Digital Music Sales Surpass CDs in 2011
Lovers of physical media are currently commiserating the fact that digital sales just won the war on music because according to Neilsen SoundScan, digital outsold physical music for the first time ever in 2011. read more
Louis C.K. Sold Over 110,000 Copies of His Special in Three Days
In a statement posted last night on his website, comedian Louis C.K. revealed that over 110,000 copies of his new comedy special, Live at the Beacon Theater, have been purchased since it was made available on Dec. 10. read more
Streaming Service Rara Gets Backing from Major Licensing Companies
Rara.com launched today across 15 countries, and all four major licensing companies — Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI Music and Warner Music Group — have backed it, according to Music Week. read more
Rare Sex Pistols Vinyl for Sale for $16,000
It seems strange that a piece of vinyl by veteran punks The Sex Pistols would be fetching off-the-charts prices, but as Dangerous Minds points out, that seems to be the case. According to editors at Record Collector magazine, a rare pressing of one of the band’s most iconic songs “God Save the Queen” has gone on sale for £10,000, or roughly $16,000. read more
Wikipedia Co-Founder Considering Blackout in Response to Anti-Piracy Act
Wikipedia might blackout in response to the Stop Online Piracy Act. At least according to co-founder Jimmy Wales, who posted the notion on his Talk Page this morning. read more
Stone Roses Sign Album Deals With Universal, Columbia
NME reported that The Stone Roses have signed two record deals. The announcement comes from their Facebook page, and it was announced on Dec. 10. The deal comes from Universal Records, which signed the band for U.K. and worldwide releases, and Columbia, which contracted the band in the U.S. read more
Ticketmaster to Offer Refunds Starting in 2012
Yahoo! Finance has reported that Ticketmaster will start refunding money after a court ruled that the company profited off of overcharged processing fees since Oct. 1999 that they never declared they were receiving. read more
Napster Is No More: Officially Absorbed By Rhapsody
Today will officially be Napster’s last day of existence after it will finally be taken over by Rhapsody. It has been nearly a month since Rhapsody announced it purchased the music site from Best Buy (who owned it since 2008), but the process has been finalized and as of tomorrow Napster is no more. read more
Facebook Finds Partner For Smartphone
Rumors about Facebook getting into the smartphone business have been circulating for months now, but it looks like things are finally starting to line up for the social networking company. Facebook has now partnered up with Taiwan-based phone company HTC to produce an Android phone that emphasizes the social aspect of all things mobile. read more
Julie Delpy Will Direct Joe Strummer Biopic
Yesterday NYMag reported that Julie Delpy, director of Beyond Sunrise and Beyond Sunset, has signed on to direct The Right Profile, the upcoming biopic about The Clash frontman Joe Strummer. Delpy's involvement comes after a two-year period of relative inactivity since the relative failure of her last film The Countess. read more
YouTube to Start Paying Publishing Fees
Billboard reported that, according to the National Music Publishers’ Association, a music publishing agreement with YouTube is ready to go into effect. This means that YouTube will pay $4 million upfront for royalties due for user-generated content that contains published songs. read more
Congress Looks to Pass Anti-File Sharing Legislation
In an effort to crack down on rampant illegal file sharing, the Senate and the House of Representatives have both recently proposed new pieces of legislation that, if passed, could have serious consequences for how people share media over the Internet. read more
Natalie Wood Investigation Reopened By Authorities
Authorities announced they will reopen the investigation of actress Natalie Wood’s 1981 drowning death. The Los Angeles County Sherriff’s Office didn’t initially make any further comments regarding the investigation on Thursday night, but stated there will be a news conference later today. read more
Celebrities No Longer Exempt From Jury Duty
Certain celebrities have had the chance to be exempt from the drudgery of jury duty in New York for some obscure reason. At first we thought it was if they had a Verified Twitter account, but it turns out there is a law that has been around for a dozen years that helped celebrities become exempt. read more
CD Baby Surpasses $200 Million in Amount Paid to Indie Musicians
Independent music distribution site CD Baby has not only existed as one of the largest music distributors for over a decade but has continued to experience growth and success. A recent report from Hypebot announced that the company has passed the $200 million mark in total amount paid directly to musicians. Averaging $40 million a year, it expects to reach a quarter billion dollars in 2012. read more
Instead of Releasing Detox, Dr. Dre Announces He's Taking a Break from Music
Influential rap/hip-hop producer Dr. Dre announced to World Entertainment News Network this week that he's taking some time off from making music in order to spend more time with his family. read more
Dinosaur Jr. Reissues Earliest Albums on Cassette Tape
Alternative rock pioneers Dinosaur Jr. reissued their first three albums — Dinosaur (1985), You're Living All Over Me (1987) and Bug (1988) — on vinyl last month, and now they're resurrecting an even more seldom-seen medium of music: the cassette tape. In a special box set distributed by Joyful Noise Recordings, the band will now release these first three albums in cassette format. read more
Brad Pitt Claims He'll Retire from Acting by Age 50
According to a recent report by NME, Brad Pitt has recently announced his attention to move away from acting in the next three years. read more
Google to Unveil Music Store with Mr. Brainwash?
Always seeking to be one step ahead of their rivals over at Cupertino, Google is set to release their next smartphone, The Galaxy Nexus, to compete with the new iPhone 4S. While most people are anticipating the new operating system's face recognition, according to a report from The Verge, Google is also readying to launch their new music store as well. read more
Billy Crystal Tweets He Will Host Oscars
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have not only replaced the producer for the 84th Academy Awards telecast, but reportedly have just picked up legendary Oscars host Billy Crystal. read more
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