digital music

Voices

Pirates and Profits: Three Reasons Why the Music Biz Can Finally Get Excited About India’s Billion-Sized Audience

Paramdeep Singh, Managing Director and Co-Founder, Saavn in Voices on April 20 at 1:11 pm PT

Digital music distribution has made huge changes to India’s music industry.

Spotify Says It Goes Better With Coke (Updated)

Peter Kafka in Media on April 18 at 6:40 am PT

No iPad app, though.

MOG Heads to Australia, With Help From a Telco

Peter Kafka in Media on April 16 at 10:52 am PT

Meanwhile: What happened to that Beats deal?

Videos, Consultants, Fake Steve Jobs. How Beyond Oblivion Burned $32 Million Without Paying for a Single Song.

Peter Kafka in Media on March 2 at 3:06 pm PT

The good news: They never got around to the bikini-and-Speedos marketing plan.

News Byte

Hello, Goodbye. That Will Be $1.29.

Peter Kafka in Media on February 22 at 6:30 am PT

Apple and the Beatles have put out ringtones based on 27 of the band’s songs. Which is a good time to remind people that Apple’s iTunes store has had an unprecedented year-plus exclusive on the band’s digital library, which began way back in November 2010.

Neil Young, the Donkey and Digital Music: The Full Dive Into Media Interview (Video)

Peter Kafka in Dive Into Media on February 7 at 8:00 am PT

Neil Young explains why today’s music sounds awful, why Steve Jobs agreed with him, and what he wants to do to fix the problem.

An Exit Interview With Warner Music Group Chairman Edgar Bronfman Jr.

John Paczkowski in Dive Into Media on January 31 at 1:35 pm PT

Edgar Bronfman Jr. talks about EMI, Apple, Spotfiy and more on his last day as chairman of Warner Music Group.

Neil Young’s Music Rescue Mission (Video)

Ina Fried in Dive Into Media on January 31 at 1:19 pm PT

The legendary singer wants to see digital music embrace higher-quality audio files. Walt Mossberg questions whether he is fighting a losing battle.

News Byte

The End Is Here Before the Beginning for Beyond Oblivion

Arik Hesseldahl in News on December 31, 2011 at 9:27 am PT

Beyond Oblivion, a New York-based music start-up is shutting down before even launching a product, having burned through some $87 million worth of funding, according to a report in the Financial Times (link goes to a story behind a paywall). Backed by investments from News Corp. (which also owns this Web site), it had sought to bundle the service with hardware and charge a flat fee, but had trouble selling recording labels on the idea.

Apple, Starbucks Expanding iTunes Giveaways to Include Apps, Books and TV Shows

Ina Fried in Mobile on September 15, 2011 at 4:46 pm PT

The program, which traditionally has given coffee-shop customers a free song, has expanded in recent weeks to include apps and book samples; TV shows are expected soon.