updated 08:15 pm EDT, Sat September 10, 2011
iTunes Match beta signups reopen for some
After briefly allowing an initial group of developers access to iTunes Match, Apple has quietly started taking more subscriptions. A small number of testers report receiving a message that signups had been "expanded to additional developers" located in the US. The cloud synchronizing service comes just a day after iTunes 10.5 beta 8 and needs the update to keep working.
All existing developers still pay the same $25 as regular users but get the beta period and possibly a few months beyond in addition to the year of service.
It's unclear why Apple has limited the number of developers, but it may be trying to prevent people from signing up for developer accounts just to get early access without understanding the beta nature. Apple is expected to take iTunes Match live at or soon after the releases of the final iTunes 10.5 and iOS 5, when its whole ecosystem should take advantage of the cloud-based music syncing.