"music" entries
Numbers for Digital's Rise
I talk a lot to people who don't quite understand the scale of the media shift from atoms to bits (update: corrected), so I always have my eyes open for numbers and anecdotes that illustrate the point. The latest I found are from an article on Apple's threat to shut the iTunes store if it has to pay more to…
Amazon and Google Challenging iTunes through Mobile
T-Mobile's Android-based mobile phone will include a connection to Amazon's MP3 store. From Wired's Listening Post: Owners of the device will be able to browse, search, preview and purchase music on the Amazon MP3 store using the phone's cellular connection. In order for purchased MP3s to download, the phone must be connected via Wi-Fi. (The mobile iTunes store, on…
I Am Trying To Believe (that Rock Stars aren't Dead)
Trent Reznor says "Steal my music" as he recognizes the future of the music business is him monetizing his talent through touring. The rock star made from highly leveraged disc sales is dead.
Report: Radiohead Experiment Yields Indirect Success
A new research report says Radiohead’s In Rainbows experiment diverted a degree of traffic — and value — toward the band’s site.
News Roundup: Foldable E-Reader Coming Soon, New "Libraries" Bring New Privacy Issues, Analyst: Digital Change Targets TV and Film
Foldable E-Reader Launching in Europe This Fall, U.S. in '09 The New York Times takes a look at the Readius foldable e-reader: … the Readius, designed mainly for reading books, magazines, newspapers and mail, is the size of a standard cellphone. Flip it open, though, and a screen tucked within the housing opens to a 5-inch diagonal display. The…
Last.fm Cuts Artists in on Ad Revenue
Last.fm is sharing ad revenue with with bands through its new Artist Royalty Program. From Wired's Listening Post: Bands and labels that register (or already registered) will start accruing money into Last.fm accounts whenever their music is streamed from the site as of today [7/9/08]. The company already pays artists through rights organizations, including SoundExchange, but this new plan allows…
Analyst: Digital Disruption Has TV and Film in Crosshairs
In the wake of Lehman analyst Anthony DiClemente downgrading a wide swath of the entertainment industry, paidContent.org provides some blunt analysis: Boiled down, the core argument is basically: You saw what happened to the music industry and the dramatic fall-off in CD prices. You've seen what's happened to the broadcast TV and newspaper industries. Now it's time for it…
Rhapsody Courts Apple Crowd with DRM-Free MP3s
Rhapsody, a digital music subscription service, is now offering MP3 downloads with no digital rights management (DRM) restrictions. Rhapsody's subscription service remains under digital rights protection, but Reuters says the company is looking to expand its reach into the Apple-dominated music sector by making its downloads compatible with iPods. Amazon, Wal-Mart and Napster also offer DRM-free MP3 downloads, but…
Path to Web Retail Getting Easier for Independent Music Labels
This is an interesting story from the music world. The implication is that the barrier to retail is dropping in music, which has different hurdles than publishing. The Independent Online Distribution Alliance, better known as IODA, launched itself in 2003 to help independent labels, artists and others in the music industry make the leap from physical to digital. One…
The Digital-Only Sequel
A sequel to a successful film soundtrack isn't a new idea, but the team behind "Juno" is tweaking the concept: the film's second soundtrack — "Juno B-Sides" — will only be released in digital format.It's an interesting move: ride a wave of popularity in a low-risk digital format. If the album doesn't sell, the backers don't have to deal…