snapshot 7/17/07

Owl Music Search: find music with music
http://www.downloadsquad.com/2007/07/17/owl-music-search-find-music-with-music/
But Owl Music Search takes the keyboard out of the process. Sure, it's probably quicker to type in a band name than to upload an mp3 file from you collection. But Owl uses some pretty nifty tricks to compare your uploaded track with thousands of other files in its database, many of which are licensed under Creative Commons.


Disney to attempt new music approach
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9745803-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
CD sales are falling fast, but CDs are still the way most people listen to music. Digital downloads are supposed to be the future. The music industry is stuck somewhere in the middle. Amid all the uncertainty, Disney is due to announce a hybrid approach on Wednesday, one that weds the old with the new.

A spokeswoman for Disney's Hollywood Records was tight-lipped, but did say the new offering will combine a physical disc with a downloadable element. Hollywood Records' press conference is on Wednesday.


Jobs named king of Web music by Blender
http://www.macnn.com/articles/07/07/17/jobs.king.of.web.music/
Apple CEO Steve Jobs was crowned the king of the online music revolution by U.S. music magazine Blender, just ahead of MySpace co-founders Tom Anderson and Chris DeWolfe (both whom who were ranked No. 2). The Apple co-founder was at the top of the magazine's "Powergeek" list of the 25 most influential people in Web music, which was compiled to show the behind-scenes-players reshaping the way people listen to, buy and watch music.


Starbucks Entertainment Prepares iTunes Store Exclusives
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/stories/071607starbucks/view
Starbucks Entertainment is now preparing a number of iTunes exclusives, part of a steadily growing music strategy. The Apple partnership, first announced in October of last year, initially involved a dedicated Starbucks section within iTunes. Starbucks is now pushing downloads of Rissi Palmer, Alice Russell and WinterKids into the online outlet starting Wednesday. Each artist will deliver a four-track digital EP to the effort, and receive airplay within Starbucks locations. The EPs will only be accessible from the iTunes Store, a bricks-to-clicks concept that helps Starbucks address the iPod+iTunes (and iPhone+iTunes) crowd more effectively.


Record labels try to bottle up leaks
http://www.contentagenda.com/articleXml/LN641917764.html?nid=3038
Music executives say prerelease album exposure hurts sales, and they're cracking down on a key source of the piracy: the media.


Fairtilizer: Digg for music
http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9745355-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Anyone can submit a song (in MP3 format) to Fairtilizer as long as they hold the rights to that song. Unlike Digg, where once you submit a story the public starts reviewing it right away, Fairtilizer requires their editorial board to review every song submission to ensure that it is good enough for the site.