Tagged: dailyindustrybriefing

Just days after Sony DADC transferred physical product distribution for Sony, EMI and Universal to Andereson Merchandise ( full story here ), Sony appears poised to take over digital distribution for Warner Music Group , Billboard reports. Bonnaroo has named Spotify a launch partner. ( Spotify ) Did they also just leak their 2012 lineup including Prince, Radiohead, Phish and the Red Hot Chili [...]

The action shifts to SF Musc Tech today with an A list of music industry and music tech attendees. Hisham Dahud ( @hishamdahud ) is there for Hypebot . Be sure to say hello and tell him what you're working on. Witney Houston fans are crying foul as Sony UK increases the price of her greatest hits collection hours after the singer's death . ( DigitalSpy ) Spotify has added an "extreme" setting to its mobile apps [...]

It's Grammy Weekend in LA, but the new music industry action is already shifting northward as SF Music Hack Day begins its marathon followed by SF Music Tech next week. Hypebot's Hisham Dahud will be there. Be sure to say hello and share what you're working on. Remember iLike? The Social Music Network Officially Died This Week Spotify's Ek On Royalties , Social [...]

VEVO , the music video powerhouse owned primarily by Universal and Sony and including content from EMI, would seem to be the last company to knowingly stream pirated video at a major event. But that's exactly what they did at their recent Sundance party and the NFL 's Patriots vs Ravens playoff game. The feed "had apparently been accessed via a site called Frontrow.tv," according to TechCrunch's Jason Kincaid , who was at the event. "...So I went to the [...]

Google will begin manufacturing its own home music system, according to the New York Times . It's part of a broader move to create move beyond the desktop and create a closed eco-system much like Apple (iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Mac) and more recently Amazon (Kindle). MegaUpload takedown didn't slow pirate downloads, just moved them offshore. ( IT World ) Downloads to U.S. users coming across longer distances, more expensive link. Slacker has added Steve Wadsworth, a former senior executive at Walt Disney, to it's Board of Directors. [...]

Google Music has put most Grammy albums for sale at $3.99 and tracks for $.59. Most are a lost leaders for Google designed to drive traffic to their fledgling service, but are priced above the $3.49 that Billboard now requires for chart eligibility. TuneCore's new publishing venture has signed 1,400 songwriters and over 30,000 compositions in the past 10 weeks. The protests against The Grammys' cutting categories continues with a concert and more. ( GrammyWatch ) [...]

Non-profit CashMusic.org recently snuck out the first officially supported version of its new platform designed to provide free, easy-to-use online tools for artists . Apparently, this is the first of many upgrades and new features in the works. A judge has denied EMI 's request to immediately shut down used mp3 reseller Redig i. ( Hollywood Reporter ) Sony has merged its PlayStation Network into broader online services rebranded as the [...]

During a weekend of reading, one piece stood out. "I Just Want To Tell You Five Things…" is a wonderfully honest must read by BigChampagne co-founder Eric Garland , now of Live Nation Labs . We're trying to get Eric to share more. Until then, stop revving up for another Monday and take 5 minutes to read and absorb it . Warner pulled into digital royalties dispute via Sister Sledge lawsuit. ( CMU ) [...]

Midem 2012: A Roundup Of News & Announcements AmazonMP3 Pulls All TuneCore Tracks In EU & UK , Distributor Alleges Payment Issues SXSW Accelerator Names Music Tech Finalists Mark Mulligan On Agile Music : Artist Creativity & Music Formats In the Age of Mass Customization Spotify's Royalty Rate For Indie Artists [...]

Lana Del Rey - the new artist every critic seems to love to hate - has debuted at #1 on the iTunes charts in 15 countries including UK, Germany, France and USA. New Chief Takes on a Sony That Is a Shadow of Its Former Self. ( NY Times ) Google has filed a brief in the case of EMI vs mp3 reseller ReDigi asking the court to "deny the motion for preliminary injunction without reaching the complex [...]

