime hoped to launch the new service by the end of 2010.īut development was only half the battle-the company was trying negotiate deals with the four major labels that form the RIAA's backbone and sell about 80% of all recorded music.Today's injunction could put a freeze on those talks, but LimeWire still plans to press forward anyway. They weren't ready to share details, but the service is going to be more extensive than the LimeWire Store, which sells MP3 downloads from some independent labels, and will have some sort of social aspect. It's quite a downfall for a piece of software that was once found on one-third of all PCs worldwide, according to digital music tracker BigChampagne.Įarlier this month, the company contacted me to talk about plans for a forthcoming service that will launch with a different name. Last May, the RIAA was granted summary judgment on almost all counts, and later in the summer it filed for a permanent injunction. The injunction is the latest step in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) way back in 2006. District Judge Kimba Wood ordering it to stop distributing and supporting LimeWire, and the company complied. Parent company the Lime Group received a permanent injunction ( PDF here) this afternoon from U.S.

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