Search Results for: plan b entertainment

Vivendi Universal SA, which will start online music-subscription services in the U.S. with Sony Corp., said it may start a similar service in Japan. “We are now considering whether to start an online music service in Japan,” said Ken Takashima, a spokesman at Vivendi Universal’s Japan unit, Universal Music K.K. “We can’t provide further details at present.” The move comes after Sony’s Internet unit, Sony Communication Network Corp., said Universal Music K.K. invested 19 million yen ($152,300) for a stake in a Sony Communication-led joint venture to operate a music-marketing Web site. The venture, Label Gate Co., is capitalized at… Read more »

As chatter abounds regarding the urgency of digital distribution, major music conglomerates are moving quickly to demonstrate their eagerness to make their content available online. Further evidence comes with this week’s pact between media giants AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann and EMI and digital behemoth RealNetworks to create MusicNet, a platform for downloadable and streaming services. MusicNet will provide a pool of licensed music from the participating rights holders, with a technology infrastructure by Real. The label groups collectively have a 60% stake in the venture, while Real has 40%. Once the platform is established, any digital music provider satisfying the… Read more »

Yes, his brother is the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter. But that doesn’t mean 13-year-old Aaron Carter shows him a great deal of respect. “When they’re asleep, my brother and my manager, I put shaving cream in their hands and tickle their nose and they smash it into their faces,” says the younger Carter. “I know how to get away Ö fast.” Like his elder sibling, however, Carter is becoming well acquainted with the pop charts and radio playlists. After first finding international success in 1999, his first U.S. release – last fall’s relentlessly cheerful Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) –… Read more »

Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment have secured a massive distribution channel for their Duet subscription service, which is expected to launch this summer. Duet will be made available to visitors to the Yahoo! network and Yahoo!* Music web sites. According to Media Metrix, Yahoo! receives 185 million visitors per month worldwide. By comparison, Media Metrix estimates that Napster receives 16.9 monthly site visitors. The on-demand Duet subscription service will offer consumers the ability to compile personalized playlists and to share them with other Duet members still while respecting artists’ rights. The service will provide users with the ability… Read more »

Don’t focus only on major labels’ interests when considering legislation, they say. Alanis Morissette and Don Henley urged the U.S. Senate to heed the voices of artists – and not just their record labels – during a hearing Tuesday morning on the future of online entertainment. Senators should take artists’ concerns into account if they decide to write any legislation related to the online future of the recording industry, Morissette and Henley said in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee. “The reason that I am here is that although these intermediaries claim to represent the creators, and while there certainly… Read more »

Rock legend Prince plans to premiere a new song on Napster on Friday, becoming one of the best-known artists to embrace the controversial Internet song-swapping service as a means of promotion. Prince, whose hits include “When Doves Cry,” “1999” and “Cream,” said Monday that Napster users will be able to copy and share his new song “The Work – Pt. 1” free of charge and will be offered a link to the performer’s music subscription service. The song is slated to be released later this year on Prince’s forthcoming album “The Rainbow Children.” Earlier this year, Dave Matthews, whose hits… Read more »

Artist rights organization Artists Against Piracy has severed ties to its primary financial supporter, the Recording Industry Association of America. The split stems largely from Artists Against Piracy’s broader agenda. The organization plans to go beyond the scope of educating the public and representing artists on digital copyright piracy issues and take on broader artist rights issues vis-a-vis the record labels. “Artists Against Piracy is about protecting the artists’ rights in a digital space, but some of these rights are in conflict with the record industry,” said Noah Stone, executive director of Artists Against Piracy, which has had support from… Read more »

Napster is encouraging users to come out by the hundreds next week to show support for the embattled file-sharing service during a U.S. Senate hearing on the future of online music. “Online Entertainment and Copyright Law: Coming Soon to a Digital Device Near You,” a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing scheduled for April 3, will include testimony from Napster CEO Hank Barry, among others, according to the company. But Napster is offering free T-shirts and concert tickets to try to get its users to show up as well. “If the Napster community shows up in force for this hearing, it will… Read more »

Napster disclosed key details of its future as a copyright-friendly subscription service Friday (February 16) – four days after a court ruling that may shut down the music-sharing service as we know it. In the new Napster, which the company says will be launched “as soon as possible,” users will still be able to swap MP3 files ripped from their own CDs. But Napster will add a new “protection layer” to MP3s as they move from one user’s computer to another, allowing the service to control what users do with the files they download, according to a statement from the… Read more »

AOL Time Warner Inc., the world’s largest Internet and media company, couldn’t figure out a way for its Warner Music Group unit to buy British rival EMI Group Plc, Co-Chief Operating Officer Richard Parsons said Wednesday. EMI Group has been in talks about a merger with German entertainment giant Bertelsmann AG following the collapse in October of its deal with Warner Music. Warner Music and EMI had abandoned their plan to create the world’s largest music group, bringing together artists like the Beatles and Madonna, after tough negotiations with European authorities. Although the companies had said they might explore alternatives,… Read more »