In US only for now.
Apple is set to triple the length of song preview clips in its iTunes Store from 30 seconds to 90 seconds, according to an email sent to label representatives.
The move - rumoured earlier this year - will only apply to songs longer than two minutes and 30 seconds in length, and in the US iTunes Store only for now.
Labels are being asked to accept that they are licensing "gratis mechanical rights" for 90-second clips, with Apple claiming that they will enjoy a sales boost as a result.
"We believe that giving potential customers more time to listen to your music will lead to more purchases," says the email.
The move may be controversial, as it seems labels who do not agree with the change will have to remove their music from the iTunes Store.
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Meanwhile, a separate group of rightsholders - publishers - protested earlier this year when longer iTunes samples were first rumoured, although their disquiet was as much about not having been consulted as about opposition to the idea itself.
