Music business

"The short story: The digital music Swedes we canvassed attributed the country’s digital music bent to a mix of the following:

"More than 4.4 billion streams have been served since the launch of the Official Streaming Chart in May last year."

Google's long-rumored Play Music All Access service is already out the door, while Apple's iRadio is still bogged down in licensing talks. According to music industry sources, all the haggling...

On first inspection, Google All Access, the new streaming music service that Google announced on Wednesday, is merely a late arrival to an already crowded party.

Shazam and Rdio have offered something wonderful for U.S. users as of fall 2012, providing full track streaming for tagged music via Rdio, thanks to a "Listen Free on Rdio" link within the Shazam app.

"Vivendi SA, the French media and communications conglomerate whose holdings include the Universal Music Group, today reported its first quarter revenues remained stable while its net income dropped by 18.5 percent to 672 million euros from 825 million euros a year earlier, which the company attributed to a decrease in its EBITA."

"Google is said to be pushing for an ad-free YouTube subscription service to be tied in with its planned Spotify-like audio service. According to an executive familiar with the issue, the tech giant already has deals in place with a multitude of record labels, including the majors, for the audio subscription service."

"The idea of spinning out Sony Corp’s entertainment assets isn’t a new one. It’s been in the air at 550 Madison Avenue for several years, as the once-proud electronics giant lost market and mind share in the consumer electronics market to Samsung, LG and Apple."

"Radio continues to be a popular media choice for people of all ages according to a research study commissioned by Clear Channel Media and Entertainment called “State of Listening in America.” According to the report, which was released Friday, 92% of all respondents reported listening to radio at least once a week."

"SoundCloud will open a New York office in the coming months and has hired a former Pandora employee to help build its presence in the city."

In the latest quarter the iTunes top line grew by 32%. Additional newly reported items: Quarterly revenues topped $4 billion (a new high) and the company suggests that this rate is maintainable by ...

Apple's iRadio talks have been hampered by royalties negotiations, Forbes reported.

The mobile streaming service has also launched voice over software

Apple wants to roll out its streaming music service this summer, but it's still hammering out details with Sony Music over some very specific terms. Read this article by Paul Sloan on CNET News.

Grooveshark's lengthy legal battle with several of the world's major recording labels, who accused the popular music streaming service of mass-copyright infringement, may soon come to an end.

Google Play Music All Access finally brings streaming music to Google's stable, but it's not really competing with Spotify at this point.

Sometimes, it's not that an artist doesn't want to release music, it's that they can't .

"Edgar Bronfman, Jr., former Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group, has left the company's board of directors, Warner revealed during its Tuesday morning earnings call. No replacement for Bronfman was announced."

"Music lovers wanting to hear live tunes without going to a concert or club or leaving the comfort of their home can use new computer apps that connect them to events in venues around..."

After weeks of teasing, endless itty-bitty leaks, and about a zillion radio plays of the one track they'd released so far the entireity, the entirety of Daft Punk's new Random Access Memories has just hit iTunes, days before the official release.

Cellphone ringtones were a fashion accessory and a big moneymaker in the mid-2000s, but sales have slumped.