iLounge

Fox, 19 Entertainment, FremantleMedia, and Apple have announced a partnership that will offer “American Idol” fans all of the contestant performances from the show’s seventh season on the iTunes Store. The performance offerings will begin with the top 24 semifinalists this week; customers will be able to purchase music performances for 99 cents per song, and full video of the top 12 finalist performances will be available starting March 11 for $1.99 each. In addition, beginning today, users can pre-order performances of their favorite contestants from the iTunes Store, which will be automatically downloaded the day after the show airs.

“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.”

“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,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “We think ‘American Idol’ viewers are going to love the ability to purchase and download ‘Idol’ performances from iTunes.”