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Grooveshark Signs Deal With EMI

Major music label EMI has dropped its copyright infringement lawsuit against music streaming service Grooveshark, reaching a deal to license its recording and publishing catalogs to the site. "We think services like Grooveshark offer great music discovery options for fans," said Mark Piibe, EMI Music's Global Head of Digital Business Development.

Room At The Top: Google CIO Exits

Douglas Merrill said farewell to the best job in the world, as he opted for a position with music label EMI.

The Internet and the Music Industry

Ever since I blogged for a music site, I’ve watched how the Internet has transformed the music industry. Here are some recent highlights - and they are sad songs:

MP3Tunes Fights EMI's Funky Lawsuit Music

A lawsuit brought forth by recording industry giant EMI against MP3Tunes again raises some fundamental questions about digital music ownership and link aggregation.

YouTube Adding H.264 Format

While the jury is still out on whether anyone actually needs an Apple TV, the iTunes streaming device is getting a new feature: YouTube. Sometime in the middle of this month, a software update to the device will add wireless YouTube streaming.

iTunes Sells EMI DRM Free, Attaching Purchaser Info

UPDATED:  iTunes yesterday began selling thousands of higher quality EMI tracks DRM free and added an upgrade option for previous purchases. But the offering dubbed iTunes Plus comes with some major  baggage that may not please consumers.

Apple Unveils iTunes Plus

Apple has launched iTunes Plus, DRM-free music tracks that will be available for $1.29 per song. iTunes Plus is launching with EMI's digital catalog of recording artists including Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, John Coltrane and Pink Floyd. "Our customers are very excited about the freedom and amazing sound quality of iTunes Plus," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We expect more than half of the songs on iTunes will be offered in iTunes Plus versions by the end of this year."

Zune Marketplace Takes EMI's Lead

The iTunes Music Store may be the first to offer DRM-free songs from EMI artists, but the Zune Marketplace won’t be far behind. Microsoft has plans to make the premium tracks available for download from its online store in the near future, and believes this move can only help promote healthier competition between the Zune and the iPod.

Entire EMI Catalog DRM Free

The Beatles weren’t the talk of today’s joint press conference held by EMI Group and Apple in London, b

EMI Drops DRM Restrictions On iTunes

Crusaders against Digital Rights Management (DRM) believe the practice does nothing to curtail music piracy while placing unnecessary restrictions on downloaded audio content. In a move that should please the anti-DRM contingent, EMI has announced that it will remove the restriction from its tracks on iTunes.