music

While the iPod is unquestionably the most popular portable device currently on the market, sometimes users want to cast their headsets aside and allow those around them to share in their taste of music. A number of manufacturers offer complimentary ... devices that allow music from an iPod to be played through a living room sound system. The quality of the music is dependent on the ability of the accompanying device to clearly amplify the tunes. In an effort to capitalize on the ever-increasing desire for clearer music, manufacturers are now selling docking stations for iPods and MP3 players with ... (view more)

When Sony's Chief Executive Sir Howard Stringer recently sat down for an interview, one common theme kept coming up: Apple. Stringer revealed that his company blew it on the digital media front and lost out to the Apple's iPod, but swore that he ... would not repeat the same mistake when going head to head with the iPhone. When Stringer took over as head of Sony in 2005, he says that every branch of the company was a silo -- operating independently and sheltered from one another. This compartmentalized structure, he says, let to some serious delays in the company's digital music efforts. Stringer ... (view more)

Apple has enjoyed a healthy share of the digital media player market, thanks to the iPod. Moreover, the iPod and iTunes have set a new standard in the digital music industry -- a standard that many have tried to imitate but no one has surpassed. ... However, a new music service dubbed "Slacker" has got many industry buffs talking about whether or not this new device can knock Apple off its podium. Broadband Instruments has just launched a beta version of Slacker. Users can register for a beta account to receive free, ad-supported access to the company's 10,000 music stations. Users also have the ... (view more)

After several attempts to make iTunes compatible with Windows Vista, Apple is still discovering defects and incompatibility issues. The iTunes software is a crucial component when synching music to be downloaded onto iPod portable players. Even ... though Apple recently released iTunes 7.1, the company urges customers not to install the product on Vista-ready computers until all the incompatibility issues are resolved. (Source: denverpost.com ) Apple has since removed warnings from their website in favor of a cautionary notice that acknowledges some glitches with the program -- which includes ... (view more)

The rapid decline in digital music revenue, stemming from the rampant file-sharing continually done by consumers, has finally forced the major record labels to take notice. Many of the same record labels that vowed never to release their music on ... the Internet without copyright restrictions are now actually reconsidering this option. (Source: iht.com ) At Midem, the name for the annual international music trade exhibition held in France, many within the industry estimate that at least one out of the four major record companies are considering the sale of their unrestricted music files in MP3 ... (view more)

If you illegally download music via a file-sharing program, you better watch out -- music companies may file a lawsuit against you. Or at least that's what they want you to think. Earlier this week, the case on Patti Santangelo was dropped and ... refiled, this time implicating Santangelo's two children. Santangelo was sued -- along with many others -- as part of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s campaign to stop the illegal pirating of online music. Unlike the others, however, Santangelo refused to settle, instead choosing to go through costly litigation. (Source: slyck.com ... (view more)

Recently, Microsoft publicly revealed their expectations for the new Zune music player. The company estimates that they are likely to sell one million devices through the first half of the new year. While many within the industry recognize that this ... figure is significantly less than the amount of iPods sold by Apple Computer Inc., those within Microsoft are viewing the estimate as a positive starting point. (Source: technology.canoe.ca ) Microsoft representatives agree that expectations will likely increase in the second half of the new year, once more models are introduced and devices become ... (view more)

BitTorrent has secured a series of high-profiled agreements that will likely transform their company into a household name. The budding online video distributors are looking to make a major impact by signing deals with Paramount, MTV and 20th ... Century Fox, among other lesser known studios. BitTorrent is a peer-assisted digital content delivery service that enables registered users to publish and download content from a list of popular movies, music, games and other entertainment media. (Source: topix.net ) The company has already acquired the rights to distribute content from Warner Bros. ... (view more)

"iTunes is really good, but they don't have everything I want to put on my machine. I'm frustrated because I'm kind of locked in." Those are the words of a 24-year-old CompUSA worker who has reached the end of his rope with the restrictions Apple ... has placed on the iPod and its iTunes music store. As it stands right now, music downloaded from iTunes will only play on the iPod. And if you grab your music from another online source other than iTunes, it won't work on the iPod, either. It's limiting, frustrating, and just a plain headache. But an avenging angel may have arrived in the unlikely ... (view more)

Microsoft announced Thursday that its new portable media player, Zune, is expected to be released for the 2006 holiday season. The device, which rivals the market-dominant Apple iPod, is aiming to gain popularity by including features that the iPod ... lacks. Microsoft's vision for its new product is to provide "music service and a foundation for an online community that will enable music fans to discover new music." (Source: abcnews.com ) The 30GB media player will have the capability, through built-in WiFi (wireless network access), to share songs with other Zune users -- a key characteristic ... (view more)