Apple threatens to shut down iTunes over royalties increase
In what is sure to be another chapter in the Miltonian clash between online music retailers and the folks who supply their product, Apple has threatened to shut down its online music store over the National Association of Music Publisher's requested six-cent hike in digital royalties fees, the first increase since the rate was set in 1996. The Copyright Royalty Board is set to pass judgment on the issue this week and Apple is likewise poised to close shop and bring 85 percent of online music sales crashing down around it.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsiTunes rival MySpace Music launches, indie labels miffed
According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 80 percent of all online music downloads come from Apple's iTunes. So you can't blame MySpace for wanting to challenge the hundred-pound gorilla. As reported earlier, MySpace has been working on what it sees as a challenger to the Apple dominance, culminating with the launch its long-in-the-works MySpace Music site this past Thursday.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsClassical-only online music store launches
How many nights have you found yourself jonesing for a little of Mendelssohn's "Symphony No. 5" (in D major, natch) only to discover that your download site of choice has a dearth of options for the classical listener? If you've ever found yourself in this admittedly unlikely situation, we may have just the website for you. Passionato, the brainchild of music-industry veteran and former conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, James Glicker, officially launched this week. The site's stated aim is to provide "the world's biggest collection of high-quality classical downloads, first in the UK and later worldwide."... read more
Found in: Music, NewsAmazon.com launches IMDb-like band database
Say you find yourself cruising Amazon.com one midnight dreary, browsing new music and scoping out rare EPs, when suddenly you find a band you've never heard of before. You're intrigued, but first you have to do some essential fact-checking to make sure that you're not accidentally copping some Creed cover record (perish the thought). But what a pain! You've got to open a new tab, browse Last.fm, and then refer back to the Amazon page. You call that 21st century technology? We want everything now! You can sleep a little bit easier tonight, brave internaut, because Amazon is about to... read more
Found in: Music, NewsGoogle begins Google Chrome web browser launch
On Tuesday, Google launched its Google Chrome project in beta in more than 100 countries. The project, which is an open-source web browser, has been rumored for years now. A comic book introducing the project by Scott McCloud (a must-read for the web challenged) was leaked a bit early on the web and was made available by the company itself on Monday. ... read more
Found in: Culture, NewsNBC web series Gemini Division to star Rosario Dawson
Online shows like Quarterlife or the stuff they put up on Channel 101 can be new and exciting, but ultimately they lack a certain something that network television has. That certain something is money. But it looks like change is afoot, paradigms are shifting, etc. NBC announced recently that it's producing a straight-to-web television show to be released in a series of easy, bite-sized episodes better fitting to their format.... read more
Found in: Movies, NewsRhymes With Five: Spam worth reading
If you use email, you probably get Spam. It's pretty much a fact of life, and it's nearly as useless to complain about the Spam messages as it is to wonder aloud about what, actually, composes its meaty-ish namesake. (Which, by the way, seems to have undergone a major re-branding of late. "Crazy Tasty"-- really?) Something about Spam email that I find really funny is how it so pointedly-- yet so unsuccessfully-- preys on peoples' fears and insecurities. A few weeks ago, some of Paste's inter-office email lists were besot by numerous Spam emails with subject lines like "what a... read more
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