|
12-06-09 |
Swedish Pirate Party
represented in European Parliament
Sweden's Pirate Party, which aims to reform copyright laws and protect music
file downloaders, has won a seat in the European Parliament. The party took 7.1
percent of the Swedish votes last week, meaning that it will gain at least one,
and possibly two seats. The Pirate Party is the third largest political party in
Sweden and has seen an increase in profile since four men involved in setting up
the file-sharing website were sentenced to a year in jail for copyright
infringement in Stockholm. |
|
09-05-09 |
Swedish Pirate Party
looking for seat in European Parliament
A poll has suggested that the Pirate Party, a Swedish political party who back
file-sharing, could be winning a seat in the European Parliament in June. A
survey conducted by a Swedish newspaper showed that over 5% of the 1,500 people
questioned said they would support the party. With 4% of the minimum voting
percentage for a European Parliament seat, the results suggest that the party
winning a seat is not unlikely. The Pirate Party was formed in 2006 with the
political aim of legalising non-commercial file-sharing of music and films. |
|
30-04-09 |
Pirate Bay founder demands
retrial
According to the lawyer defending Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde in the
copyright infringement case which saw Sunde sentenced to a year in jail for
copyright infringement, the judge in the case is a member of the same copyright
protection organisations as some of the main entertainment industry
representatives in the trial. He has therefore called for a retrial. The lawyer
has revealed that a previous judge had been removed from the case at his request
after he was also found to have similar connections. The judge is signed up to
the Svenska föreningen för upphovsrätt (Swedish Copyright Association) which
would imply him to be biased and constitute a conflict of interest. |
|
25-04-09 |
Sonic Youth make sneak
preview available online
Sonic Youth have given a sneak preview of their new album “The Eternal” by
providing the new song “Sacred Trickster” online at www.matadorrecords.com. Fans
can download the track, which features Kim Gordon on vocals, for free. “The
Eternal” will officially be released on June 9. Fans purchasing the album early
can also get a free Sonic Youth live album on vinyl, recorded in New York on
July 4, 2008 and additional MP3s from the band featuring outtakes and alternate
live material.
Study showing that music pirates buy 10 times more
music than they illegally download
According to another study music piracy actually increases music consumption.
The study, called “Consumer Culture In Times Of Crisis,” was done by the BI
Norwegian School of Management in Norway. They looked at almost 2,000 online
music users over the age of 15 and concluded that those who download music
illegally also purchase the most number of legal digital downloads. In fact, the
study reports that file-sharers actually buy 10 times as much music as they
download for free. |
|
15-04-09 |
Ryan Adams working on
online side project
Ryan Adams has worked on a death metal side project called Werewolph. The alias,
under which Adams has occasionally recorded before, is Adams’ first work since
marrying popstar and actress Mandy Moore last month. A website has been set up
at www.werewolph.com that features three new online tracks. Ryan Adams parted
ways with his band The Cardinals last month.
Pirate Bay to launch VPN Service iPREDator
Thousands of users have signed up for IPREDator, which is due to go live anytime
now. BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay is set to launch this VPN service
called IPREDator,which is a spin on the controversial IPRED, the Swedish
Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive, to allow file-sharers to
download copyrighted material anonymously for the measly price of $6.67 a month.
A VPN service anonymizes a subscriber’s IP address, instead using one assigned
to it by the VPN to connect to a BitTorrent application. Demand has turned out
to be si high that the original April 1 launch date has been pushed back. On
April 1 IPRED became law in Sweden, which requires ISPs to reveal the names of
IP addresses accused of illegal file-sharing to copyright holders. |
|
10-04-09 |
New Green Day song
available for preview online
A new Green Day song titled “Know Your Enemy” is available online from their
MySpace. Only the first 90 seconds of what is the first single from the upcoming
Green Day album “21st Century Breakdown” can be previewed. “21st Century
Breakdown” is the first Green Day album since 2004’s “American Idiot” and will
be out in the middle of May. The album will be available in a limited edition
CD, vinyl EP and 60 page art book. |
|
02-04-09 |
Spotify launches download
service
Online music service Spotify will be selling downloads of songs from its
six-million track catalogue.
