Wal-Mart Looks for Better Return on CDs

Apple's baby takes back seat only to Wal-Mart

(NEWSER) - iTunes is the world's No. 2 music retailer, a ranking that includes stores that sell CDs. The reason is a combination of a modest increase in digital music sales and a sharp dive in CD sales, so the news isn't much to celebrate for the music industry. And kids are leading the way in abandoning the CD format, Ars Technica reports. More»

Equally anonymous distributors rise to the top of digital heap

(NEWSER) - You probably haven't heard of TuneCore, but the small startup has swiftly become the world’s biggest music distributor, helping bands you’ve also never heard of make a comfortable living selling music on iTunes. Unlike traditional distributors, which take a cut of music sales, TuneCore and similar digital distributors charge artists only a small upfront fee to list their music online. Apple takes its cut, and the artists keep the profits. More»

Band leaves cost of downloading new album up to fans

(NEWSER) - “No, really, it’s up to you,” Radiohead’s website tells consumers pricing out a digital copy of the band’s next album, set to debut Oct. 10. The band is testing the theory that consumers will pay a fair price for the 10-song set if given the choice, bucking Apple’s industry-setting rates. Disdain for singles has long kept Radiohead off iTunes. More»

(NEWSER) - CD sales plunged more than 20% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, and online music sales didn't come close to making up the difference. Closing stores, weak albums, and over a billion songs shared illegally every month combined to deliver the sharpest downturn yet to the slumping music industry. More»

Company aims to have service up before iTunes Match

(NEWSER) - Google is pushing further into the entertainment business with an online music store that it aims to have up and running within weeks, sources tell the New York Times . Music industry execs say the MP3 store will probably be linked to Google's Music Beta cloud service. Google wants to have the store open before Apples iTunes Match service is rolled out, the sources say, although it's not clear whether the company will be able to cut deals with record labels in time. More»