music

In an effort to lure thousands of music fans away from Apple, RealNetworks has teamed with MTV Networks and Verizon Wireless to offer a digital music joint venture expected to rival iTunes, the iPod and even the new iPhone. The three companies plan ... to implement their technological takeover by making the MTV "Urge" music downloading service compatible with RealNetworks Rhapsody streaming software programs. While the merger will be made available to all U.S. customers via their PC music players, Verizon Wireless' VCast multimedia service will also be equipped with the new music system on their ... (view more)

LimeWire Store is coming to a network near you. Lime Wire LLC -- the company behind controversial LimeWire file-sharing software -- will make itself legitimate by creating a digital music store. Users will be able to search for and purchase music ... directly from the LimeWire program. Since convenience is a priority, a few different payment options will be accessible. For those who buy music frequently, monthly subscriptions will work in their favor. Customers making individual track purchases will pay between 99 cents and $1.29 per song. As well, all songs will be in MP3 audio format. (Source: ... (view more)

EMusic, the second-largest online music distributor after Apple's iTunes, is expected to announce a deal with AT ... (view more)

Anyone who has heard one of Eminem's songs knows that making nice isn't his top priority. Now that Eminem has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Apple for selling his music on iTunes, it appears that the technology giant is no exception. ... On Monday, Eminem's producer Eight Mile Style and his copyright manager Martin Affiliated filed a suit which claims that Universal Music Group was never authorized to permit the rapper's songs to be downloaded from iTunes. Allegedly, Apple is not complying with the lawsuit's requests. "Eight Mile and Martin have demanded that Apple cease and desist ... (view more)

Just when it seemed like the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) goons had weeded out most avenues for the illegal downloading of music, a recent British survey has revealed that it's still fairly easy for a user to acquire black market ... tunes. The report, compiled by London, England based Entertainment Media Research (EMR), is a stinging slam against the current format of most legal downloading sites. EMR finds that, for a number of critical reasons, the CD platform is not being effectively eclipsed by legal digital music distribution. (Source: iafrica.com ) The main problem? Legal ... (view more)

It seems Microsoft will have to take some time from preventing software piracy to reclaim the sanctity of its digital rights management (DRM) technology. Microsoft's DRM, the protective measure used to prevent hackers, or anyone for that matter, ... from using Windows Media files for purposes not condoned by the Redmond-based company, has apparently been circumvented. That's the word from hacker site Doom9.org, which recently boasted the forum post of one "Divine Tao", presenting download links to an updated version of FairUse4WM. The program effectively rips Microsoft's DRM from said Windows ... (view more)

Music buffs unite! Microsoft has just launched Ignition, a new music initiative aimed at giving new recording artists exposure via various Microsoft channels. The Ignition program will utilize Zune, Xbox and MSN to offer exposure to new artists for ... over a month. Zune Marketplace and Zune.net will offer free downloads and features, Xbox LIVE Marketplace will feature video downloads, and MSN Video and MSN Music will provide promotional video and music streams. (Source: tech2.com ) As Microsoft's director of music marketing Christina Callo explains, "the Ignition program is designed to help ... (view more)

Many music lovers were happy to hear that Apple would be using DRM-free music. However, smiles turned into frowns last week when it was revealed that Apple is labeling the unprotected music files with the buyer's details, including names and email ... addresses. If the user uploads the song to another file-sharing network, he could get into some seriously hot water. Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that Apple has remained mum about the reason for obtaining the information. However, defending their position is Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg. Gartenberg said that there are numerous ... (view more)

Since last Wednesday, Apple's iTunes store is now selling DRM-free songs from the popular record company, EMI. Popular artists on the EMI label include Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Joss Stone, Pink Floyd, and John ... Coltrane. (Source: apple.com ) The new iTunes 7.2 (available for download on the iTunes site) will allow music lovers to download an iTunes Plus DRM-free version of a song. What is DRM? For those unfamiliar with the terminology, DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. DRM software prevents people from copying and freely utilizing a digital file across ... (view more)

Steve Jobs has not changed his mind about the way music should be sold. Last week, Jobs reinforced his view that subscriptions and iTunes do not mix. "Never say never, but customers don't seem to be interested in it," Jobs said of subscription ... services. "The subscription model has failed so far." (Source: reuters.com ) Jobs' stance on the issue is far from new. In 2003, Jobs explained to Rolling Stone how the natural evolution of music doesn't support subscription services: "People don't want to buy their music as a subscription. They bought 45s; then they bought LPs; then they bought ... (view more)