Google Rumored to be Developing Facebook Rival
Mashable declared yesterday Social Media Day, and Tweeters and Facebookers around the world left their profiles by the wayside to venture back into the real world for a bit. Some intriguing news also surfaced: some tech industry big wigs have dropped rumors that Google is developing a social media platform to rival Facebook.... read more
Rumblefish Offering Music Licensing for Personal Videos
YouTube—and, let’s face it, the Internet as a whole—is a barren copyright battleground. Co-opting licensed material for personal use is a practice battled by media giants and artists alike. YouTube is the current D-Day of the copyright war, with hundreds of videos broadcasting licensed material or taking licensed music to provide soundtrack to everything from wedding videos to the cutest cat in all the land. Media licensing company Rumblefish is tossing its weight in by offering a new service, called Friendly Music, that allows users to purchase licenses to music titles for personal use.... read more
Lollapalooza Organizers Being Investigated by Illinois Attorney General
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is reportedly investigating C3 Presents and various Lollapalooza sponsors for possible anti-trust violations. Like other major festivals that take place in the U.S. (Coachella, Bonnaroo, Austin City Limits), Lollapalooza requires its acts to adhere to radius clauses that prohibit them from playing at any venue within 300 miles of the festival’s Grant Park location 180 days before and 90 days after the event.... read more
Gourmet Magazine Returns as an iPad App
Times is tough in the print industry; to thrive, one must adapt. And no one knows that better than giant publishing conglomerate Conde Nast, who announced recently the reintroduction of one of its most celebrated titles, Gourmet Magazine, as an iPad app.... read more
Marky Ramone Sues for Royalties
Ramones drummer Marky Ramone (real name Marc Bell) wants $175,000 in back-royalties (and $1 million in punitive damages) from a distribution company he says is in violation of a contract he signed with them in 2005.... read more
Google Receives Cease-and-Desist from BPI, Plans to Launch Music Service
Google is a hot topic on the interwebs these days. When the company isn’t getting sued by Viacom, it’s preparing to launch a music-download service to accompany its search engine. According to the Wall Street Journal, the service might become available later this year, but an actual music download store or online subscription service wouldn’t be available until 2011. In addition to offering the new music services for the Android as well as the web, Google is also planning on launching a digital bookstore sometime this year.... read more
Hulu's Paid Subscription Service Inches Toward Reality
Video streaming site Hulu has been home to free clips and television episodes for nearly two years, but it’s been working on implementing a paid subscription service for a while. According to previous reports, the proposed changes won’t completely eliminate free content from the site; the five most recent episodes of shows will remain free, but users will have to pay around $9.95 per month for other episodes and seasons.... read more
Vinyl Pressing Plant in UK Raided by Police
Police raided an illegal vinyl pressing plant in the United Kingdom that could possibly be responsible for producing many of the illegal vinyl discs currently circulating throughout the UK.... read more
Linux-based "Child-Friendly" OS, Kiddix, Being Offered on Pay-What-You-Want Basis
Kiddix OS, a family-friendly operating system built on Linux, is being offered on a pay-what-you-want basis through the end of this month. According to the Kiddix website, the OS contains “child-friendly” web browser, word processor, calendar, e-mail, paint, multimedia player and calculator applications in addition to educational games, extensive parental controls and two regular games (“Frozen Bubble” and “Planet Penguin Racer”).... read more
Broken Social Scene, New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara Included on Polaris Prize Long List
The first round of nominees for Canada’s Polaris Music Prize have been announced. It includes the likes of Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Tegan and Sara and Yukon Blonde, to name a few.... read more
Writers Guild Pressures IMDb to Remove Age Info
Age ain’t nothin’ but a number. Or so says the Writers Guild of America. That’s why it’s pressuring IMDb.com to remove information regarding age from personal profiles of actors, writers, directors, etc.... read more
CBGB Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection
CBGB Holdings LLC, the company that now owns Manhattan’s legendary punk-rock venue, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last Friday. The Associated Press reports that the company did not give a reason for filing for bankruptcy protection, but has indicated debts ranging from $1 million to $10 million.... read more
Starbucks to Offer Free Wi-Fi at U.S. Locations
About 1 hour ago, Starbucks sent out a tweet announcing that the coffee-house conglomerate will begin offering free wireless internet at all of its U.S. locations July 1. Currently, wi-fi can only be accessed at the venue by registering a Starbucks Card, and even then, it’s only available for two consecutive hours a day and requires a username and password.... read more
UPDATE: Conan O'Brien and Jack White Did Something Cool Last Night
Update: Remember that “something cool” we mentioned yesterday? The something that involved funnyman Conan O’Brien and rockin’ Jack White in the same room? Well, that “something cool” has transformed into “something completely awesome.” O’Brien played a supposedly “rockabilly” flavored set for 300 people at White’s Third Man Records in Nashville.... read more
iPhone 4 Details Revealed
Mouths watered and eyes widened as Steve Jobs discussed the many impressive new features of the iPhone 4 yesterday. The device, which drops June 24, boasts many improvements, including video-chatting capabilities, unprecedented resolution, HD video recording and editing, a 5-megapixel camera, 40 percent more battery life, iBooks access and motion sensing capabilities for enhanced gaming features.... read more
Behold a Dark Horse: Gibson's J-45 is Under Fire
The only photograph I carry in my wallet is of a Gibson J-45... read more
Australian Government Bailout Will Save Sydney Opera House
In these rough financial times, banks, auto manufacturers and insurance companies aren’t the only institutions in need of a government bailout. The Daily Telegraph reports that the Australian government will be giving $130 million to the Sydney Opera House for renovations that will keep the historical concert hall from shutting down.... read more
Apple Gives Percentage of iPad Profits Back to Workers
Last week, Apple responded to the tragic suicides that have taken place at their China-based manufacturing plant, Foxconn, claiming that the company is "deeply committed to ensuring that conditions throughout [its] supply chain are safe and workers are treated with respect and dignity.” Putting some money where their collective mouth is, Apple executives have now promised to contribute a portion of iPad profits to a 20 percent raise for Shenzhen workers.... read more
BuzzMedia Adds PopMatters, Gorilla vs. Bear, Hype Machine, More
BuzzMedia, the company behind Celebuzz, Buzznet and Stereogum, added six more influential music sites to its music division recently. The newcomers, drawn by advertising partnerships and investments, include PureVolume, PopMatters, Gorilla vs. Bear, The Hype Machine, Concrete Loop and RCRD LBL.... read more
NBC President Jeff Zucker Taking $30 Million Exit Deal?
In a merge of monstrous proportions, Comcast shelled out $30 billion to acquire 51 percent of NBC last year, a move that entitles them to the network’s television properties, theme parks and film enterprises. Even though NBC Universal CEO and President Jeff Zucker’s contract with Comcast and General Electric, which owns the other 49 percent of the network, is valid through 2013, the New York Post claims Zucker will be taking advantage of a $30-$40 million exit package that will allow him to leave the company shortly after the Comcast acquisition is finalized early next year.... read more
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