Yahoo! News: Digital Music

Sony, Jackson estate inks $250mln deal (AFP)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:20:40 GMT

AFP - Sony and the estate of late music legend Michael Jackson have signed a record-breaking 250-million-dollar deal for distribution rights through 2017, US media said Tuesday.

China without Google: 'a lose-lose scenario' (AP)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 11:00:47 GMT

AP - China without Google — a prospect that looks increasingly likely — could mean no more maps on mobile phones. A free music service that has helped to fight piracy might be in jeopardy. China's fledgling Web outfits would face less pressure to improve, eroding their ability to one day compete abroad.

Jackson estate in record deal worth up to $250 mln (AP)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:38:04 GMT

AP - Even in death, Michael Jackson is breaking new records.

Online music vet launches song service for smartphones (AFP)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:34:46 GMT

AFP - Internet music veteran David Hyman on Monday unveiled a service that promises low-cost "all-you-can-eat" on-demand songs for users of Apple iPhones and Android smartphones.

Download growth boosts 2009 UK music royalties (Reuters)

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:31:25 GMT

Reuters - British songwriters, composers and music publishers earned 623 million pounds ($944.8 million) in royalties in 2009, up 2.6 percent on 2008 and the first time the growth in digital revenues outperformed the drop in CD and DVD earnings.

Appeal filed in Phil Spector case (AP)

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:35:03 GMT

AP - Lawyers for legendary music producer Phil Spector have asked an appellate court to throw out his second-degree murder conviction on grounds of judicial error and prosecutorial misconduct.

Summary Box: OnLive game streaming to come in June (AP)

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:28:21 GMT

AP - THE SERVICE: OnLive will let you "stream" popular high-end games over the Internet, using a mechanism similar to watching TV shows or listening to music online.

OnLive game streaming service to start in June (AP)

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:19:02 GMT

AP - In an industry first, a new gaming service will start allowing people to "stream" popular high-end games such as "Assassin's Creed II" over the Internet in June, using a mechanism similar to watching TV shows or listening to music online.

The top 10 singles and albums on iTunes (AP)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 18:43:44 GMT

AP - iTunes' top 10 selling singles and albums of the week ending March 8, 2010:

Pink Floyd goes to court in royalty row with EMI (AP)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:41:40 GMT

AP - Pink Floyd has begun legal action against music label EMI Group Ltd. over the way royalty payments are calculated in the digital era.

Record industry hits back at 'myth' of go-it-alone stars (AFP)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:25:11 GMT

AFP - Record industry bosses hit back Tuesday at the "myth" that musicians no longer need them to become successful, insisting the Internet can help raise their profile but cannot make them stars.

Pink Floyd battles EMI in online royalties case (Reuters)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:07:18 GMT

Reuters - Pink Floyd on Tuesday launched legal action against record label EMI in a case that centres around royalty payments and how music is sold in the digital age.

The Soundtrack to My First Semester (BusinessWeek)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:08:46 GMT

BusinessWeek - A first semester in business school is probably best summed up through some sort of interpretive dance.Refusing to be confined to words only, I am supplementing this entry with music."My B-school Playlist" (downloadable here) is a song collection recapping my first semester. 1) Jordin Sparks, Battlefield Business school is the most intense thing I have done -- and that includes fleeing a war-torn country. The pace of classes is brutal and the amount of learning intense. As a career-switcher, I've had to add researching companies and pursuing informational interviews to my plate. ...

Phantom of Opera sequel opens amid "phan" disquiet (Reuters)

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:29:44 GMT

Reuters - The sequel to "Phantom of the Opera", one of the biggest musicals of all time, opens in London on Tuesday amid disquiet among die-hard "phans" who have been posting opinions online since previews began two weeks ago.

Microchip Tech raises bid for Silicon Storage (AP)

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:57:10 GMT

AP - Microchip Technology Inc. on Monday raised its purchase price for Silicon Storage Inc. a second time, competing with a private-equity firm for the maker of flash memory cards used in digital cameras and MP3 players.

Google Android Phones Can Now Search With Written Gestures (PC World)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:10:00 GMT

PC World - Google announced an experimental application for its Android mobile operating system, which allows you to search your phone using written gestures. Instead of bringing up the keyboard, users of the newer Android phones can just draw letters on the screen to search through contacts, music or apps.

Australians more likely to pay for movies than news online (AFP)

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 06:01:40 GMT

AFP - Australians are more likely to pay for music and movies online than to hand over money to read newspapers on the Internet, a survey released Thursday said.

Microsoft Zune Media Player (PC World)

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:16:00 GMT

PC World - TigerDirect is sweetening its offer of a refurbished Zune 4GB with an FM transmitter and charger, a dashboard grip pad, and a leather carrying case--all for $50 (you can find the new MP3 player by itself at Amazon for over $100).

Thumbplay appoints Apple exec as technology chief (AP)

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:05:39 GMT

AP - Thumbplay Inc., a company that provides content such as music and games for cell phones, said Monday it has named Apple Inc.'s Pablo Calamera its first chief technology officer.

Performers see tiny returns from streaming music (Reuters)

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 04:31:12 GMT

Reuters - As the music business continues to watch traditional revenue streams slow or even evaporate, a good deal of faith often has been placed in what's hailed as a panacea for the industry's ills: online streaming.