The online service that allows users to listen to an unlimited amount of
streamed songs for free, has signed a deal to sell downloads with online music
provider 7digital. The service is a direct rival to iTunes, as both services
sell similar downloads. Initially, only users in the UK, Germany, France, Italy
and Spain will be given the option to buy Spotify tracks, although the service
is expected to be rolled out in other European countries in the near future.
Initial results have shown that far fewer people than expected are signing up
for paid premium accounts on the service and that cuurently the most successful
is the free part.
Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction release free
online EP
Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction have contributed two songs to a free EP
which is downloadable from a website created to support the band’s upcoming
summer tour together. The EP features 6 songs in total, the remaining two of
which were contributed by Tom Morello’s new band Street Sweeper. The EP is
available for free at www.ninja2009.com. |
|
20-03-09 |
Pete Doherty's new album
streamed online for free
Pete Doherty's debut solo album “Grace/Wastelands” has been made available
online for free before it goes on sale in the US. The entire album can be heard
for free on Myspace Music and can be found at the album’s official profile at
myspace.com/gracewastelands. The album was produced by Stephen Street (known
from his work for The Smiths and Blur) and features some special guests
including Graham Coxon and Dot Allison. Doherty’s Babyshambles group members Mik
Whitnall, Adam Ficek and Drew McConnell also play on the album.
Beatles back catalogue online
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to release the Beatles back catalogue
through their own website. The two surviving Beatles members, along with the
estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, have been negotiating with
Apple about an iTunes release but so far have not been satisfied with the offer
made by Apple. Disagreement exists on the 99 cents per download rate. Meanwhile,
the Beatles edition of the Rock Band video game has been set for a September 9
release date. |
|
12-02-09 |
Groove Armada launch new
online music model PAP4
Groove Armada's Andy Cato has said that the band have pioneered a brand new
business model for distributing music over the internet. According to Cato, the
new business model is called pass-along-paid-for (PAP4) and if proven successful
may be used by other bands in the future. The band's new EP is currently being
given away for free via PAP4, which works via a sharing system. The more fans
share a track, the more of the EP they get for free. Fans who register for the
new distribution model are initially given the EP's first track for free and to
gain access to the second track, fans need to send a unique link to the first
track to 20 of their friends. Once the first track has been shared between fans
200 times, and then 2,000 times, the original sharer is given access to the EP's
remaining two tracks. |
|
21-01-09 |
Bruce Springsteen previews
new album online
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's new album “Working On A Dream” will be
streamed online for free. The follow-up to “Magic” from 2007 is due out January
27, can be previewed online until its physical release date. Sprinsteen’s 24th
studio album features 12 tracks as well as a bonus track, which was featured in
the film The Wrestler.
Digital download sales topping 1 billion
Digital download sales topped 1 billion for the first time but these
figures ar in no way comparable to illegal downloads. According to data released
by IFPI Communications in the UK last week, it is estimated that more than 40
billion illegal downloads of songs occurred during 2008. While digital downloads
accounted for revenues of around $3.7 billion last year, it is estimated that
more than 95% of downloads are still done illegally. Digital sales in 2008 were
up 36% as compared to 2007. Top selling digital single was Lil Wayne’s
“Lollipop” with 9.1 million units sold. |
|
07-01-09 |
Springsteen makes another
new track available online for free
Bruce Springsteen has made free downloads available through Amazon.com and "Guitar
Hero" in the run-up to release of his new album "Working On A Dream" on January
27. The third single from that project, "Life Itself," is available online as a
free track, along with a new video. Amazon previously made the album track "My
Lucky Day" available.
Morrissey previews new single online
Morrissey is previewing the first single from his upcoming album “Years Of
Refusal” online. Listeners can hear the track “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
streaming from his MySpace player. The single will physically released on
February 9, and the album is set for a February 17 release date the US and
February 23 in Europe. |
|
12-12-08 |
New Eminem and Dr Dre song
leaks
A new song by Eminem and Dr. Dre has leaked to the internet. The track is titled
“Number One” and features Eminem rapping. It is rumored to have been produced by
Dr Dre, although Dre's vocals do not feature on this version of the song. The
song was included in a mixtape by DJ’s Big Mike and Neptune titled “4th Quarter
Pressure, Part 2.” “Number One” is rumored to be included on Dr Dre's upcoming
new album “Detox” rather than on Eminem's comeback album “Relapse” which is set
for 2009 release date.
