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iTunes 9 introduces a new iTunes Media Organization option.  Previously, the iTunes folder is organized like:

• iTunes
  
  • Mobile Applications
  • iTunes Music
    • Movies
    • Podcasts
    • Ringtones
    • TV Shows
  • iPod Games

The new organization scheme puts all content into folders related to the content within the iTunes Media Folder:

• iTunes
  
  • iTunes Media
    • Audiobooks
    • Automatically Added to iTunes
    • iPod Games
    • Mobile Applications
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Ringtones
    • TV Shows
    • Voice Memos

I decided to upgrade my organization by choosing File > Library > Organize Library.  The process appeared to go very well with only 12 old artist folders remaining in in my iTunes Media folder. 

After examining these remainders, I found that some contained orphaned music files, some had jpg files and some were just plain empty.  I dragged the music files to iTunes (which immediately moved them on the new organization scheme), deleted the images and the remaining empty folders.

Then came the shocker, my next Time Machine backup wanted 400GB+ to complete.  I let it backup, but I’m planning on going back and deleting my old iTunes Music folder in the backups once I’m satisfied that there are no orphaned files.

A quick check using “List MIAs,” tells me I’m clean, but experience says I should wait a few weeks.

Update: Apple has posted a support article titled: “iTunes 9: Understanding iTunes Media Organization”

Doug Adams has released the second major version of the must-have Dupin. This app is the iTunes duplicates manager.

If you’ve ever wanted to rid your library of dupes, do yourself a favor and spend the $15 on this amazing piece of software.  The new “Consolidate History” tool in this version consolidates play, skip & ratings info from all dupe tracks into a single “Keeper” track.  Awesome!

While you’re there, take a look around the the huge library of iTunes scripts.  Chances are if you’ve ever wished iTunes could do something that it can’t, Doug has created a script that does it for you.

Wired just posted the article “Why the Music Industry Hates Guitar Hero” and it left me chuckling.  The article should have been titled “Why the Music Industry Hates Everything.” 

Jeff Howe wrote that the Edgar Bronfman, CEO of Warner Music Group, is unhappy with the licensing payments by MTV Games.  Meanwhile, “Aerosmith has reportedly earned more from Guitar Hero : Aerosmith than from any single album in the band’s history.” 

Funny, this sounds an awful lot like the numerous stories about the labels being upset about the success of iTunes.  “Apple has too much control,” “Jobs has us over a barrel,” “we don’t get enough,” and “we’re not selling enough CDs.”

It’s only a matter of time before there’s yet another lucrative distribution channel coming next for them to complain about.  And why?  Well, they don’t own, control or exploit it to the max. “Not invented here.”

After releasing his Obama mix, DJ Z-Trip was asked to spin in DC during the inauguration.  Unfortunately, he was unable to attend due to the Australia tour, but that didn’t stop him from putting together a fresh mix for Moveon.org’s email.

http://djztrip.com/obama/victorylap/

Check it out, it’s free!

“This one is a bit more on the celebratory side. It’s my way of congratulating all of us for electing what I think is the right person for the job. We made history and I’m proud to be a part of that. Yes, my friends, it is time to celebrate, but please don’t lose sight of the mess we are still in. We have to continue to pull together and make moves… Still plenty of work to do.”

Apple announced a variable-pricing model for the music offered on the iTunes store.  The new, tiered pricing will be launched in the spring at the $0.69, $0.99 and $1.29 price points.  Phil Schiller assured the crowd that more tracks would be priced toward the bottom tier than the top.

Additionally and perhaps more importantly, all music from the major labels will be available DRM-free in the iTunes Plus format by the end of Q1 2009.

Finally, label and carrier restrictions have been lifted for the iTunes Mobile Store on the iPhone and iPod Touch allowing over-the-air downloading of music with no artificial restrictions.  Pricing and content is identical to the desktop offerings.  Hopefully, video will come soon-

I spent some time today checking out fizy.  Fizy is an audio search tool which looks inside of videos for the music.  They describe it as an easy to use online jukebox searching a library of more than 50 apis.

There are no playlists or downloads, but the audio selection is enormous- upwards of 75 billion!  Rick Turoczy over at ReadWriteWeb said: “Diving through the Fizy music selection made me nostalgic for the good old days of Napster when I could find practically any song I wanted to find.”  It isn’t quite that good, but it does provide a huge selection.

Yeah, that’s right.  It’s Christmas With Weezer time!  I was wondering when we’d see this album for sale.  It was originally included with the Tapulous iPhone App “Tap Tap Revenge: Christmas With Weezer”

Earlier this month, NPR posted a great Holiday Mix entitled “Jingle Jams.”  The eclectic mix is loaded with not just classics, but also rarities and out of print tunes.  Enjoy-

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97778347

A couple of my favs-

• “The Little Drummer Boy,” The Moog Machine, Christmas Becomes Electric (Columbia)

• “Let it Snow,” Leon Redbone, Christmas Island (Rounder)

• “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Ray Charles & Betty Carter, Dedicated To You (Rhino)

I saw this one when doing a bit of Christmas music maintenance in the Finder.  As soon as I’d snapped the screenshot, it was gone.

I know there must be a clever one-liner for this.. “Heavenly States,” music playing backward, Santa, Devils…

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple Corps may release Beatles songs for Rock Band. The best-selling albums have yet to be released in any online digital format. 

“Life is very short and there’s no time for fussing and fighting my friend.” - The Beatles, We Can Work It Out

Releasing music in a video game before other online media outlets would certainly be an interesting move.  Let’s hope they hit iTunes sometime soon-

update: The Beatles have confirmed a gaming-focused release of their music through a deal with Harmonix (Rock Band maker) and MTV.