*The British government has now launched the Creative Industries Council (CIC), a group focused on boosting music exports and the broader economy in the process.
*London-based digital distributor Believe Digital has made three new hires. Alexis Hooper joins as Label Manager, Leigh Morgan gets bumped to Trade Marketing & Label Manager, and Shanni Elcock moves to Social Media Manager for both Zimbalam and Believe Digital UK.
*And the latest scuttlebutt on the WMG sale? BMG Rights Management may be talking to Sony Corp. over a joint purchase, according to the New York Post. Warning: this situation remains highly fluid.
*Univision Radio has named Jose Valle as its new president.
*Time to update the calculations? Rebecca Black’s “Friday” is now approaching 40 million as of Wednesday evening, a near-15 percent gain in just one day.
*iTunes, Spotify and Amazon account for north of 94% of global digital revenues for indie labels, according to AIM.