As a string of high-profile hip-hop artists near the end of their record contracts, a question looming over their pending free agency isn't which major label they'll sign with but whether they should sign with a major. While few rappers can match the pull and marketability of the former Def Jam president, big names like 50 Cent, LL Cool J and OutKast will soon be on the market as well. Although they may ultimately re-sign with major labels, their camps have indicated that they are at least contemplating the possibility of a future without a major-label deal.
iTunes Store Dominates Music, and Movies May Be Ne
On Thursday, Apple passed yet another significant milestone at its iTunes Store. The company announced that music fans have purchased and downloaded more than five billion songs. Movies could be the next digital medium to realize those numbers. The iTunes Store is the largest music retailer in the U.S., according to the NPD Group. And iTunes customers are now renting and purchasing more than 50,000 movies every day, according to Apple.
Analysts said Apple's decision to give consumers the ability to turn previously purchased tracks into complete albums at a reduced price, and seamless integration with iPod and iPhone, has helped its cause. "This is just further evidence, if any is needed, that the recorded music business is headed toward Internet distribution," said Phil Leigh, a senior analyst at Inside Digital Media. "Apple is already selling more music than Wal-Mart."
My Experience With Amazon’s MP3 Download Service
First let me say that I went into this review not hoping for much and was instead pleasantly surprised. So, before I go on, let me say that I think for many people Amazon offers a fair alternative to the iTMS. And if you are willing to go through a few more steps then it is definately worth it. Now on to the rest of the review. The selling point that convinced me to give Amazon's service a shot was that they sell DRM-free songs in MP3 format. Some of their songs are also a little bit cheaper (by a dime) but the though of saving 10¢ wasn't really what persuaded me to give them a try. For me it was the joy of knowing that I can do whatever I want with my music without having to first un-cripple it.
Movie studios consider rentals on DVD release
As one of their most lucrative sources of revenue stagnates, several Hollywood studios are considering something that would have been unthinkable even two years ago: renting films to cable subscribers and Internet users on the same day they're released on DVD.
11 Billion Videos Viewed Online Monthly
134 million people in the us went online to watch an astounding average of 81 videos for a total of 11 billion videos in April, the latest figures released by comScore.
- 71% the total U.S. Internet audience viewed online video
- The average online viewer watched 228 minutes of video
- 18-34 year olds were the heaviest viewers watching 287 minutes each
- 82.1 million viewers watched 4.1 billion videos on YouTube
- 49.8 videos per viewer - 46 million viewers watched 481 million videos on MySpace
- 10.4 videos per viewer - The average online video duration was 2.8 minutes
For Tom Petty Fans, the True Sound of Vinyl, Also Captured on a CD
The vinyl version of the new album from Mudcrutch, the recently reunited band from the early ’70s that features Tom Petty, comes with a CD that buyers can play in their cars or rip to make MP3 files. Those who do will notice that it is abnormally quiet — and that the CD holder instructs listeners to play it on a good stereo and turn it up.
The e-Book Test: Do Electronic Versions Deter Piracy?
For example, my own publisher, O’Reilly, is about to offer a bunch of its bestsellers for sale on the Amazon Kindle. Early next month, the company will also start selling electronic versions of certain books with no copy protection. For a single price (cheaper than the printed-book price), the package will include the book in three formats: PDF, Mobipub (compatible with the Amazon Kindle), and Epub (soon to be compatible with the Sony Reader).
Topspin flips the music subscription model
Like a side project of revered indie stars, Topspin features former stars from Yahoo Music, Digidesign, and Real Networks taking charge of the changing record industry landscape. The company is helping build a platform that, in part, allows consumers to subscribe directly to the artist rather than to some music service.
In addition to being able to sell their own products individually, musical acts can offer "subscriptions" to their entire catalog for a single or recurring fee. The artists Topspin has worked with so far that are offering such subscriptions include Jubilee (ex-Icarus Line, NIN, Queens of the Stone Age), Josh Rouse, and The Dandy Warhols.
Amazon E-Book Sales To Hit $2.5 Billion In 2012; Will Add $330 Million To Op Income: Analyst
CEO Jeff Bezos has been famously tight lipped on anything to do with data on the Kindle. Just about the only hard stat ever given out is that of the 125,000 titles the company sells in both physical and electronic forms, the electronic ones account for 6 percent of unit sales. Other than that, it’s been all speculation. We’re not expecting any hard numbers for a long time, so here’s some more speculation: Pacific Crest analyst Steve Weinstein argues that global e-book sales at Amazon could reach $2.5 billion by the year 2012.
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