Search Results for: apple music

A surge in downloaded songs and mobile-phone ringtones failed to make up for declines in sales of compact discs last year, an industry group said. Music downloads almost doubled to about $2 billion last year, accounting for about 10 percent of the industry’s global sales, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said in a statement today. While that’s up from 5.5 percent in 2005, it’s still not enough to offset the revenue lost due to piracy and declining sales of physical media such as CDs. “I would like to be announcing that a fall in CD sales is being… Read more »

LOS ANGELES – Universal Music Group CEO Doug Morris resents that MTV and other cable music channels built multibillion-dollar businesses around videos given away by record companies anxious to promote their artists. So when he saw his own grandson watching 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” video on Yahoo, it got him asking: “How much are we getting paid for that?” The answer – nothing – led Morris to pull all of Universal’s videos from the giant Web portal until it agreed to a licensing deal in 2005. He wrangled similar arrangements from Time Warner Inc.’s AOL and other Internet portals… Read more »

If 2006 was the year of user-generated content, 2007 will be the year the music industry learns to generate new revenue from the hugely popular trend. Labels are striking licensing deals with sites like YouTube so that fans can post copyrighted content or include it in videos they make themselves. Additionally, labels are expected to start releasing new types of content — such as unused clips or video montages — specifically created for fans to manipulate in new ways. By doing so, record labels can then share in the advertising revenue these sites collect. Rather than just suing YouTube and… Read more »

Following are previews of albums due out within the next few months from debut acts or under-the-radar artists due for a breakthrough. PAOLO NUTINI Scottish singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini, who turns 20 January 9, was one of the most noteworthy breakout artists of 2006 for Atlantic Records in the United Kingdom. After an appearance at South by Southwest in Austin last March, his debut single, “Last Request,” reached No. 5 in July on the British charts and also became a substantial airplay hit. His debut album, “These Streets,” subsequently opened at No. 3 with out-of-the-box sales of 35,000, according to his… Read more »

Detroit – Rapper Eminem’s music label has agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement with Apple Computer Inc. in a lawsuit over copyright infringement claims. In February 2004, Ferndale-based Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Detroit against MTV, Apple, MTV’s parent Viacom Inc. and advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. The recording company claimed Apple used one of the rapper’s hit songs in an advertisement without permission. “The parties were able to reach an amicable resolution,” Howard Hertz, a lawyer for Eight Mile Style and Eminem, said Monday. Elizabeth McNamara, a lawyer for MTV and Viacom, said Monday that… Read more »

Apple yesterday revealed its iTunes Music Store has now sold more than 350 million songs worldwide since it opened its doors to US consumers in April 2003. The latest figure, mentioned last night during the Mac maker’s Q2 FY2005 earnings conference, represents an increase of 50 million or so songs since the company said it passed the 300 million mark, in March. The increase is in line with The Register’s own predictions, and if Apple continues selling songs at this rate of growth, it’s on its way to passing the billion-song mark before the end of 2005. We reckon that… Read more »

CUPERTINO, California – Apple® today announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than 300 million songs from the iTunes® Music Store. Additionally, the benefit single “Across the Universe,” available exclusively on the iTunes Music Store, debuted as number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart making it the most successful exclusive digital track ever in its first week of release. “We’re honored to offer “Across the Universe” exclusively on the iTunes Music Store with all proceeds going to tsunami survivors and their families,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of Applications. The iTunes Music Store features more… Read more »

A French consumer group has initiated legal proceedings against Apple and Sony, claiming their online music sites violate European anti-trust legislation. We’ve seen this kind of silliness before. Like California resident Thomas Slattery, who filed a similar complaint against Apple in January, Paris-based UFC-Que Choisir claims that Apple’s iTunes Music Store and Sony’s Connect service are anti-competitive because they only work with the companies’ own music players. This is, of course, nonsense. In Apple’s case songs can be downloaded and played on any Windows PC – a kind of machine the company does not itself produce. Sony Connect songs can… Read more »

Los Angeles – Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. said on Wednesday it has discussed with Apple Computer Inc. the possibility of adding its service to Apple’s popular iPod music player. However, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs did not see the need at this point to combine the functions, a Sirius spokesman said. Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin revealed the discussions to media, entertainment and technology professionals at McGraw Hill’s 2005 Media Summit in New York on Wednesday, the spokesman said. Analysts have long said that satellite radio is likely to converge with music players and other portable devices down the road. Satellite… Read more »

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Now selling at a rate of more than a million downloads per day, Apple Computer Inc. said Monday customers have purchased a total more than 250 million songs from its online iTunes Music Store. The store, now available in 15 countries, is selling 1.25 million songs per day, which puts the annual run rate of almost half a billion songs per year, Apple said. Apple helped invigorate the market for legal music downloads when it launched the iTunes store in April 2003, but its robust sales continues to far outpace rival services. The success is due… Read more »