snapshot 7/24/07

Apple falls on initial iPhone activation numbers
Shares of Apple were off $5.70 to $138.02 on Nasdaq after AT&T, the exclusive service provider for iPhone, said it signed up 146,000 iPhone customers as subscribers in the first two days of iPhone sales, well below analyst estimates for sales.

Pacific Crest analyst Andy Hargreaves said that while iPhone sales figures for coming months would be more telling than the first few days, AT&T's number had disappointed investors as some analysts estimated sales "north of 500,000." "The difference (between sales and activations) is going to be what was sold on eBay or activations that didn't happen immediately. There were some problems with activations but from what we heard it was minimal," the analyst said.


Toshiba's gigabeat U202 supports direct-to-MP3 ripping
If you passed on Toshiba's first few U-series DAPs due to their lively color schemes and substitutable feature sets, the new 2GB U202 goes a long ways to correct both of those quibbles. The exceedingly simplistic device dons a silver / black motif, an uncomplicated "PlusPad" control scheme, and a 1.1-inch color OLED display. Furthermore, this unit sports the same 20-hour battery life, FM tuner, and MP3 / WMA / WAV playback capabilities as its predecessor, but the newfangled direct-to-MP3 CD ripping ability enables users to "record audio tracks digitally from a CD player directly to the gigabeat." Consider it yours in one to two weeks for $99.99.


Survey: Young keep it simple in high-tech world
While young people embrace the Web with real or virtual friends, and their mobile phone is never far away, relatively few like technology, and those that do like technology tend to be in Brazil, India and China, according to a survey. Young people don't see tech as a separate entity--it's an organic part of their lives," said Andrew Davidson, vice president at MTV Networks International. "Talking to them about the role of technology in their lifestyle would be like talking to kids in the 1980s about the role the park swing or the telephone played in their social lives--it's invisible," Davidson said.

Terms most frequently used by the young when talking about technology related to accessing content for free, notably "download and "burn." The surveyors found that the most popular activities among those in the 8-to-14 bracket are watching TV, listening to music and being with friends. The rankings for those older was similar, though listening to music was top.


Machete, Notch Push Virtual CD Pre-Release Campaign
Digital distribution means quicker and less expensive media delivery, and that has transformed the promotional game considerably. In its place, labels are pushing content to radio promoters, journalists, tastemakers, and fans via numerous digital channels, including secure delivery channels like those from Vancouver-based Play MPE. Other concepts include the reliable iTunes exclusive, and mobile-based previews.
Additional examples are easy to find, and market entrants are proliferating. Just recently, urban and reggaeton-focused Machete Music tapped Santa Monica, CA-based Blue Maze Entertainment to deliver an interactive, virtual pre-release CD, one that allows flipbook-style maneuverability. Machete, a division of Universal Music Group, has used the partnership to craft three different virtual CDs for the artist Notch, signed to Cinco Por Cinco Records.


Mickey Mouse Record Labels
It’s really poetic justice that the Walt Disney Company has become such a great example of how to run a record company. In this era, the big four and even independent labels are beleaguered by a generation that is downloading music – legally and illegally. These labels are also suffering from a decline in CD sales. As much as they try, they can’t stem the decline.


Snocap Launches Pandora Mashup
As your music plays on Pandora, Snocap will automatically search all of the artists and songs that match the current artist playing. You can then browse through the Snocap results in order to add songs to your cart for purchase. The Snocap store window can be opened in another window as well. You’ll have to move quickly, though, as the Snocap store changes with your streaming Pandora music.

eMusic has also launched a Pandora mashup, which allows you to download any available music while simultaneously listening to your favorite streaming music as well.


Record Label Begs Fans To Put Latest Tracks On Pirate Bay To Help Bandwidth Load
Paul Talbot writes "The independent record label Labrador Records has been giving away a 68 track free MP3 sampler to promote their summer material. However, they couldn't cope with the demand. Rather than withdraw the downloads, they've chosen to use a mirror service and are actually asking people to put the content on thepiratebay.org."


EMI Partners With VerveLife To Exploit DRM Free For Broader Marketing
EMI has announced a strategic partnership with Chicago-based digital agency VerveLife. The partnership gives brand partners access to EMI's catalogue to offer consumers downloads via promotional campaigns.


DRM-Free MP3s Coming to Yahoo, URGE
MusicNet, the company that powers the song libraries of Yahoo! Music Unlimited and URGE, said Tuesday that it will make available over 1 million tracks in MP3 format without digital rights management. The move follows Apple offering DRM-free songs in its own AAC format through iTunes.

Like Apple, MusicNet will offer the song catalog of EMI -- the only top record label currently willing to drop DRM requirements -- as well as several leading independent labels including Righteous Babe, Nettwerk, Madacy, Nitro, and others. By using the MP3 format as opposed to Windows Media, MusicNet will enable customers of Yahoo and URGE to transfer their songs to practically any portable media player they choose. Pricing and a specific launch date for the MP3 option has not been set, but MusicNet said it will happen this quarter.