YouTube Gets Jay-Z to Help Sell TV

Google wants to get its hands on big TV dollars. So it held a big bash, with the biggest star it could find.
jay z

AllThingsD Takes SXSW by Storm (in Pictures)

The week in photos.
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Rain Douses Austin as Crowds Flood Into SXSW

There are currently more than 3,700 people checked in on Foursquare to the main Austin Convention Center location, and conference sessions haven’t even started yet.
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YouTube and Hollywood Finally Link Up: Here Come the Channels

Google announces deals with “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara and a bunch of other famous people to make stuff for the site. Next up: Signing on advertisers.
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The Beatles Don’t Want You to Steal Music. But They Still Won’t Sell It Anywhere but iTunes. (Video)

That Apple exclusive is now 10 months and counting.
beatles music matters

Jon Stewart's Media Critique: The Rally to Restore Sanity Speech

Jon Stewart’s problem with cable TV, brought to you by cable TV.

Indie Radio God Nic Harcourt Gets a New Gig: Picking Videos for "The Live Buzz"

For a certain kind of music fan, Nic Harcourt is a rock star. But the former radio DJ hasn’t had a full-time job picking and playing music in two years. So here’s his new gig: Picking and playing music videos for a new site.

News Byte

Obama's BlackBerry: Tiny Contact List, Dull Mail, No Fun

When President Obama first took office, he pressed hard to keep his beloved BlackBerry and ultimately won permission to carry a model with beefed-up security features. Turns out he didn’t really win much. Appearing on ABC’s “The View,” Obama said only 10 people have his number, and their email conversations are really boring. “I’ve got to admit, it’s no fun because they think that it’s probably going to be subject to the Presidential Records Act, so nobody wants to send me the real juicy stuff,” he said. Other tech notes from the interview: Obama said that the contents of the presidential iPod runs from Jay-Z to Maria Callas, and that “I don’t tweet on a regular basis….I think there’s an official president’s tweet, but some 20-year-old is doing a lot of the tweeting.”

Easy Digital Listening: Sonos ZonePlayer S5

An all-in-one sound system plays digital music off a computer in several rooms, without the need to run wires around the house.
sonos

U2′s Live Nation Deal Is Good for Madonna, Bad for Investors

In addition to myriad rock star perks you’ve already heard about, here’s another one to add to the list: Better stock deals. At least when you’re talking about stock in concert promoter Live Nation. Since Live Nation shares have gotten pummeled, you’d think those music acts would be hurting, too. Nope.