Music Business Times International Newshttp://app.feed.informer.com/digest3/GFDELBLYFY.html Respective post owners and feed distributors http://feed.informer.com/ Everyone knows Simon Cowell is vain: a fellow American Idol judge once joked that his RayBan sunglasses are mirrored on the inside too. He even turned down a recent dinner invitation from Barack Obama because their diaries 'didn't quite match'. All the more reason why he's been chafing at the bit of late, says The Sunday Times. Despite his success as TV's most bankable personality, 'Mr Nasty' is not his own man. http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/simon-cowell-the-restless-ambition-of-tvs-mr-nasty-44237.aspx Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.moneyweek.com/news-and-charts/simon-cowell-the-restless-ambition-of-tvs-mr-nasty-44237.aspx? Sat, 04 Jul 2009 02:36 GMT The world's biggest distributor of links to copyright infringing material is to be bought by a software entrepreneur and turned into a legitimate business, the site has announced. The Pirate Bay has agreed to be acquired for £4.8 million. Swedish company Global Gaming Factory (GGF) has agreed to buy the site, which has been at the centre of political, legal and cultural storms all its life. It was the biggest repository of links to pirated content, though it hosted none itself. Its founders were found guilty earlier this year of facilitating copyright infringement in Sweden. http://www.out-law.com/page-10139 Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.out-law.com/page-10139? Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:59 GMT With its independent distribution subsidiary RED, Sony Music currently provides award winning sales and marketing services to independent labels and artists. IODA now brings its proven digital distribution platform for the independent sector into the Sony Music network. With distinct areas of expertise and market focus, RED and IODA will build on their complementary technologies and increase the scope of sales and promotional opportunities that each currently offers its existing and growing customer base worldwide. Both companies will also leverage the global marketing and financial strength of Sony Music to continue expanding their businesses and providing best in class service. http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=4017269&access=EH Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?resourceid=4017269&access=EH? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:15 GMT AEG can still generate revenue from its audio and video footage of the rehearsals, which it owns under its contract with Jackson. 'We own the intellectual property,' AEG's CEO says. 'It is our responsibility and fiduciary duty to the estate to monetize as much of these assets as we can under the original contract, because the majority of the profit would go to the estate.' http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i04299584a9f4430cf5f4c302d16510d9 Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i04299584a9f4430cf5f4c302d16510d9? Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:10 GMT His body will be plastinated and placed next to Bubbles, his late pet monkey who was plastinated a number of years ago and is exhibited at The Body Worlds + Mirror Of Time exhibition at the O2 Centre in London (where Jackson was booked for a 50-date concert series). 'One of his final requests to be reunited with Bubbles... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1195750/Michael-Jackson-set-plastinated-missing-deadline-cryogenic-freezing.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1195750/Michael-Jackson-set-plastinated-missing-deadline-cryogenic-freezing.html? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:59 GMT Already there is an all-too familiar rumor along the internet that Jackson employed a look-alike to double for him as he was to embark on his world tour, eerily similar to the 1966 urban legend that Paul McCartney died and was replaced by a body double. The legend goes on to speculate that many clues about the switch... http://www.examiner.com/x-14743-San-Antonio-Local-Music-Examiner~y2009m6d27-Michael-Jackson-the-latest-conspiracy-theory Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.examiner.com/x-14743-San-Antonio-Local-Music-Examiner~y2009m6d27-Michael-Jackson-the-latest-conspiracy-theory? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:39 GMT There are major differences between the big music download shops, particularly when it comes to selection. That was the findings of chip.de, a Munich-based technology portal. Because it is difficult to determine how many songs in total are offered by any given shop, the testers selected 50 representative artists... http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/275131,big-differences-between-online-music-stores.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/275131,big-differences-between-online-music-stores.html? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:28 GMT The organisers of Michael Jackson's 50 comeback tour dates in London remained guarded on Saturday about refunds for ticket holders following the singer's death. Jackson fans from around the world had rushed to snap up tickets for the 'This Is It' performances at London's O2 Arena which were due to start on July 13. http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/jun/28/aap-jackson-concert-promoters-coy-on-refunds/ Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/jun/28/aap-jackson-concert-promoters-coy-on-refunds/? Sun, 28 Jun 2009 00:27 GMT Aussie pop icons Men At Work face an anxious wait to find out if they will be stripped of thousands of dollars in royalties from their 1980s smash hit Down Under. The band has been accused of stealing the song's famous flute riff from the children's tune Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree, penned more than 75 years... http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/men-at-work-accused-of-music-riff-ripoff-20090626-czpf.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/entertainment/men-at-work-accused-of-music-riff-ripoff-20090626-czpf.html? Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:58 GMT Michael Jackson insisted that his concert promoter's payroll include his personal physician, a financially troubled cardiologist who was with the entertainer when he collapsed. Dr. Conrad Murray was hired by AEG Live to accompany the pop star to London for his comeback series of concerts, said AEG Live President... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090627/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090627/ap_on_en_mu/us_michael_jackson? Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:42 GMT Michael Jackson was the greatest solo act in the history of pop, bar Elvis Presley. Millions of people who never otherwise ventured into a record shop in their lives bought Thriller, which remains the biggest selling album. In the 1980s he revolutionised the sound and presentation of pop by importing the values of... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6580541.ece Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6580541.ece? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:27 GMT U.K. retail store chain Woolworths, which shuttered its more than 800 stores after declaring bankruptcy late last year, has been relaunched as a retail site selling media including CDs, DVDs and video games. The site is operated by Shop Direct Group, which acquired the brand during administration... http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/25/u.k.-retail-brand-woolworths-becomes-web-media-store Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/25/u.k.-retail-brand-woolworths-becomes-web-media-store? