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NEWS ABOUT: digital music

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Napster Moves to MP3-Only Format

Site ditches DRM in blow to digital music copyright proponents

(Newser) - Bad news for digital music copyright advocates: Napster plans to sell music downloads as MP3s and stop selling DRM-protected songs, the digital music retailer said today. Digital rights management blocks consumers from illegally sharing music but is unpopular with users because DRM-protected songs will often only play on certain players... More »

US Album Sales Plummet In '07

Growth slows; future looks grim

(Newser) - Album sales in the US fell 15% in 2007, to just 500.5 million units. The total represents both the lowest sales figure and sharpest decline since Nielsen began keeping track of music sales estimates in 1993. Total digital sales, including both albums and singles, were up 14% with 1.... More »

Online Music Sales Surge in Britain

Holiday bounce credited with rare good note for music industry

(Newser) - Online music downloads in Britain surged during the last week of 2007, more than doubling the corresponding week of 2006, Reuters reports. With physical album sales still down and digital piracy continuing, analysts saw a high note: "The news should help induce optimism that the recorded music industry may... More »

Digital Music Packaging Getting Jazzed Up in '08

Downloads to start offering more than just music

(Newser) - Part of the reasons CDs are still popular in the age of digital music is the extras, Reuters reports. When you buy a CD, you get extended album art, lyrics, and liner notes. With an album downloaded digitally, it's just song titles and thumbnail art. The industry hopes to change... More »

Amazon Gets Funky With Warner Music

DRM-free iTunes competitor continues to attract big labels

(Newser) - Amazon’s burgeoning mp3 service landed another big fish today, adding Warner Music’s catalog to its online store. The Amazon shop aims to compete with Apple’s iTunes, selling songs for 89 cents as opposed to Apple’s 99 cents and without digital rights management software that makes sharing... More »

Interest Grows in Music-for-Rent

Subscriptions may be the wave of the future

(Newser) - After years of the iTunes model dominating digital music sales, the time for subscription music services could be near. So far, fewer than 3 million Americans have signed up for such services. But as customizable online radio stations and social networks where users sample and recommend music grow in popularity,... More »

MySpace Will Transmit Blunt

Revenue-sharing model allows artists to set music prices for direct sale on MySpace

(Newser) - MySpace will host and sell videos of exclusive musical performances on its MySpace Music site, reports the New York Times. Artists will record a series of exclusive videos for the site, and will be able to set their own prices, unlike Apple's iTunes flat-rate prices. The system, called Transmissions, won't... More »

Shoppers Swoon for Zunes

Thanksgiving shoppers on the hunt for 'iPod killers'

(Newser) - Microsoft's new Zune digital music players have been flying off the shelves, reports PC World. But big retailers have been running out, frustrating hordes of Thanksgiving shoppers attracted by big discounts and plenty of hype. Microsoft,  which seems to have seriously misjudged demand for the best-selling model, the Zune... More »

Microsoft Finally Makes a 'Pretty Good' Media Player

PC World 's qualified praise for the new Zunes

(Newser) - Microsoft released its latest Zune portable media players today, garnering approval from PC World. "This latest generation of Zunes should finally provide some real competition," declared the reviewer. The magazine praised the players for high sound quality and good extra features, but pointed to improvements to the Zune... More »

Digital Music for Audiophiles

Sooloos delivers what iTunes cannot

(Newser) - New York based Sooloos is producing a digital music system for the most discerning consumers, those who want a totally digitized music system but don't want to sacrifice any audio quality. Starting at $12,900, their fanless Sooloos system speedily accesses a vast hard drive that can accommodate an uncompressed... More »

Harrison's Catalog Goes Online

Nine albums released, more to come

(Newser) - George Harrison today became the final Beatle to release material online, as nine albums from his solo catalog were made available through iTunes and Amazon.com. Calling the release "exciting," Harrison's widow, Olivia, said: "He had begun digital remastering but had no idea how the digital world... More »

Radiohead's Free Downloads Prompt Others

Oasis, Jamiroquai are among those mulling freebie releases

(Newser) - Oasis, Jamiroquai and other bands not tied to record labels may soon follow in Radiohead's footsteps by offering their music for free download, reports the Daily Telegraph. While fans may pay whatever they choose for Radiohead's new album, released today, a spokesperson says the majority of visitors preordering on the... More »

Meet the New Zunes

Microsoft rolls out its second generation of mp3 players

(Newser) - The Zune is getting three shiny new models in November, Microsoft announced yesterday, including nano-like flash-integrated 4GB and 8GB players, and an 80GB hard drive model, all priced just like corresponding iPods. They’ll sport new features like wireless syncing, touch-sensitive navigation pads and a redesigned, DRM-free marketplace. But they... More »

Stand by Your Twang

Country music sales, industry's last stalwart, are finally taking a dive

(Newser) - Country music album sales are down nearly 30% so far this year. That might seem slightly less dramatic against the whole industry's 15% slide, but country’s been the biz’s final remaining hold-out—holding nearly even in 2005 and 2006 amid the digital revolution. So the newest dive may... More »

The CD Turns 25

Wired salutes the 'obsolete form of optical media,' which turns 25 today

(Newser) - The compact disc, which Wired calls an "obsolete form of optical media," has been spinning for 25 years today, according to a press release from Philips. The first disk, a recording of ABBA’s “The Visitors,” was produced in Hanover, Germany in 1982. A stunning 200... More »

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