Shawn Fanning’s post-Napster endeavor has fared poorly, with layoffs and "For Sale" signs the order of the day.

The announcement derby in the music space shifts to Florida this week and mobile conference CITA Wireless. Even prior to today’s opening the press releases are flying.

Ipsos Tempo Digital Music Brandscape study released today indicates that Apple’s iTunes continues to cement its position as the primary fee-based digital music destination, while a number of other services are trying to grow their consumer base and establish points of differentiation.

For many brands awareness was consistent in 2006. For American downloaders aged 12 and older, iTunes saw an increase in both unaided and aided awareness over 2005, rising from 57 percent to 66 percent for total awareness.

AOL and Napster announced Friday that Napster will become the exclusive music subscription provider for AOL Music. The two companies will partner to migrate approximately 350,000 paid subscribers of the Music Now service to Napster’s digital music subscription service.

When it comes to litigation, I remember the lessons of one Steve Dallas – only sue those who have deep pockets. Apparently, video-on-demand (VOD) specialist Intertainer received the same lesson and has decided to act on it.

One of the most recognizable names in online music sales has signed a “digital royalties deal.”

Napster’s looking for a friend, or a sugar daddy, whichever one makes a better offer. The controversial and troubled music download service announced the company was seeking partnerships, or a potential sale.

Napster is back in full effect, kind of. A recent article in USA Today discussed its new ad supported model. Now visitors can come to Napster and listen to music absolutely free.