Music matters, especially online

Established services such as Spotify and We7, and newcomers such as mflow, are music sites built for the needs of web users

By Shane Richmond, Head of Technology

03-25-10 A new campaign, Music Matters, launched this week to remind people of the power of music and to encourage them “to consume music in an ethical way”. Backed by artists, retailers, record labels and others from the music industry, the campaign will provide a Music Matters Trustmark to websites that offer legal music. Full story

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Buyer Beware: Why Artists Should Do A 180 On "360" Deals
By Bob Donnelly

03-22-10 I've been very fortunate to be affiliated with artists and their managers who have collectively sold over 300 million records. Not once during my three decades in practice did I ever get a call from a record company executive who said, "Hey Bob, we just had a phenomenally profitable year and therefore we are sending your client a big bonus check to show our appreciation for making the label lots of money." Full story

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Danny Glover tries to save Hugo Boss jobs in Ohio
By THOMAS J. SHEERAN AP Writer

03-23-10 BROOKLYN, Ohio (AP) -- Actor and activist Danny Glover has offered hugs and moral support to Cleveland-area workers at a men's suit plant that faces a shutdown next month with the loss of 375 jobs. Full story

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Pink Floyd wins battle with EMI over online sales
By JILL LAWLESS  AP Writer

03-11-10 LONDON (AP) -- Album lovers may rejoice a little at last: a British court says Pink Floyd, purveyor of iTunes-unfriendly concept records, cannot be unbundled.

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Top lobbyist for Hollywood movie industry leaving
By ALAN FRAM AP Writer

10-19-09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- The face of Hollywood's movie industry in Washington is leaving the post next year, prompting a casting call for one of this city's most coveted lobbying jobs. Full story

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Adults lead 'Wild Things' $32.5M box-office rumpus

10-18-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) --"Where the Wild Things Are" proved a bigger hit with adult audiences than family crowds as the adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book debuted at No. 1 with $32.5 million. Full story

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Sony: Michael Jackson Album Will Be Sold on iTunes, Contrary to Report
By Eliot Van Buskirk, Wired.com

10-15-09 Michael Jackson’s posthumous album “This Is It” will be sold through iTunes, Sony told Wired.com, contradicting a Digital Music News report that Apple’s policy of insisting that songs be sold individually had cost it the chance to sell the album. Full story

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Beyond iTunes: streaming music services
by Christopher Breen, Macworld.com

10-15-09 Mention “streaming music services” around the typical gaggle of Mac users and it’s like you’ve suggested that the Mona Lisa would benefit from the application of devils horns, an eye patch, and the words “Windoze Rulez!” scrawled across her beguiling mug with permanent marker. Full story

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Clooney laments decline in media standards
By JILL LAWLESS AP Writer

10-15-09 LONDON (AP) -- George Clooney thinks something has gone wrong when the media prints celebrity rumor and innuendo as fact. Full story

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New Michael Jackson single debuts online
By GREGORY KATZ AP Writer

10-12-09 LONDON (AP) -- Michael Jackson returned to the airwaves Monday with a new song - the first from an upcoming musical documentary featuring the troubled superstar. Full story

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Fans check in for 'Couples Retreat' with $35.3M
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie

10-11-09 "Swingers" co-stars Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau buddied up for the weekend's top movie as "Couples Retreat" debuted with $35.3 million, while the micro-budgeted fright flick "Paranormal Activity" leaped into the top 10. Full story

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T.I. wins BET awards from prison; Kanye a no-show
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. AP Writer

10-10-09 ATLANTA (AP) -- T.I. didn't need to attend the BET Hip-Hop Awards to win two trophies on Saturday. Full story

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Baltimore statue of Billie Holiday rededicated
By AARON MORRISON AP Writer

07-17-09 BALTIMORE (AP) -- A statue of Billie Holiday has returned to the former black entertainment district in Baltimore where the lady once sang the blues. Full story

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Mementos of MJ buried at storied Detroit cemetery
By JEFF KAROUB AP Writer

07-17-09 DETROIT (AP) -- Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks and many of the Motor City's musical elite, including members of the Four Tops and living legend Diana Ross also has a site reserved. Full story

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Apple's App Store Downloads Top 1.5 Billion in First Year
More Than 65,000 Apps; Over 100,000 Developers

07-14-09 CUPERTINO, Calif., July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that customers have downloaded more than 1.5 billion applications in just one year from its revolutionary App Store, the largest applications store in the world. The App Store is also growing at an incredible pace with more than 65,000 apps and more than 100,000 developers in the iPhone(TM) Developer Program. Full story

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Russell Brand returns to host the VMAs
By ERIN CARLSON AP Entertainment Writer

07-14-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- MTV liked Russell Brand so much, they called him back for more. Full story

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Microsoft is launching a music streaming service this month
Microsoft is gearing up to launch a music streaming service similar to Spotify by the end of this month.
By Emma Barnett, Technology and Digital Media Correspondent

07-13-09 The service, which Microsoft aims to have ready by the end of July, will offer users the chance to stream music for free and also download to own. Full story

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'Bruno' sashays to box-office fame with $30.4M
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

07-13-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gay Austrian fashion devotee Bruno has landed the No. 1 spot at the weekend box office, though it's uncertain how much staying power he has. Full story

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Jackson's mother loses control of son's estate
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer

07-06-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A judge said Monday that Michael Jackson's longtime attorney and a family friend should take over the pop singer's estate for now, rejecting a request from Jackson's mother to be put in charge or share control. Full story

