Month: September

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Due to "format fatigue" and lack of revenue coming in from the ringtone and ringback market, major labels are backing what they see as the future of the mobile music market: full-song downloads. The music industry wants to turn phones into a platform to enjoy music and not just showcase one's taste. Aside from being able to the wind out of iTunes' sails somewhat, the main reason for this is money. Wireless data revenue has been on the rise, but the amount of revenue gained from selling content via phone fell 1%, meaning people are paying to use basic wireless data services like Web browsers and are not paying an extra fee to use the same connection to buy and download content. This is where the mobile entertainment industry means to redeem themselves with this new generation of phones for full-song downloads. Nokia's Comes With Music phone is set for release in the UK this October. It comes with a one-year unlimited music subscription service in the cost of the mobile phone that supports it. MyPlay is a mobile music download store created by Sony BMG with UK operator O2. Verizon's partnership with Rhapsody is the first for a mobile service to link up with an already branded music service provider and in an integrated way.

Month: September

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Each week, Apple's iTunes store gives away a free download. This track is typically from a little known artist that caught the fancy of the staff and is looking to get some exposure. But when Jazmine Sullivan's new single was featured on Sept. 2 the main difference was that it's already a prominent fixture on the charts. So why give away a hit single? J Records execs see the promotional value of this exposure as outweighing the loss in sales for the week. They are hoping it will bolster sales of her forthcoming album. The iTunes store Single of the Week has also featured tracks from Duffy and Raheem DeVaughn, two other prominent artists. These artists and others in the past have seen significant increases in their album sales during and after the single has been posted for free download on iTunes. The store provides great visibility for the song and exposure to a much broader and diverse audience.

Month: Winter

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Peer-to-peer file sharing is one of the most prominent ways in which people illegally give and receive music. The RIAA takes the stance that “ making available” a copyrighted sound recording on a p2p file-sharing networks is a violation of the copyright holder’s exclusive right of distribution. The article looks at both the position of the RIAA and the rebuttal, while also providing a solution.