Oasis release exclusive iTunes EP
Oasis have released a special US-only iTunes exclusive EP. The EP
includes previously unreleased material including a demo version of the current
single “I’m Outta Time” and remix versions of “The Shock Of The Lightning” and
“To Be Where There’s Life.” The band are currently touring the US. |
|
05-12-08 |
Simply Red offers online
bonus content
With Simply Red’s latest release buyers can access and download some extra
content by visiting www.simplyred.com/bonus. Online content includes a one-off,
rare acoustic version of Mick Hucknall performing Simply Red’s “Stars” as well
as some exclusive Simply Red wallpapers and a 19 minute interview with Mick
Hucknall about the history of the band. For promotional purposes Simply Red will
also embark on a world tour.
George Michael releases new Christmas song as a free
download
George Michael will make a new tracks titled “December Song (I Dreamed Of
Christmas)” available for download on Christmas Day. The song will be available
to download for free from Michael's official website and other digital stores.
It is Michael's first Christmas-themed song since 's 1984’s “Last Christmas.”
The new song was recorded for the US TV show Eli Stone, which he has a recurring
cameo role in. |
|
27-11-08 |
Beatles/iTunes
negotiations held back by EMI
The Beatles' back catalog will not be available on iTunes any time soon,
according to Paul McCartney. While launching his new album by his alias the
Fireman, McCartney said that Apple and EMI could not agree on terms to release
the Beatles' catalog to iTunes and other download services. McCartney is very
much in favour of making the songs available online but apparently Beatles’
record label EMI is still blocking the deal.
The Fireman's "Electric Arguments" albu is the third released by McCartney under
that alias with collaborator Youth. It will be the first with vocals.
New Prodigy track available online for free
“Invaders Must Die” is the new song for The Prodigy and it is free to download
from their website. The song will available for one week only. There will also
be a High Definition video download of 'Invaders Must Die' available Downloads
can be obtained from
www.xbox.com/en-GB/xtival08/. The video will also be streamed from
www.theprodigy.com. |
|
29-10-08 |
Gnarls Barkley releasing
digital EP
Gnarls Barkley is releasing four different versions of the song "Who's Gonna
Save My Soul" on a digital EP with the same name, that is due November 11. Also
included is a live version of "Neighbors" and the non-album track "Mystery Man."
Accoring to group member Cee-Lo, the song is about James Brown. Having toured in
support of their second album "The Odd Couple," Gnarls Barkley will now take it
easy a bit while preparing for new projects. |
|
15-10-08 |
New AC/DC album illegally
downloaded 400,000 after leaking online
AC/DC's new album “Black Ice” leaked to the internet on October 7 and
has been downloaded over 400,000 times since. The album is officially set for
release on October 20, and will not be available as a legal download. AC/DC
boycott Apple's iTunes download service as well as other similar services which
is motivated by a desire to ensure their fans enjoy their albums as wholes, not
simply a few tracks at a time. |
|
07-10-08 |
Apple wins royalties case
Apple has won a lawsuit by the National Music Publishers Association over an
application to raise royalty fees for songs purchased from online music stores.
The association asked the US Copyright Royalty Board to increase iTunes royalty
rates paid by artists by 66 per cent (from 9 cents to 15 cents per track) but
the request was refused last week. An application made by Apple to decrease the
rate to 4.8 cents per song was also refused, although the board did agree to
freeze the rate at 9.1 cents for the next five years. |
|
03-09-08 |
New Metallica song
available online
Metallica have made another track from their forthcoming new album “Death
Magnetic” available online on their website. The song is titled “Cyanide” and
can also be obtained from iTunes. The band have also posted a video to first
single “The Day That Never Comes.” The video for the track shows soldiers
travelling through the desert cut with shots of the band performing in the same
landscape. |
|
28-08-08 |
Illinois State University
starts blocking illegal file-sharing Websites
Illinois State University will launch a new website promoting legal alternatives
after it restricts use of illegal file-sharing websites on campus networks. Due
to recent legislation that was enforced on August 14 Illinois State University
has decided to begin prohibiting the use of P2P and file-sharing applications
and services on the campus network. To assist students trying to find legal
alternatives to file-sharing, the university has decided to launch a site called
BirdTrax which provides a comprehensive list of alternatives.
