It’s been a long time coming but Apple seems to have finally been able to extend previews of songs from 30 to 90 seconds in its iTunes stores around the world. The change has been made some seven months after the extension was first brought to the US iTunes store.
Music lovers who buy their tunes through the store will be happy with the news. Thirty seconds always seemed a little on the short side – sometimes it cut out even before the chorus had a chance to kick in. It’s not clear whether hearing more of a song actually increases the likelihood of a tune being bought – it can, after all, work both ways. It all depends on that pesky chorus…
According to the 9to5Mac website, the delay in rolling it out to other countries most probably had something to do with the Cupertino company working on sealing deals with record labels in other territories.
The website confirmed that the extension to 90 seconds had been made in at least the following countries: the UK, France, Australia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada. Japan can be added to the list, too.
In order to listen to a 90-second clip, the audio must be at least two-and-a-half minutes long, otherwise you’ll have to make do with a 30-second preview. One of Apple’s main rivals in the music market, Amazon, currently offers previews of 30 seconds.