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:21 GMT A Swedish court ruled today that the judge overseeing The Pirate Bay trial earlier this year was not biased by belonging to various pro-copyright organizations. The unanimous decision means that there will be no retrial; the defendants must hope for a successful appeal instead. Judge Tomas Norstrom is a... http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/pirate-bay-retrial-denied-judge-declared-unbiased.ars Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/06/pirate-bay-retrial-denied-judge-declared-unbiased.ars? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:16 GMT Michael Jackson's planned 50-show run at the O2 Arena in London would have been the highest-grossing single concert engagement. Now it's a major problem for the promoter AEG Live. More than $85 million worth of tickets have already been sold for the series of performances, which have the now sadly ironic title 'This Is It.' As much as $30 million has already been spent on production, according to sources close to the situation. So what's at stake for AEG, the world's second-largest concert promoter, can't be overstated... http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i07c5940218c277f489900a30200f6586 Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/industry/e3i07c5940218c277f489900a30200f6586? Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:11 GMT A military band from one of the regiments that guards Queen Elizabeth II signed a $1.65 million record deal Tuesday with a division of Universal Music. The 350-year-old Coldstream Guards band is due to release an album entitled 'Heroes' later this year on Decca, Universal's classical label. It will... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/23/entertainment/e063126D86.DTL Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/06/23/entertainment/e063126D86.DTL? Wed, 24 Jun 2009 23:30 GMT One of Europe's largest music conferences Popkomm will not be held this year. 'The digital crisis is fully on the music industry by. Many companies maybe due to the theft on the Internet no longer afford to participate in Popkomm 2009,' organizer... http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/06/popkomm-2009-cancelled.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2009/06/popkomm-2009-cancelled.html? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:27 GMT A High Court battle is looming between the big four companies in the music industry and two of Europes biggest telecoms firms. EMI, Universal, Sony and WEA have filed an action in the High Court against BT and UPC, which owns NTL and Chorus. The music companies claim that BT and UPC are refusing to clamp down on... http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=42589-qqqx=1.asp Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.sbpost.ie/post/pages/p/story.aspx-qqqt=IRELAND-qqqm=news-qqqid=42589-qqqx=1.asp? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:10 GMT Chart bosses are considering a huge shake up of the music industry by incorporating the amount of plays on music streaming services into the weekly Top 40 countdown. With largely free services like Spotify and We7 currently all the rage, and a darn site cheaper than buying the MP3, the new chart would offer a more accurate picture of what folks are listening to over the course of the week. However, plays on streaming portals would still carry less weight in than purchases from Apple's iTunes Store and other download sites. The new system is inevitable according to the Official UK Charts Company, but not for at least another year. http://www.t3.com/news/top-40-music-charts-to-include-spotify-streaming-plays?=39253 Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.t3.com/news/top-40-music-charts-to-include-spotify-streaming-plays?=39253? Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:08 GMT So far, U.S. music fans can only read about the much-hyped service, as it isn't yet available domestically. But as the company prepares to launch the service stateside before the end of the year, let's examine why Spotify has been anointed the iTunes of streaming music. Compared with its competitors in the... http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE55K07U20090621 Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSTRE55K07U20090621? Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:22 GMT Spark Ventures, one of the best-known British survivors of the dot-com boom, received a boost yesterday when the pop star Dave Stewart signed a deal with Kobalt Music Group, one of its portfolio companies. Kobalt, in which Spark has a 27% stake, is an independent music publisher that claims to have revolutionary... http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6531547.ece Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6531547.ece? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:57 GMT According to several senior digital music executives and digital media agency heads, MySpace Music had been ready for launch in the UK in April 2009. However, incoming chief executive Owen Van Natta, who joined the News Corporation-owned company in the same month, is believed to have asked for more time to analyse the... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5570650/MySpace-Music-set-for-September-UK-launch.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceandtechnology/technology/5570650/MySpace-Music-set-for-September-UK-launch.html? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:43 GMT A judge in Italy has ordered some $3.3 million to be forfeited by the operators of several websites offering free, unauthorized music downloads, Billboard reported. More than 50 people were charged in the initial investigation, which the Italian Fiscal Police launched in 2003 with the help of the local Federation... http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/19/italian-judge-orders-%243.3m-forfeiture-music-websites Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/19/italian-judge-orders-%243.3m-forfeiture-music-websites? Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:40 GMT Warner Music, the world's fourth-largest music company, has rejected a $4.2 billion takeover approach from its larger rival EMI Group, the latest in a long-running quest to combine the two companies. EMI, whose artists include Coldplay and Robbie Williams, revealed the $28.50 per share bid last week and said it... http://www.bbw.ro/articol_48253/warner_music_rejects_emi_takeover_bid.htm Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.bbw.ro/articol_48253/warner_music_rejects_emi_takeover_bid.htm? Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:50 GMT SPPF, a French royalty collection society for independent record labels, has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Google's YouTube, claiming $13.9 million in damages over videos removed from YouTube at SPPF's request last year that have since reappeared. http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/18/french-indie-label-group-sppf-sues-youtube-over-copyrights Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/06/18/french-indie-label-group-sppf-sues-youtube-over-copyrights? Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:29 GMT His death has always been blamed on a drugs binge. But a new book reveals startling details about the debauched last hours of Jimi Hendrix - and the extraordinary 'confession' from the man who made him a star. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1193752/Was-Jimi-Hendrix-murdered-manager.html Delicious/mbtimes/iticker http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1193752/Was-Jimi-Hendrix-murdered-manager.html? Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:34 GMT