German from iTunes - CD, Video, and Audiobooks Update

Since I first wrote about downloading German Songs from iTunes, Apple has made a few changes to its U.S. and other iTunes stores, so I thought I'd take another look at the music and audiobook offerings for German. Unfortunately, the U.S. iTunes store still lacks many of the songs and artists available from the German store, but I found some new things as well.

Audiobooks in German from iTunes
Jerry Cotton: Mein heißer Deal in New Orleans

If you enjoy German mystery or crime stories (Krimis), there are now a dozen Jerry Cotton audiobooks available from the American iTunes store. (To order from the German iTunes store, you need a German address and a German debit or credit card. Apple also has separate iTunes stores for most European countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, and New Zealand.)

Apple has not improved the ease (or lack thereof) of finding German titles in any category. The only way I could find the Jerry Cotton audio was to type his name into the iTunes search window. (If you know a better way, let me know.) It's the same for German music, despite the fact that there is an iTunes category called "German Pop" (under "Genres"). That category will show you a list of German-language artists/groups, but not all of them. For some reason, Herbert Grönemeyer isn't listed in that genre, even though some of his albums are available from the U.S. store. (You have to search using "Gronemeyer"; using the correct "ö" or "oe" just confuses search.) You can use "German" or "Deutsch" in iTunes search to browse, or type in an artist/band name if you know what you want. Many of the German and Austrian artists that were absent when I wrote my original article are still not in the U.S. store. But on a recent visit I found Klee ("clover"). This group's soft sound is available in both German and English on the "Honeysuckle (Bonus Version)" album. Out of the 15 songs on the album, 3 are in German and English versions (a total of six songs).

Another interesting find this time around was several German "mix" versions selected by iTunes customers. "Ed's German..." mixes feature hip-hop, pop, or alternative songs in German. Another mix featured German numbers by Falco, Nena, Xavier Naidoo, Wir sind Helden, and Silbermond. Such mixes are another good way to find German artists/songs. You may like Naidoo's "Telegramm für X" album and its 16 songs. The Helden album "Von hier an blind" features 13 songs for 48 minutes of music in German.

Other artists I found on this visit: Fettes Brot, Glashaus, Fler, Söhne Mannheims, Kettcar, and Ferris MC. There are also German podcasts (iTunes makes it easy to subscribe), German music videos, and other items. Take a look at the iTunes store for many ways to help your German. They also have German lessons -- such as "In Flight German" -- that you can use on your iPod or computer. But perhaps the coolest discovery was ZDF's video podcast for "Krimis" (Podcasts > ZDF > Der ZDF Krimi Videopodcast). There are 16 video Krimi episodes (excerpts, previews of ZDF shows), and it's free! There are more German audio and video podcasts available from iTunes and other sources.

More About iTunes: German Songs from iTunes
More About Jerry Cotton: Jerry Cotton and Other German Mystery Books
More Audio: Audio/Listening to German