Rumors peg today as the day that Facebook will file a $5 billion IPO . Pour Mark, that's down from an estimated $10 billion. Spotify has finally nabbed Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto and the Bob Dylan 's catalog is back up. The changes were first noticed by Struart Dredge of MusicAlly who we thank again for providing much of our great Midem coverage . The Pirate Bay has quickly shifted its domain from .org to .se [...]

Spotify Hits 3 Million Paid Subscribers , 20% Conversion Rate. Startup Murfie Gets $1.4 Million To Rip Used CD's, Sell Downloads. Gobbler Gets $1.75 Million To Expand Musician File Management. Indie EU Trade Group IMPALA Comes Out Swinging In EMI Sale Fight. Rhapsody Expands Into Europe With Purchase Of Napster UK, Germany. [...]

The music industry action shifts to Cannes and MIDEM this weekend and Hypebot will have lots of coverage including via a special partnership with Stuart Drudge of MusicAlly . One of the first MIDEM announcements comes from LyricFind who have signed what they say is the world's first global lyrics deals with all four major publishers. Google Music now lets you download MP3 copies of your stored tunes . ( Verge ) Sound like a small change, [...]

Global iTunes stores sales rose to $1.7 billion Q4 2011 including from music, video and apps. That's roughly $6 billion for all of 2011, according to an analysis by Billboard 's Glenn Peoples, up 55%. The company does not break out music only sales. Rhapsody has expanded into Europe with purchase of Napster UK, Germany. Simon Cowell 's Syco to l aunch global 'X Factor for DJs' TV talent show in partnership with Will Smith and Jada [...]

Universal bid for EMI faces fierce EU battle . ( Express ) " We're just like YouTube ," Megaupload lawyer tells Ars. EMI VP Comes Out Against SOPA/PIPA ; Says The Answer To Piracy Is Providing A Better Service. ( Techdirt ) Apple broke all earnings records last quater, but music was not the drive. Details here . MORE: [...]

Sean "Diddy" Combs To Launch Music Cable Network . ( B&C ) He's planning an urban-skewed music and music news network by the end of 2012, as music takes center stage again on cable (the Cuban/Seacrest HDNet makeover) and online (Google deals with Madonna, others). Where do your Congressmen stand on SOPA/PIPA? Find out here . Facebook Timeline Now Open To All, Users Get A Week To Clean Up Profiles ( TechCrunch ) Analysis: Megaupload shutdown [...]

What a Facebook deal with Vevo could unleash. ( paidContent) It's hard for me to imagine VEVO putting itself behind the Facebook wall and this deal happening, but money talks. Universal could divest to secure EMI takeover bid. ( City AM ) MegaUpload lawyer: U.S. misunderstands the business, ( CNet ) Megaupload Drops Lawsuit Against Universal Music Over Viral Video ( TH R) [...]

Filesharing site Megaupload was taken down Thursday by the U.S. Department Of Justice and FBI with key execs arrested. Hackers Anonymous retaliated shutting down the sites of the RIAA, MPAA, DOJ, UMG and WMG . Warner Music's site remained down on Saturday morning. The fight against SOPA/PIPA appears to have delayed the bill indefinitely; even as Trent Reznor, OK Go, MGMT, Zoe Keating, Neil Gaiman and others join the fight and Robin Davey asks, " What [...]

The crackdown of Megaupload including site shutdowns, arrests and seizure of $50 - $100 million in assets is still a developing story. Overnight hackers Anonymous attacked major entertainment sites (details). The U MG and WMG sites are still down as 11:30 AM Friday. Doesn't this action prove that we don't beed SOPA/PIPA to stop major pirates? Facebook in talks reported in talks to replace YouTube as Vevo's host. ( CNet ) AIM rallies UK indie members to oppose EMI sale. ( CMU ) And Warner Music [...]

Next Big Sound , the music analytics website that continuously tracks the number of plays, views, fans, comments, mentions, and other key metrics across the major web properties, yesterday released their 2011 State of Online Music – and the numbers are quite staggering: 64 billion new plays, 16 billion profile views, and 3.5 billion new fan connections. Metrics include data taken from SoundCloud, Twitter, Vevo, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, and Wikipedia. Interestingly enough, the largest percentage growth came from SoundCloud at 231% (which might have something to do with [...]