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May, 2010: The Month In Review...

Monday, May 31, 2010
by  presnikoff

Some highlights from the month that was.

Most sectors of the broader music industry - beyond recordings - are suffering declines, according to data released by the IFPI.  But each sector carries its own story, and some are gaining.

The clouds continued to rumble.  Apple and the major labels remained locked in negotiations, while Google announced its forthcoming cloud concept.  Others, including mSpot, also tipped entries.

Also on the Apple front, regulators started taking a look at a range of different competitive questions.  According to details emerging, the probes include iTunes, as well as the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  Both the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission appear to be involved.

More Apple?  The iPad crossed sales of two million over the Memorial Day weekend.  And earlier, Apple's market cap surpassed that of Microsoft.

Still, Android is making heady gains.  A highly-contested NPD Group survey said that Android devices surpassed iPhones in the first quarter.  Outside of that finding, most agreed that the app platform wars are taking a different, less-lopsided dynamic. 

Ning defined its premium tiers, and officially announced its departure date from free.

Sirius XM Radio posted a quarterly profit and subscriber gains, part of a nice comeback-in-progress.  Its yearly forecast was also increased.

Also on the financial front, Warner Music Group managed to narrow its losses and beat Wall Street expectations.  Elsewhere, ASCAP posted strong revenue and member distribution numbers.  And Universal Music Group suffered significant losses last quarter, including a small drop in digital revenues.

Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling" is now the biggest-selling paid download ever, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

The UK Competition Commission approved the merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster - again.  The second approval followed a competitor challenge.  Separately, top Live Nation executive Andy Schuon departed.

Rhapsody subscribers have dropped 19 percent year-over-year, according to the latest from RealNetworks.  

The FCC started rallying back on net neutrality.  After a huge court defeat at the hands of Comcast, the agency proposed the application of existing telecommunications (including phone) regulations on ISPs.


  • A US District Court judge denied a motion for preliminary injunction against Rapidshare.  Separately, Canadian BitTorrent tracker isoHunt received a shutdown order.  

  • On the conference front, the action was happening at NARM in Chicago and SanFran MusicTech.  In a nutshell, NARM attendees were trying to CPR the CD with pricing and special packaging; MusicTech attendees were pondering next-gen instruments, Chatroulette spoofs, and the latest startups.  Health care issues, international treaties, and net neutrality debates dominated DC Policy Day.

  • Spotify introduced a cut-rate premium plan, and curtailed its free access option.

 

 



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