A group of online music industry giants, including Apple, Amazon and MySpace, have teamed up to form ” Why Music Matters ,” a group aimed at turning pirates into purchasers. More

A leaked peek at bestsellers on Apple’s iBooks reveals that the $9.99 ebook is very much alive, suggesting Apple does have the power to cut prices on bestsellers, and books that publishers sell for less than the average $26 hardcover price. More

A rumored peek at bestsellers on Apple’s iBooks reveals that the $9.99 ebook is very much alive, suggesting Apple does some pricing flexibility with bestsellers, and books that publishers sell for less than the average $26 hardcover price. More

You’ll notice a major book publisher is missing from this slide : Random House , the biggest one in the world, actually. More

It must be getting close to April 3rd because the iPad news is hotting up. Today we get our first glimpse at Amazon’s free Kindle app for the iPad. We’ve also got a Barnes & Noble app on the way courtesy of a report in in the New York Times . The Kindle app has been completely redesigned by a team of 14 developers working since January to redefine the core screen and reading experience to allow for custom fonts in multiple colors, slow page turns, and new ways to view your eBook library. One view, pictured above, presents your books as large icons against a silhouetted figure under a tree — the sun changes position in accordance to the time of day. Of course, the app also gives you access to the Kindle bookstore (assuming Apple approves) and saves your reading position so that you can pick up any Kindle app (or device) and continue reading right where you left off.

The Kindle iPad app’s more than an upscaled iPhone port, with a new “tablet-based interface that redesigns the core screen and the reading experience,” says Kindle VP Ian Freed . In other words, it’s a peek at the future of Kindle . More

Amazon is getting serious about getting its way with ebook pricing, threatening to do what they did to Macmillan (pull physical and digital books) unless publishers agree to certain demands. More

With not so much as a hint of fanfare (and a very loose definition of ” coming soon “), Amazon has quietly unleashed its Kindle app for Mac. The 22MB file is for Intel-based machines only, OS X 10.5 and above. Nothing too fancy, it does exactly what you’d expect in terms of functionality… and not much else.

Oh hey, the Kindle app for OS X is out. It’s free, but you have to buy the books, of course. It doesn’t have multitouch, like the Windows app , though. [ Amazon via TUAW ] More

If publishing company Penguin’s impressive iPad demos weren’t enough to convince you, this extremely clever video (originally made for internal purposes) will show you that at least one part of the publishing industry has its head squarely on its shoulders. More