THRICE and THURSDAY will perform at grand openings for Apple retail stores in Santa Monica, California, and New York City, respectively, on October 15th. The music performed will be made available for exclusive purchase at the iTunes Music Store and the sets will also be videotaped and placed for download at apple.com. The two bands will begin a joint tour on October 17th in Pittston, Pennsylvania..
Online music company EMusic plans to discontinue its unlimited download service and replace it with a more limited offering, the company said on its Web site this week. Vivendi Universal’s VUNet USA recently signed a deal to sell EMusic.com Inc. to Dimensional Associates LLC, a privately held venture capital firm based in New York, for undisclosed terms. The deal is scheduled to close at the end of October. EMusic said that as of Nov. 8, it will replace its unlimited service offering with two subscription plans. The basic plan offers up to 40 downloads for $9.99 per month, and the… Read more »
The legal scuffle between the Beatles’ record label Apple Corps Ltd. and Apple Computers Inc over the use of the name is heating up again. After years of legal wrangling, Apple Corps, which is owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison, agreed in 1981 to allow the computer company to use the Apple name if they would limit their use of it to just computers. However, now that Apple Computers has launched their iTunes digital music service, Apple Corps is claiming the California computer maker is in violation of that agreement, and… Read more »
Musicmatch, Inc., the leader in personalized music software and services, today announced its new Musicmatch(R) Downloads service, the first service on the PC that allows consumers to purchase and download music from a broad catalog of music from all five major labels and more than 30 independents – with no complex, restrictive usage rules. The new service offers effortless access to high-quality, personalized music and the ability to purchase while listening to CDs, MP3s and Musicmatch Radio. Musicmatch downloads can be purchased now at www.musicmatch.com. Until today, legitimate PC download services forced people to pay a subscription fee, or required… Read more »
The Beatles want to take another bite out of Apple Computer Inc. Their record company, Apple Corps Ltd., said Friday that it was suing Apple Computer because the technology company violated a 1991 agreement by entering the music business with its iTunes online store. When Steve Jobs co-founded Apple Computer in 1977, he is said to have chosen the name in part as a tribute to the Beatles. The 1991 agreement dealt with the future use of the name “Apple” and of both companies’ well-known logos. Apple Corps, founded in 1968, is owned by Sir Paul McCartney; Ringo Starr; John… Read more »
The legal assault on music file-swappers is an unparalleled move by recording companies desperately trying to survive after failing to fully embrace digital distribution methods and driving up the cost of CDs. But record companies now risk a backlash that could damage far more than their financial results, while still not making a significant dent in music piracy, some observers say. A day after firing off 261 copyright lawsuits against individuals it accuses of each sharing hundreds of music files online, recording industry officials fielded a few calls from defendants eager to avoid paying thousands in damages. The Recording Industry… Read more »
Sony Corp. plans to launch a music download service in the spring, vice chairman Howard Stringer said Thursday at a gathering of electronics dealers in Paris. Stringer briefly mentioned the initiative during a presentation with Kunitake Ando, president and group chief operating officer of Sony Corp. “We believe in maximizing the opportunities for people to enjoy music by making networks much friendlier places to visit and easier to obtain music from – in a legal manner,” said Stringer, who also is chairman and CEO of Sony Corp. of America. Few details were disclosed at the Sony Dream World exhibition, but… Read more »
Vivendi Universal’s (V) Universal Music Group plans to sharply lower the consumer cost for compact discs, in an effort to bring customers back into retail stores and boost music sales. The move comes as the music industry grapples with a continuing decline in retail sales in the face of rampant piracy and other problems. In a press release Wednesday, Universal Music said it will reduce wholesale prices and implement a $12.98 manufacturer suggested retail price on virtually all of its top-line CDs in the U.S. The plan will eliminate MSRPs of as much as $18.98, and the company believes retailers… Read more »
Students arriving for fall classes at colleges across the country are facing new restrictions and stern warnings to discourage the swapping of pirated music and movies over high-speed campus Internet connections. Some schools are even using software to choke the amount of data that can flow in or out of a computer when students use Kazaa and other file-sharing programs. And in a new approach disclosed Tuesday, at least a dozen universities are exploring ways to offer students a fee-based music service whose fees could be bundled with room and board costs. “We’re feeling a great deal of pressure as… Read more »
Times are getting ugly in the music world. Fans are getting subpoenaed for digital downloads. Internet Service Providers are getting muscled into handing over suspected pirates’ names. And parents are worried about having to spend their kid’s college fund on defending him for downloading one too many Michelle Branch songs. It seems like no one is winning the amorphous battle over music online. But, contrary to the rising red tide, there are plenty of companies heading into the black. There’s no question that digital music is here to stay. As a result, the companies who will benefit most directly are… Read more »
