April 4, 2006 5:49 PM PDT
Apple moves into concert promotion
Apple Computer has begun promoting rock concerts as part of a partnership with Ticketmaster and Warner Bros. Records.
Fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers who pre-order the band's new album will receive a code that can be used to buy tickets to see the group live in concert, the companies announced Tuesday.
Tickets to the band's upcoming North American concert tour, as well as the $19.90, album go on sale May 9.
The general public won't be able to buy concert tickets until May 13.
Apple, which turned 30 on April 1, continues to flex its music muscle, built mostly through the sale of 45 million iPods, the company's ubiquitous digital music player. The company's music download store, iTunes, has also sold more than a billion songs.
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/sandoCNET. 
