iTunes 6- no more music store

I don't like iTunes 7 because of the way it organizes podcasts so I've stuck with iTunes 6 and now whenever I try to access the Podcast Directory (or the Music Store at all) I recieve the following error:

"Could not complete the Music Store request. The store may be busy. Check your internet connection or try again later."

I can still update my podcasts but can't find new ones.

Is Apple no longer supporting iTunes 6 already? or is there another problem?

thanks,
JTN