Digital Music News (digitalmusicnews.com)

Avis, Caribou Coffee Offer iTunes, iPod Giveaways

March 2, 2006

Apple continues to be a preferred promotional partner for major brands. On Wednesday, rental car giant Avis announced a promotional tie-in with iTunes. After renting any model of car, Avis customers will now... Read More...

iTunes Music Store Crosses One Billion Download

Paul Resnikoff

February 23, 2006

Apple has now sold one billion music downloads on its iTunes Music Store, marking a significant milestone for both the company and the digital music industry. The billion-mark was reached late Wednesday, aft... Read More...

mtvU Mixes Online, TV, Mobile in College Band Search

Paul Resnikoff

February 13, 2006

MTV-owner Viacom may have been outbid by News Corp. for MySpace, but the music and lifestyle channel is continuing to push an aggressive digital agenda. In that spirit, college-focused channel mtvU recently announced its "Best Music on Campus" (BMOC) initiati... Read More...

New York Philharmonic Positions Digital-Only Releases

Paul Resnikoff

February 10, 2006

The New York Philharmonic announced a deal this week with Deutsche Grammophon to sell digital recordings of its concerts. An upcoming performance of Mozart Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 and 41 at Avery Fisher Hall wi... Read More...

French Court Rules in Favor of P2P File-Sharing

Paul Resnikoff

February 9, 2006

The District Court of Paris has recently authorized the use of P2P file-sharing for individual, non-commercial use. The court ruled in favor of "Anthony G," who was accused of illegally uploading and downloadi... Read More...

File-Sharing Levels Remain Strong in January

Paul Resnikoff

February 8, 2006

P2P file-sharing activity remained robust in January, growing 14 percent over the same month last year in the US. According to data obtained from P2P tracking firm BigChampagne, the average number of simultaneous P2P users during the month was 6,986,980, a ju... Read More...

Top Classical Music Destination Closes Doors

Paul Resnikoff

February 1, 2006

A top classical music destination has just gone black, according to a report in Playbill Arts. Andante.com had attracted classical music cognoscenti with its top-rated news, worldwide concert listings, and r... Read More...

Napster Layoffs Begin, 10 Percent Reduction Reported

Paul Resnikoff

January 25, 2006

Napster has just completed a round of layoffs, according to sources within the organization. The sources pointed to a 10 percent workforce reduction, focused within the programming and marketing divisions. Emp... Read More...

Napster Hitting Bottom? Rumors Circulate, Earnings Call Coming

Paul Resnikoff

January 17, 2006

Ahead of a Napster earnings call in early February, reports of a dire company situation have emerged. According to sources inside the organization, a substantial round of layoffs is expected within weeks. In comments to Digital Music News, the sources noted t... Read More...

XM Crosses 6 Million Subscribers, Sirius Passes 3.3

Paul Resnikoff

January 6, 2006

As expected, XM Satellite Radio crossed the 6 million subscriber mark in 2005, a bump of 2.7 million new subscribers during the year. The leading satellite provider now has considerable momentum moving into ... Read More...

Resnikoff’s Parting Shot: Hollywood Casts a Good Cop

Paul Resnikoff

January 4, 2006

The final numbers are still being tallied, but the record industry has suffered in 2005. Recent figures from Nielsen Soundscan pointed to a seven-percent drop, though sales from the final week have not been fa... Read More...

Drama Brews Between EMI, Apple Over iPod Compatibility

Paul Resnikoff

November 21, 2005

EMI has largely been spared heavy scrutiny during the Sony rootkit imbroglio. But recently, the label has found itself in the middle of some new drama. The issue began when EMI chief Alain Levy predicted that Apple would eventually embrace a variable pricing ... Read More...