Blogger arrested for leaking new unreleased Guns 'N
Roses tracks
A blogger suspected of leaking tracks from Guns N Roses forthcoming album
“Chinese Democracy” was arrested in Los Angeles. FBI agents took 27-year-old
Kevin Cogill into custody on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws.
Cogill admitted to posting nine unreleased Guns ‘N Roses songs on his website in
June. Prosecutors claim that the leak may have caused "significant" financial
losses for the band. |
|
21-08-08 |
Bloc Party release mp3
version of new album this week
Bloc Party have released their new album on August 21. The band announced the
release during a webchat on August 18. The album will be titled “Intimacy” and
is the band's third album. It is available on CD as well as mp3 from
http://blocparty.sandbag.uk.com.
Fans can choose whether to pay either about $10 for a high-quality mp3 bundle
available on August 21, $16 for a CD available on October 27 or $20 for a
combined order. The CD release of the new Bloc Party effort will include
additional tracks unavailable in the current release. |
|
01-08-08 |
David Byrne and Brian Eno
release new album
David Byrne and Brian Eno are releasing their first album in 27 years, titled "Everything
That Happens Will Happen Today." The set will be out August 18 exclusively and
will exclusively available through EverythingThatHappens.com. A free download of
one track is available from August 4 on. "Happens" will be available as an
enhanced CD at in the future. |
|
20-06-08 |
Kiss: fans have killed the
record industry with illegal dowloading
Kiss have declared that the record industry is "dead". According to bassist Gene
Simmonds his band is refusing to record new material until illegal downloading
ceases, calling the act of downloading "uncivilised". Simmons blames the fans as
"they've decided to download and file-share.” Singer Paul Stanley also said that
the band's policy is to only play old hits live. According to Stanley "with any
classic band that hits the road, the last thing you want to hear is their new
songs." |
|
27-05-08 |
New Elvis Presley remix by
DJ Agostino Spankox available online
After being remixed by Junkie XL (“A Little Less Conversation”) and Paul
Oakenfold (“Rubberneckin”), Elvis Presley will now receive a remix makeover by
DJ Agostino Spankox. The new Elvis remix will be “Baby Let's Play House.” The
song will be made available online this week and will only be available on CD at
Graceland or from www.shopelvis.com. |
|
23-05-08 |
Peter Gabriel providing
new online music project
Peter Gabriel is preparing to provide cheap album downloads in a new
subscription service. The music club is set to record exclusive albums live at
Gabriel's Real World Studios in Bath, which will then be available to download
for a month in the MP3 fromat. One album will be offered each month to those who
subscribe to the service, which will provide free studio time to the artists
involved and also return their rights to the music after two months. Artists in
the project include Skip McDonald's Little Axe Collective and singer-songwriter
Gwyneth Herbert.
Michael Jackson and Bob Marley suing The Pirate Bay
Michael Jackson has joined a list of artists suing The Pirate Bay for $100
million in damages they say have been caused by the BitTorrent tracker site's "facilitation
of copyright infringement." According The Pirate Bay, Bob Marley's Estate is
also suing them. Meanwhile, the Sweden-based site celebrates entering the top
100 of the world's most visited websites.
It recently reached spot 97 and its three month average is 97 as well. |
|
15-05-08 |
Metallica open special
Website
While the new Metallica album is nearing its September release date, the band
has launched the Website "Mission: Metallica" to offer fans exclusive content
and teasers of new songs. Fans signing up will be eligible to win backstage
passes to shows this summer. Metallica will be touring this summer in advance of
the as-yet-untitled album. |
|
06-05-08 |
Latest Nine Inch Nails
album available online for free
Nine Inch Nails have made their new album “The Slip” available online for free.
