Digital Music News (digitalmusicnews.com)

Zune Marketplace Installation Levels Remain Low, Report

February 12, 2007

Early reports suggest that sales of the Microsoft Zune player have been weak, though the software giant has yet to release official numbers. That makes it difficult to accurately draw comparisons to other pl... Read More...

Video-Sharing Site Bolt.com Settles With Universal

Alexandra Osorio

February 11, 2007

Video-sharing destination Bolt.com has now resolved a major legal rift involving Universal Music Group. According to the New York Times, the site will pay Universal several million dollars to close the actio... Read More...

AT&T Incorporates Music Choice Into IPTV Initiative

Alexandra Osorio

February 11, 2007

AT&T recently tapped Music Choice to supply streaming audio channels for its IPTV initiative, U-Verse. Music Choice will deliver its lineup of streaming music channels, as well as a selection of artist photos, album covers, and associated track metadata... Read More...

Jobs Reactions Continue; Warner Chief Backs Protection

Paul Resnikoff

February 8, 2007

Warner Music chairman Edgar Bronfman, Jr. issued a pro-DRM message on Thursday, largely a response to recent comments by Apple chief Steve Jobs. "Let me be clear: we advocate the continued use of DRM in the ... Read More...

Quarterly Revenues Bump, Profits Drop at Napster

Paul Resnikoff

February 8, 2007

Quarterly earnings dropped once again at Napster, while revenues continued to increase. For the fiscal third quarter ending December 31st, the online music store shed $9.5 million, or $0.22 per basic and dil... Read More...

EMI Pushes MP3-Based Plan, More Details Surface

Paul Resnikoff

February 8, 2007

EMI has been aggressively pushing an MP3-based plan, according to a recent Wall Street Journal article. In early January, an informant told Digital Music News that a major label was preparing to position a large percentage of its catalog as open MP3s, and... Read More...

Resnikoff’s Parting Shot: Jobs Plays Pragmatic Politics

Paul Resnikoff

February 7, 2007

Steve Jobs used to be hailed as the savior of the music industry. After all, he figured out how to sell music online! Before the iTunes Music Store, labels stumbled badly with efforts like PressPlay, and co... Read More...

Information Surfaces on New Music Store, Device Combination

Paul Resnikoff

February 6, 2007

The former heads of iRiver, MusicMatch, and portable MP3 manufacturer Rio are now banding together to create a digital music service. An early member of the team shared top-level details with Digital Music N... Read More...

Warner Music Group, Last.fm Announce Content Pact

Paul Resnikoff

February 6, 2007

Warner Music Group will soon integrate its content into Last.fm, according to an announcement issued Tuesday. Last.fm is a music-focused social network, one that analyzes personal collections and then delivers recommendations in the form of customized radio... Read More...

Shrinking Physical Space Boosts Independent Digital Sales

Paul Resnikoff

February 6, 2007

Independent artists are experiencing elevated digital album sales levels, thanks in part to shrinking physical retail inventory. Just recently, The Shins (Sub Pop) scored a second-place finish on the US-base... Read More...

RIAA Has to Pay Debbie Foster’s Attorneys Fees

Paul Resnikoff

February 6, 2007

In an Oklahoma case, Capitol Records v. Debbie Foster, the Court has granted the defendant's motion for attorneys fees to be imposed against the RIAA, holding that Ms. Foster is to receive her "reasonable attor... Read More...

Executives Debate Impact of MP3-Based Sales Shift

Paul Resnikoff

February 6, 2007

The "D" in "DRM" might as well stand for the "Devil," according to prevailing sentiment. But just how much would a shift towards MP3-based downloads change the landscape? Among digital music executives, predictions run the gamut. Some argue that the aboli... Read More...