The Sirius and XM merger is inevitable. While some call it a failure on the part of XM or both companies, the overriding factor is structural and no different from other industries that featured huge...

Coming soon if RIAA has their way ... "AT&T - Your World. And Your Privacy. Delivered." RIAA launched a new tactic in its war of terror against file sharers. It's trying to make...

the wall street journal reported that major recording label EMI contacted major online music stores with a plan to remove DRM security from files. Open format files would be able to be copied and...

Sony Ericsson upgraded its mobile phone line with thinner, more fashionable Walkmans. The company has achieved sales of 20 million Walkman phones and 60 million of general music-enabled products. The...

A band's MUSIC should not be a brand. With that clarification, I refer readers to Bob Lefsetz's commentary below. A band's BUSINESS however better be a brand. The corporate manager and...

Defendant Debbie Foster of Oklahoma was granted attorney fees in Capitol v. Foster, a RIAA copyright infringement lawsuit. The case is RIAA's biggest setback to date. The Foster case followed a...

The Grammys are over. Check the winners. From an industry perspective the Grammys are always a letdown. It's not just a question of the right artists being honored. It's the inherent bias...

Apple CEO Steve Jobs issued an open letter calling for the entertainment industry to move to the open MP3 format. He wrote "If the big four music companies would license Apple their music...

With the music and radio world shrinking, radio stations first turned to online streaming, then podcasting, and now video. Having a "face for radio" is increasingly a thing of the past. The...

OnTour offers a concert widget that makes it easy to see where your favorite band is playing or who is coming to town, and to buy tickets. OnTour even retrieves concert listings and highlights the...

Digital music distributor PassAlong Networks has jumped on the anti-DRM bandwagon. PassAlong's major label music will continue to be protected. But PassAlong's independent music inventory of...

This isn't related to our topic on hand. But it's Friday and I can be freaky. So I recommend MeanKids. The site can be vulgar with topics like "And Now a Word from the Man Love...

I wrote previously about my concerns over GoDaddy business practices. I am a GoDaddy customer. So I sent in a support email about this issue. I received a call from the Office of the President. I...

XM and Sirius, the two large satellite radio broadcasters, are merging.. The deal is a $4.5 billion stock buyout by Sirius, though it's being promoted as a "merger of equals." The...

A key part of the digital music industry story the past decade has been the labels themselves. Unfortunately the story isn't changing. Labels continue act like dinosaurs. They are making...

Suretone Records, a Universal Music Group label, will distribute videos of top and new artists on the P2P file sharing networks. The files will not be secured and can be freely and legally downloaded...

P2P and Internet distributor INTENT MediaWorks has signed a deal with Violator Management & Records for ad-based and secured distribution of music and video content over P2P and the Internet....

F2C: Freedom to Connect is being held this year March 5 & 6 in the Washington, DC area. F2C features Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas, sci-fi author Bruce Sterling, Professor Yochai Benkler and many more...

We previously reported the ruling "Italian Court Rules Personal Downloading Legal." Er, not so fast. Our good friends at IFPI, the international companion to RIAA, say the case was based on...

Over half the 25 best selling CDs on Amazon.com are under $10. Credit Apple. iTunes' $9.99 album pricing is driving major retailers to be competitive in a weak market. An anonymous record exec...

I earlier reported on Warner Music CEO Edgar Bronfman admitting that his kids are music pirates who have downloaded unauthorized files. He said it was a family matter. That statement has come Full...