The album is available for download from their website. The set is set for a
conventional CD and vinyl release in July. “The Slip” was produced by Nine Inch
Nails frontman Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Alan Moulder. Nine Inch Nails
previously released their album “Ghost I-IV” online in March, with fans choosing
how much to pay to download it.
First new Offspring single available as free download
The Offspring has set a June 17 release date for their new album “Rise And Fall,
Rage And Grace.” The band has made a free download of their first single
“Hammerhead” available online on the band’s official Web site. The new 12-track
effort by The Offspring was originally due in March and was produced by Bob
Rock. Rick Rubin also assisted throughout the recording process. Besides a
conventional CD and digital release, a gatefold vinyl edition of “Rise And Fall,
Rage And Grace” will be available. |
|
30-04-08 |
New Coldplay single
available online
Coldplay will make their new single "Violet Hill" available online as a free
download. The track is the lead single from their upcoming studio album "Viva La
Vida or Death And All His Friends." While "Viva La Vida or Death And All His
Friends" is due on June 17 in the US, the European release date has been moved
up four days to June 12. |
|
16-04-08 |
New Portishead album to be
previewed online
Portishead have revealed more information about their new album “Third.” The
album will be streamed on via website Last.fm from April 21. The songs will be
free to listen to online but people will have to pay to download any of the
tracks. This will mark the first time that Last.fm has made an entire album
available online before its official release date. |
|
10-04-08 |
Apple iTunes becomes
biggest music retailer in the US
A new study has revealed that if 12 song downloads are considered the equal of
one physical CD album, Apple’s iTunes has overtaken previous market-leader
Wal-Mart in terms of music sales. Over 50 million people have downloaded music
from iTunes since its 2001 launch. iTunes' move into the top spot came about
during January and February, when iTunes Christmas gift cards were being cashed
in.
MySpace to offer music download service
MySpace is set to launch a new music download service that will allow users to
download songs, mobile phone ringtones and desktop wallpapers from its website.
The company has not yet confirmed how much music downloads and other services
will cost. Major labels Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Music Group have already
signed up to the new MySpace Music service. |
|
26-03-08 |
New Costello album on
vinyl only with digital download code
Elvis Costello's next solo studio album "Momofuku" will be out on April 22.
Initially, the effort will be released on vinyl only, with a digital download
code included in the package. The album is the follow-up to "The Delivery Man"
from 2004. |
|
13-03-08 |
New R.E.M. album available
through iLike
R.E.M.'s new album "Accelerate" is about to be made available for the first time
through networking application iLike. The event will allow fans to stream and
share "Accelerate" in its entirety beginning March 24, a week ahead of the
album's April 1 release date. The iLike launch will make the 11-song set freely
available to anyone and will be accompanied by a video of the band talking about
the album.
Digital reissue of Kelly Rowland’s Ms. Kelly album
Kelly Rowland will release a digital-only album on March 25. The
7-song set "Ms. Kelly: Diva Deluxe" includes five new tracks plus remixes of the
songs "Come Back" and "Like This" featuring Eve. The original versions of those
remixes appeared on Rowland's original version of "Ms. Kelly." Rowland's current
single "Work" was issued as an EP of dance mixes in the US and a second remix EP
for new single "Daylight," featuring Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes, was
released in the US recently. |
|
04-03-08 |
New Nine Inch Nails album
available online
Nine Inch Nails is using the Internet to distribute its new instrumental album "Ghosts
I-IV." "Ghosts" will also be released physical on April 8. Fans can receive the
first nine songs from the 36-track project for free, or the entire album can be
bought digitally for $5. The effort is likely to spawn additional volumes.
