snapshot 7/21/08

New iPhone music to users' ears
When it was unveiled in June, Apple's new iPhone didn't appear to offer anything new for music fans. But thanks to the subsequent launch of the App Store on iTunes, iPhone users can download a host of applications to add new functions to the device. Many of them are music-oriented and all are made specifically for the iPhone. The weekend after the new iPhone's release, more than 10 million applications were downloaded through the App Store. Some are free, some carry a fee, and most also work on the Wi-Fi-compatible iPod Touch.


Home servers may render CD racks obsolete
Converting to a fully digitized entertainment library is a good way to cut down on clutter in the house. So what replaces the CD rack once you do? The 500 GB hard drive that comes standard on most home computers today? Soon, even that won't be big enough to store and organize the massive amount of digital music, video and photography that consumers are accumulating as part of the emerging "terabyte lifestyle." That opens the door to a new market, one that for now remains a niche afterthought to most people: home servers.


Musicians' unions stay out of digital debate
With digital distribution of entertainment as the focal point, the TV/film and music industries are embroiled in several disputes between those who create the content and those who distribute it. But while those disputes in Hollywood are well-documented -- with powerful unions like the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild staging high-profile negotiations and, in some cases, strikes -- the perception in the music industry is that artists are largely left to themselves to fight for whatever they can get on their own.


Sony BMG Music's days are numbered
The clock is quickly ticking down on a process that could see German media giant Bertelsmann sell its 50% stake in Sony BMG Music Entertainment tojoint-venture partner Sony Corp in the coming months. Sources say the Sony board will meet July 29 to discuss the future of the 4-year-old venture, whose artists include Britney Spears, Bob Dylan and the Foo Fighters. The combo is due to expire next August.


Billboard charts online music hits
In a move that speaks volumes about how the music business is changing, Billboard has launched a monthly chart on its web site of TuneCore's top 25 album and songs. In other words, little-known users of the service like Boyce Avenue, a Florida band that built up a YouTube following by covering songs by Coldplay and Rianna, will get the same treatment as their multi-platinum idols. Don't laugh. Boyce Avenue has seven of the top 25 songs on the TuneCore song chart.


iLike Offers Free Full Track Streaming and Announces New Ad Platform
iLike , the music discovery service with a number of popular applications across social networks, has announced that it will now offer full track streaming through a partnership with Rhapsody. That means that users of iLike’s applications on Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and hi5 will now be able to listen to complete tracks, as opposed to the 30 second samples offered previously. Users can listen to up to 25 free tracks per month, at which point they can either subscribe to Rhapsody or will be reverted back to the samples.

The deal also has an interesting business model for artists – they earn revenue each time their music is played. Hadi Partovi, President of iLike, told me in a conversation last week that “in the past, music social networks have been a promotional vehicle [for artists], but now it’s also a way to help fund the music industry through our deal with Rhapsody.” Competitor Last.fm rolled out a similar program earlier this month, dubbed the Artist Royalty Program.


GravityZoo Announces MediaZoo, the 1st True Cloud Based Music Library & Player
GravityZoo announced today the beginning of the private beta program for MediaZoo, the 1st true Cloud-based music library & player, without the need for a browser. MediaZoo represents a new generation of Cloud-based services powered by GravityZoo technology. It allows you to not only build your online music library but also join The Zoo, a project aiming to build the world's largest public library of shared, free music. MediaZoo even allows you to invite up to five close friends to come and listen to your music!


StumbleAudio: Find music you've never heard of but might like
If you want to find music from independent artists, you might want to check out StumbleAudio. The web service uses a music recommendation image engine much like the other sites. But all of the artists are independent acts, which means they're either unsigned or signed to smaller labels.

If you find an artist you like, you can flip through the tracks on their album and listen to full length audio streams. Or you can click on the links on the side of the page to purchase digital downloads or physical CDs. StumbleAudio currently features over 120,000 artists and 2 million songs.


Record Labels Are Not Venture Capitalists by David Rose
Having worked for both venture backed technology companies and record labels I often have friends from one industry attempt to relate to the other by saying something along the lines of “record labels are just like venture capitalists”. It is true both venture firms and record companies invest their time and money into a third party with the intent of making a (large) return on their investment. However, in my experience there are more differences in their traditional approaches to investing than similarities.


KavaTunes 3.2 web-enables iTunes
KavaSoft on Monday released an update to its KavaTunes software, adding in new features. KavaTunes creates a website that looks and works just like iTunes does, so users can browse, search and play their music from any web browser. KavaTunes 3.2 features continuous playback, enabling users to queue up an entire album or songs and listen to one song after another. KavaTunes can also add album artwork to a music library and is also capable of creating web catalogs that look and work just like an iPod. Visitors can then browse and play music using the familiar iPod clickwheel interface.