According to The Register an Xtn Data study suggests that iTunes, at 54%, has the biggest digital music market share in the UK, while Napster has 10%, Wippit 8%, MyCokeMusic 6%, MSN 5%, Virgin Digital 3%, Tesco 2%, Woolworths 2% and HMV Digital 1%. However, the figures are not based on sales or subscription figures, but on a poll of 1,000 consumers about awareness of the brands themselves. The study
Really? You don#039t say. Copy-protected CDs are turning music fans off record buying say retailers in the US. Thus retailers themselves are starting to consider throwing out DRM#039d CDs. Great news for fans – bad news for firms like Sony, who are still reeling from the Rootkit debacle. Today they are trying to exchange Rootkit CDs and provides free MP3 downloads. But the horse has long bolted on this scandal,
Guess what? 50 individuals and companies who illegally uploaded music tracks from the web will be hit with legal action. For more news see: Fresh crackdown on illegal music filesharers – Ireland Online: addict3d.orgFresh crackdown on illegal music filesharers IRMA announces further crackdown on illegal downloads Irish file-swappers face more legal action New legal action planned for filesharers
Here’s something interesting. DigitalSpy is now bigger in traffic than ITV.com. That’s without any DS URLs appearing at the bottom of crap soap operas of an evening. Amazing. The switch happened half way through the year and never went back. ITV.com’s traffic is now on the decline, while DS’s had flattened but not weakened.
Gina Harkell speaks about her experience being sued by the BPI after her son downloaded music illegally.
Tapeitofftheinternet.com – Oh. My. God. A while back (2 years ago?) I wrote a column about what would happen when BitTorrent was married with RSS. It happened. I’ve also written about how social software will eventually have a real application when married with a real interest, like music or films. It looks like Tapeitofftheinternet.com is about to bring all of these elements together. Look out broadcast TV. Here we come.
[Copyright conference coverage]: Alexander Ross Partner, Wiggin: Thanks to EU copyright directive there has to be a levy system. Fair compensation is all it allows for – which might be zero. If we introduced a private copy exemption into the Uk we’d have to create a levy system. Any private copy must take account for DRM, which is odd. One way of getting money back from iPods? Supporters say the
Pete Jenner (former manager of Pink Floyd) on why Podcasting is cool: “Podcasting feels like FM radio did in the 60s.” (Jenner is the second speaker).
[Copyright conference coverage] Steve Greenfield, Snr Lecturer in Law, Univ. Westminster (pictured, standing), said: “Consumers will NOT comply when you try to restrict what they do to consumer content. Eleven years olds now interact with the music industry in a completely different way. The Arctic Monkeys are a great example of how this is working.�
[Copyright conference coverage]: Peter Jenner, of Sincere Management, one time manager of Pink Floyd and now Billy Bragg, said we all “need” copyright. But there are differences between the creator and the investor. “The creator is often used as the fig leaf for the investors greed.” Very few artists get royalties – “I’m unhappy with the way the total amount of money that comes into the industry, a small amount