Gimmesometune, despite the really stupid name, is a nice bit of donationware that fills a need for iTune users that want some control over itunes, but do not want to waste a lot of desktop estate (like the Apple mini-player does).
Gimmesometune has most of the function that the payware
CoverSutra has, but lacks
Growl support. However, Gimme gives you a nice player control in the menu bar, which is all I really wanted anyway...something small and innocuous to control iTunes while it’s minimized.
You can even use the Apple Remote Control to control your tunes and bring iTunes to the foreground when you have it running out back. Pretty slick, and it does not have to cost you a dime!
The only con I could find (besides lack of Growl notifications), is that Pathfinder Desktop users will find the display of the now-playing window erratic, but many other apps behave this way as well with pathfinder, so this should be no surprise.
To download and/or donate, go here:
http://www.eternalstorms.at/gimmesometune