According to band member Reznor, they worked with Alan Moulder, Atticus Ross,
Alessandro Cortini, Adrian Belew and Brian Viglione. There are several other
ordering options available for "Ghosts I-IV." |
|
07-02-08 |
Yahoo replaces own online
music subscription service with Rhapsody
Yahoo is quitting on its online subscription music service and replacing it with
Rhapsody America. Yahoo will exclusively promote Rhapsody on its site and
integrate the service into Yahoo Music. Yahoo is one of the most popular music
sites on the Internet claiming 23 million visitors to its music section, but
only a small percentage signed on for Yahoo Music Unlimited. The company also
announced that it has acquired FoxyTunes, a toolbar plug-in that lets users
control desktop and Web music players and find lyrics, videos and other music
information. Rhapsody is jointly owned by MTV and RealNetworks. |
|
25-01-08 |
Pirate Bay charged with
breaking copyright law
Sweden is planning to charge the Pirate Bay, one of the world's most popular Web
sites, with being accessories in breaking copyright law. Pirate Bay helps Web
surfers share copyrighted music and film files, which is illegal in many
countries, including Sweden. No copyright material is stored on Pirate Bay's
servers and no swapping of files actually takes place there. Rather, Pirate Bay
locates file sharers on the Internet and acts as a directory of so-called
torrent files. BitTorrent is a protocol that enables big file transfers. The
torrent files, downloadable from Pirate Bay, contain the information needed to
download film or music files from others. The Pirate Bay claim they cannot be
held responsible for material that is being spread and that there is no legal
ground for the charges. |
|
25-01-08 |
Orange to launch online
music service in France
The French Orange group have unveiled an interactive customizable online radio
station, called Musiline. The advertising-driven service offers secure access to
streamed tracks, allowing users to create their own personalised programs based
on favored musical genres, favorite titles or artists. Users can also download
music for €0.99 ($1.45) per track at the www.orange.fr web site. The new service
is operated in exclusive partnership with French music service company Yacast,
which developed the technology. |
|
16-01-08 |
Sony BMG makes music
available as MP3 through Amazon
Sony BMG Music Entertainment will make its music content available as MP3
through Amazon. and will allow its music to be sold via the unprotected format
on the digital download store. Recently Sony BMG's also announced that it will
sell album-specific digital download gift cards that will be redeemed in the MP3
format. |
|
09-01-08 |
Sony BMG into MP3 with
digital album cards
Sony BMG will roll out its Platinum MusicPass series of digital album cards
starting January 15 at various retail outlets. It will be the company's first
commercial journey into the world of MP3 in the US, as until recently Sony BMG
favored selling files with digital rights management capabilities only. The
digital album gift cards, will be available for $12.99, and are artist-specific.
Digital album cards feature album artwork and will include bonus material. The
card works with a scratch-off that will reveal a PIN number that can be redeemed
for a download at MusicPass.com. Titles include the Backstreet Boys' "Unbreakable";
Bruce Springsteen's "Magic"; Celine Dion's "Taking Chances"; John Mayer's "Continuum"
and various compilations.
Flo Rida breaks single-week record digital sales
figures
Flo Rida's US single number one "Low" has sold 470,000 digital copies which is a
single-week record that previously was held by Fergie's "Fergalicious" at
294,000 copies.
Digital sales are still on the rise and reached an all-time high last week, as
five songs posted triple-digit percentage increases on the Hot Digital Songs
chart.
Napster to offer unprotected MP3s
Napsterhas announced that it will begin selling music downloads as unprotected
MP3 files in the spring. The file format change will apply only to single tracks
and album purchases. Tracks of the company's music subscription service will
continue to have copyright restrictions. |
|
05-01-08 |
Lil Wayne releases EP as
download only
With his next album, "Tha Carter III," pushed back to February, rapper Lil Wayne
put out a five-song digital EP on Christmas day, titled "The Leak." The tracks
are available as digital downloads from Amazon.com, iTunes and Rhapsody only.
Several weeks ago, Lil Wayne pushed back "Tha Carter III" back from December
2007 to February 2008 due to leaks of several album tracks.
Panic! At The Disco makes new track available online
In anticipation of the new Panic! At The Disco that is set for a March release
date, the band has posted a rough demo of a new song, presumably from the
forthcoming album, titled "We're So Starving". The band also announced that they
will be wrapping up work at their home studio soon. After that, the band will
move to London to record strings and horns for the new album at the legendary
Abbey Road Studios where the album will also be mixed. Panic! At The Disco
recently shot a video in Los Angeles for the album's first single "Nine In The
Afternoon." |
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