Federal Court Decides on Internet Music Royalties
Fri May 2, 4:27 PM GMT
The Associated Press reports that the proceedings of a federal case brought to court by The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) against AOL, Yahoo! Inc., and RealNetworks, Inc. has established a formula for determining Internet royalties owed to artists whose work is streamed online.
The ASCAP represents more than 320,000 artists and publishers. John LoFrumento, ASCAP’s chief executive says, “This historic decision, for the first time, provides a clear framework for how the online use of musical works should be appropriately valued.”… More…
Toshiba Retires HD DVD
Tue Feb 19, 4:17 PM GMT
The high-definition format war has officially concluded with Toshiba’s announcement that it will no longer continue to develop, produce, or market HD DVD products, according to twice.com.
This decision was made due to so-called “recent changes in the market,” no doubt resulting from the announcements by Warner Bros., Best Buy, Netflix, and Wal-Mart which declared their support for Blu-ray products. Best Buy will prominently feature Blu-ray products in order to show consumers their preferred format while Netflix and Wal-Mart will cease stocking HD DVD products.… More…
Yahoo Teams with Rhapsody for Subscription Service
Wed Feb 6, 5:06 PM GMT
The Associated Press reports that Yahoo will be discontinuing its own subscription music service in order to team with RealNetwork’s Rhapsody service.
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Sony BMG Dabbles in the DRM-Free World
Tue Jan 8, 9:52 PM GMT
According to InfoWorld, starting Jan. 15 in the U.S., Sony BMG will join the coterie of industry majors to offer downloadable MP3s without DRM (Digital Rights Management) copy prevention, enabling the purchaser to copy all tracks and play them on MP3 players such as Apple’s iPod.
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Warner Bros. Drops HD DVD to Focus on Blu-ray
Tue Jan 8, 9:42 PM GMT
Last week, Warner Brothers announced that it will release its high-definition titles exclusively in Blu-ray Disc format as of May, dropping all production of HD DVD formatted titles.
Up until this point, Warner Bros. has released titles in both HD DVD and Blu-ray formats in order to “provide consumer choice, foster mainstream adoption and drive down hardware prices,” according to Jeff Bewkes, President and CEO of Time Warner Inc. With this move, Warner will marshall all of its manufacturing and marketing muscle behind the Blu-ray format.
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EMI to Stop Funding Trade Groups
Wed Nov 28, 5:57 PM GMT
Reuters reports that major music group, EMI, will cease funding trade groups such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) who represent the music industry in the fight against music piracy.
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Rhapsody Joins TiVo to Reach Larger Audience
Tue Oct 16, 9:09 PM GMT
In a widely reported story via Reuters, Billboard, and Yahoo News, Rhapsody, the giant membership-based digital music subscription service, will now be accessible through TiVo digital video recorders, as part of the trend to bring Internet-based music away from the computer and into the living room.
Rhapsody, a joint venture between RealNetworks and MTV Networks, will cost TiVo subscribers $12.99 a month in addition to the $12.95 they regularly pay for the TiVo subscription.
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Olive Media Products and MusicGiants Join Forces
Mon Oct 15, 7:22 PM GMT
In a recent press release, Olive Media Products and MusicGiants announced that the two companies will collaborate to provide listeners with copious amounts of true CD quality digital music on one device.
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Guitar Center to Offer Dell Computers Designed for Musicians
Thu Oct 11, 2:08 PM GMT
Guitar Center, a leading musical instrument and recording equipment retailer, recently announced that it will begin selling Dell desktops and notebooks powered by dual-core AMD processors specifically designed for the requirements of musicians.… More…
Record Companies Win Legal Victory Against Piracy: Jaimme Thomas Case
Tue Oct 9, 9:16 PM GMT
Record companies gained a major victory in the fight against music piracy in October with a courtroom verdict that found Minnesota-resident Jaimme Thomas guilty of sharing copyrighted music using Kazaa, an online file-sharing application.
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