In a somewhat strange move, Apple has rolled out iTunes Producer to a number of consumers through Software Update. The application, aimed at musicians and record companies that are hoping to sell their content on iTunes, now appears to be available for all, despite previously only being available to partners through the iTunes Connect portal.

It seems that you still need an iTunes Connect account to log in and use the software bundle, which actually makes this release even more bizarre. It has us wondering if Apple’s about to let independent musicians into the iTunes store. An Indie iTunes store would be pretty badass.

Reports have been rolling into our inbox, and Version 2.6 of iTunes Producer is now available for all:

iTunes Producer 2.6 includes several new features:

• Now you can look up metadata using multiple Vendor IDs simultaneously

• For delivery issues, Send to Apple now supports entering notes

• For music, the following are now supported:

– Alert tones

– Customizable territory groupings for rights and pricing

– Improved user interface for adding and editing translations

• For books, the following are now supported:

– Target Audience, Pre-Order Start Date, and Series Display Number using the “New from file” feature

– Expanded language list

? More detailed information on this update can be found in the iTunes Producer guide available at itunesconnect.apple.com

Hat tip to @franksting for sending this in to us.