snapshot 3/28/08

BMI says ringtone sales are falling
Broadcast Music Inc. is projecting U.S. sales of mobile phone ringtones will fall in 2008 compared to last year. The company, which licenses performing rights to musical works, said Thursday it expects ringtone sales will total about $510 million this year, down 7 percent from 2007.


Rockstar and Amazon bring digital music distribution to GTA4
Looking to cash in on that potential, Amazon and Rockstar Games have teamed up to create an interesting new aspect of the game that will leverage the ever-increasing bond between gamers and music: Grand Theft Auto 4 is set to include a unique new model for digital music distribution: gamers will be able to buy music for their iPods, PCs, and other devices in-game.

The in-game radio feature of the Grand Theft Auto games has long been lauded, and now players will have the chance to scoop up the songs they hear in the game to listen to in the real world. A new technology called "ZiT" uses the game's cell phone feature. When players hear a song they like, they can dial a number on their in-game cell-phone to receive a text message detailing the artist and track title. For users that sign up for the new Rockstar Games Social Club, an e-mail will then be sent with a link to a custom Amazon.com playlist which features the tracks phoned in. These DRM-free tracks will be priced in the 89-99¢ Amazon price range.


Report: Music downloads on your Net access tab?
Jim Griffin, Warner's latest top-shelf hire and the former head of Geffen Music, told Portfolio.com the details of a radical new strategy to deal with the record industry's 21st-century crisis. According to Griffin's plan, to which he said Warner Music is "totally committed," a monthly fee added to an Internet service bill--say, five bucks--could give consumers unlimited access to music that they could download, copy, and share.


SpiralFrog™ Now Third Largest Legal Music Download Site
SpiralFrog, Inc., (www.spiralfrog.com) the free, ad-supported Web-based music experience, today announced it crossed a major threshold with almost 850,000 registered users. Based on reported user numbers, SpiralFrog is now positioned as the third largest legal music download site in U.S. and Canada behind only iTunes and Rhapsody. The company also demonstrated further growth with traffic already surpassing two million unique monthly visitors for March.


Amazon Tightens Grip on Printing
Amazon.com Inc., flexing its muscles as a major book retailer, notified publishers who print books on demand that they will have to use its on-demand printing facilities if they want their books directly sold on Amazon's Web site. The move signals that Amazon is intent on using its position as the premier online bookseller to strengthen its presence in other phases of bookselling and manufacturing. Amazon is one of the biggest booksellers in the U.S., with a market share publishing experts estimate to be about 15%. Amazon doesn't comment on sales.r


Your Ticket Is Ringing: Live Nation, Rogers Ditching Paper
The mobile phone has evolved into a multi-purpose weapon, despite its simpler roots. Phones are notoriously omnipresent at live events, but venues are now substituting mobile devices for hard tickets. And just recently, Live Nation brokered a pact with Toronto-based Rogers Wireless on a broad-reaching mobile ticketing solution, one that ditches paper-based tickets entirely.
The "Wireless Box Office" allows Rogers subscribers to present a phone-stored barcode at the gate at selected Live Nation venues in Canada. "The cellphone is literally and figuratively the ticket," a company representative said. The concept is part of a larger arrangement between the companies, one that includes exclusive access to select gigs.


Dave Matthews Pulls a Prince; Albums Bundled Into Shows
Dave Matthews Band is no stranger to multi-platinum album sales, but the group enjoys much stronger revenues from the road. Now, the band is bundling its latest album into a concert ticket purchase, a move pioneered by Prince years ago.

But this time around, the details are decidedly digital. The gratis album contains live performances from the upcoming tour, a work-in-progress approach that extends the excitement beyond the actual gig. Those purchasing tickets through Ticketmaster will have pre-order access to the digital album starting this Saturday. The album will be distributed to concertgoers in September, one month prior to a formal in-store release.