WebProNews

Yahoo, AOL, RealNetworks Must Pay Music Royalties

The last thing either Yahoo or AOL wants to do right now is give away money; the companies are having enough trouble without handouts.  Yet a federal court has ruled that Yahoo and AOL (along with RealNetworks) must pay millions in licensing fees to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).

Madonna Concert To Stream Live On MSN

Madonna will be giving a concert at New York City's Roseland Ballroom to promote her new CD, "Hard Candy"; the performance will be streamed live on MSN.

Free Music On Last . fm Drives CD And Download Sales

Last . fm said today that its free-on- demand music service, launched in January, has increased CD and download sales 119 percent through its partnership with Amazon.com.The CBS owned site said that its users have purchased 66 percent more albums and singles they did before the launch of its free-on-demand service.

The Online Mistakes Of The Music Business

In the April issue of Blender, they take a look at the "20 biggest record company screw-ups of all time."Topping the list is the major record labels and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for rejecting a billion dollar settlement from Napster and not finding a way to make money off file sharing services.

iTunes Becomes Number 2 Music Seller In U.S.

The amount of music that consumers purchased in the U.S. rose by 6 percent in 2007, according to The NPD Group.An increase in digital download revenues was not able to make up for the decline in CD sales, which resulted in a net 10 percent decline in music spending (from $44 to $40 per capita among Internet users).

UK Pig Farmers Take Novelty Song Online

British pig farmers are protesting not receiving a fair price for their hogs by turning to song and the Internet.

MySpace In Talks To Launch Free Music Service

MySpace is in discussions with major record labels to develop a new ad supported service that would allow its users to listen to music for free on their computers.The News Corp company has been in talks with Universal Music, Sony BMG, Warner Music and EMI, according to people familiar with the situation.

EU Says File Sharers Can Remain Private

Internet service providers do not have to release the names of users believed to be illegally sharing music files the European Union's top court has ruled.

Imeem Acquires Anywhere.FM

Since Imeem somehow managed to sign deals with all four major record labels, we don't think arranging this new agreement put a major strain on the company.  Still, Imeem's acquisition of Anywhere.FM appears to be an important step forward in its development.

Subscription Based Music To Hit $3 Billion

People will increasingly choose music rentals over owning music according to Juniper Research's "Mobile Music Services: Ringtones, Ringback Tones and Original Recordings" report.Juniper predicts that the market for subscription-based music rentals will hit $3.3 billion in 2012, surpassing spending on original recordings.