Why would ITMS go that route?
Business Week's Stephen Baker writes today about the chance for advertisers to get their claws into either the data of users on the iTunes service, or into the podcasting realm. He's suggesting the possibility that iTunes could offer a different "level" of service, where people could essentially pay for anonymity.
This of course, takes into consideration the belief that Apple would only be in it for the money. Do we think that the folks behind the iTunes Music Store would give advertisers access to demographics about the users on the system unless they were paid hush money by the public? It's a directory, for one thing, and it's not like ITMS is going to start hosting advertising on its system from anyone, perhaps, other than the music labels who might want to have a say. They're not in that business right now, and I don't see why they would need to be. Having podcasts in iTunes software isn't the differentiator in using the software in the first place. The UI and ITMS as a whole is, IMHO. They're not going out of their way to host a directory of podcasts, and I don't see them looking to drag a bunch of animosity into the picture anytime soon.
