snapshot 3/18/08

Stats: iPhone/iPod browser share growing rapidly
The number of Americans browsing the web via the iPhone and iPod touch rose dramatically between December and March, according to StatCounter. The web tracking company reports that figures rose 64 percent in the period, from 0.14 to 0.23 percent of surfers; while the amount is dramatically smaller than that using desktop browsers such as Firefox or Internet Explorer, it is far in excess of some other cellular technologies, such as Nokia's. People browsing from Nokia devices represent just 0.01 percent of the US market.


LiveWire acquires Groove Mobile for $14.5 million
The all stock transaction calls for the purchase of every outstanding share of Groove, and gives LiveWire a larger presence in the mobile music download market. With the addition of Groove, LiveWire gains some large provider contracts like those from Sprint, 3 UK, and Bell Mobility, among others. The company's total presence will expand to 42 countries with about 15 million active subscribers.


R.E.M. pushes limits with Accelerate as record deal expires
The avant-garde fun doesn't stop there, either. R.E.M. has licensed several songs (no, I don't know which ones) to video games after squeezing Orange Crush into Harmonix/Electronic Arts hit Rock Band. Bertis noted that some licenses never get used, but that there's a good chance that we might see more of Michael Stipe and the gang on our Xboxes and Wiis. Also, iTunes seems to be treating the band very well because they're set to play a set in the world's largest Apple store next Wednesday, two days after doing the Albert Hall. "We're playing a lot of smaller venues to support this album," said Downs, "but this is definitely the only computer store on our schedule."

All of this speaks volumes about Warner's willingness to embrace the new realities of the entertainment industry. It's impossible to tell how much of this freedoms comes from R.E.M.'s Hall of Fame-worthy star power, how the impending contract negotiations factor in, and how open-minded the label's top brass would be without those factors. But it's a start. Would R.E.M. walk in Radiohead's footprints and go truly indie? Bertis simply said that the band is looking at all its options, and that the opportunities to make interesting moves are so plentiful that they have to say "no" to most of them. In other words, wait and see. Whatever happens, R.E.M. will make news—and waves.