iTunes 90-Second Song Previews Added To US iTunes Store

Apple's 90-second iTunes previews have begun to show up in the music download store, though currently only US shoppers get access to the triple-length excerpts. The change was tipped in early November, after a leaked Apple message to labels was spotted basically telling them to accede to longer previews or pull their content in protest.

At the time, the message suggested that 90-second previews would only be applied for tracks of 2 minutes 30 seconds or longer; anything less than that would keep its original 30-second preview. Still, industry insiders suggested there was widespread consternation at the move, including talk of Apple actually requiring "performance rights" licensing in order to make their plans legal. No word on when – or if – the longer samples will begin showing up in international versions of the iTunes store.

[via Apple Insider]