Commentary on Music Industry Figures & Happenings
There have been several analyses of last week’s purchase of Warner Music by Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries, the best of which is Ed Christman’s Billboard piece that ran on March 6. Christman says the deal was good for both sides. Junior most likely gets to keep his job since his close pal Len bought...
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Billboard Magazine reported last night that Google would be finally be launching its long anticipated music locker service today—without major label licenses. As you probably know, the news of Google’s intentions to follow Amazon’s lead and bypass the typical music industry tsuris was first reported here a few weeks ago. The Billboard story cites...
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A friend was strolling down Madison Avenue the other day when he noticed a chauffer-driven Maybach parked outside 555 Madison Ave, the building that houses Sony Music’s annex across the street from the mother ship. Soon to be formally crowned CEO Doug Morris has been given a temporary office at 555 until July 1...
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Last week Spotify announced that they were cutting back their “freemium” service and limiting the number of plays per song and number of monthly hours that a user could enjoy the service without subscribing. The service caught a lot of flack in the media for doing this, which was totally unfair. Do you actually...
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As much as it hurts me to say something positive about a record label, I am forced to give credit where credit is due. Universal Music actually did something smart today. A little overdue but smart. Today Universal Group Distribution launched an online storefront, Groovetown Vinyl, specifically for vinyl and FLAC formats. “In recent years,...
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I know I’m a little late weighing in on this (I’ve been out of commission for the last couple of weeks) but I’ve read all of the coverage and I can tell you one thing for sure—the labels won’t sue Amazon over it’s new locker service. Why? It’s very simple—money. Like in legal fees....
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Apple is reportedly pushing hard to re-launch their new and improved MobileMe service this April, but what hasn’t been mentioned is that they’re pressuring major record labels to have all of the music licenses in place for the long rumored locker service planned for launch at the same time. Informed sources say that Apple...
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As you all know, Doug Morris’ migration to Sony was first reported here and since then I’ve tried to keep informed on the latest scuttlebutt. I also reported that Morris doesn’t make a move without his doppelganger Mel Lewinter. Here’s the latest on what will be Morris’ first move as CEO of Sony Music. Septuagenarian Morris...
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Last Wednesday a few people started tweeting that “Free and Legal Music Downloads now available from @Qtrax – Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/qtrax18”. At first most of these tweets emanated from Qtrax’s PR firm based in West Palm Beach, FL and from one of its attorneys, followed by some company insiders and acolytes. The tweet...
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The Music Void
