American Idol, iTunes and the iPod shuffle

I admit that I’ve been caught up in the American Idol craze over the last couple of years. Here we are in Season Seven, and I always make sure that all the American Idol shows are scheduled to record on my PVR just in case I miss them or want to go back to watch them again. My favorite episodes of each season are the first and the last: The beginning to see everyone sing, especially the entertaining weirdos, and the ending to watch the true talent and to see who wins the big-money recording deal.

Now there are more options for American Idol since Apple announced last week that Season Seven will be available on iTunes starting March 11. This new offering kicked off last week with the top 24 semifinalists and goes for 99 cents per song or $1.99 for the full video performance.

“We have some truly outstanding talent this year, and by working with Apple and iTunes, we’re giving viewers another great way to enjoy America’s brightest new stars from Idol,” said Simon Fuller, creator of American Idol and founder of 19 Entertainment. “I’m sure there will be many memorable performances that viewers will want to relive from this 2008 season.”

At the moment, when you open your iTunes program, click on the iTunes Store and you’ll see the American Idol logo prominently at the top. Once you click on that, you’ll see the pictures of the 24 contestants - click on your favorite, and you can download their song and soon the video, too.

Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes, said, “We’ve created a special section on the iTunes Store for Idol fans with an incredible array of music and video performances from television’s most popular show. We think American Idol viewers are going to love the ability to purchase and download Idol performances from iTunes.” iTunes also will provide exclusive direct links from the free streaming performance videos on www.americanidol.com. Here you can click through to iTunes so you can own and enjoy your favorite performances on your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV.

Open your iTunes program to check this added iTunes Store item out or download iTunes (version 7.6) for free at www.itunes.com to start.