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Lionel Richie joined by Commodores at Essence fest
By CHEVEL JOHNSON AP Writer

07-06-09 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Lionel Richie got a little help from his former bandmates to close out the weekend's Essence Music Festival: Members of The Commodores joined him on stage to sing several of their hits, including "Brick House" and "Just to be Close to You." Full story

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Attorney says Debbie Rowe won't be at memorial
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer

07-06-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An attorney for Debbie Rowe says Michael Jackson's ex-wife is backing out of plans to attend the pop superstar's memorial service. Full story

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Essence Fest celebrates black music, culture
By CHEVEL JOHNSON AP Writer

07-03-09 NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Queen Latifah dropped by the Essence Music Festival on Friday to help celebrate its 15th year of uplifting and empowering the African-American community through issues-filled seminars by day and high-powered musical performances by night. Full story

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Michael Jackson Music Sales Surge Could Last For Months
Ed Christman, N.Y. and Antony Bruno, Denver

07-02-09In the days following Michael Jackson's June 25 death, fans flocked to record stores and digital music outlets to purchase one last memory. And merchants say they expect the Jackson sales surge to last for weeks—maybe even months. Full story

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Michael Jackson's Estate: Saved by the Beatles
By Stephen Gandel   Time.com

07-01-09 Will Michael Jacksons' three children, Michael Joseph Jr., Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, end up paupers? The answer rests on the value of the performer's largest asset: his 50% stake of a music publishing company called Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Full story

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'Endless' supply of music in Jackson's vaults
By JAKE COYLE AP Entertainment Writer

07-02-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Michael Jackson had a mountain of unreleased recordings in the vault when he died - music that is almost certain to be packaged and repackaged for his fans in the years to come. Full story

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'Do The Right Thing' still asks burning questions
By JESSE WASHINGTON AP National Writer

06-29-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twenty years later, the trash can is still crashing through America's window. At the climax of Spike Lee's 1989 drama "Do The Right Thing," the eternal battle between love and hate teeters on a razor's edge. The young black man Radio Raheem has been choked to death by white police after a fight with a Brooklyn pizzeria owner. A seething crowd gathers in front of the shop.Full story

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`Transformers': Worst-reviewed $400 million hit?
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

06-29-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- After just five days, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" is halfway to $400 million domestically, a box-office milestone only eight other movies have reached. If it climbs that high, the "Transformers" sequel will be by far the worst-reviewed movie ever to make the $400 million club. Full story

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Lawyer: Jackson's doc didn't give excessive drugs
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer

06-29-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor said his client never gave or prescribed Jackson the painkillers Demerol or OxyContin, and denied reports suggesting that the doctor gave the pop star drugs that contributed to his death. Full story

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Michael Jackson, `King of Pop,' dead at 50
By LYNN ELBER AP Writer

06-25-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" who once moonwalked above the music world, died Thursday as he prepared for a comeback bid to vanquish nightmare years of sexual scandal and financial calamity. He was 50. Full story

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Perez Hilton sues Black Eyed Peas manager

06-24-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A new front has opened in the battle between Perez Hilton and the Black Eyed Peas manager accused of hitting him: a civil lawsuit. Full story

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Jive-talking twin Transformers raise race issues
By SANDY COHEN AP Entertainment Writer

06-24-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" introduces some 40 new mechanized characters of all shapes, sizes and even sexes - but it's a pair of jive-talking 'bots that critics are singling out as more than just harmless comic relief. Full story

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After 50 years, Motown endures in ailing Detroit
By Rob Lever

06-21-09 DETROIT, Michigan (AFP) — Fifty years after the birth of Motown, the music lives on as a legacy for a city that has seen more than its share of hard times in the past decades. Full story

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Rihanna could testify today in Chris Brown case

06-22-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Rihanna may testify in the Chris Brown case today. He is due back in court for a preliminary hearing, after which a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence for his case to go to trial. Full story

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Bullock's 'Proposal' woos date crowds with $34.1M
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

06-22-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Movie audiences accepted a proposal from Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds, who scored the summer's first big romantic comedy hit. Full story

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'Up' maintains No. 1 box-office altitude with $44M
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

06-07-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Two live-action comedies were unable to bring down the animated adventure "Up." Disney and Pixar Animation's "Up" reeled in $44.2 million to remain on top of the box office for the second weekend in a row, according to studio estimates Sunday. Full story

Report: PSP won't get music downloads soon
By Greg Sandoval, C-Net

06-01-09 Could the disaster that was Sony's Connect music service have soured the international conglomerate on offering downloads at the PlayStation Network? Full story

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Conan O'Brien makes debut on 'The Tonight Show'
By DAVID BAUDER AP Television Writer

06-02-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Conan O'Brien debuted as host of "The Tonight Show" with a jog across the country to Los Angeles and other comedy bits on his entry into a strange new West Coast culture. Full story

Microsoft unveils motion control for Xbox 360
By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer

06-01-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gamers, get ready for your close-up. Microsoft introduced a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed "Project Natal," the camera eliminates the need for a handheld input device - instead, the gizmo can track a player's full body movement, recognize their face and voice, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands. Full story

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In Music, Apple’s Strength Becomes a Vulnerability
By Paul Bonanos

05-31-09 One of Apple’s (AAPL) great successes this decade has been its ability to unite the cell phone, the portable MP3 player and the music store in one ingenious handheld device, the iPhone. Full story

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Sony Agrees to Provide Its Older Songs to eMusic
By BRAD STONE

06-01-09 In another example of struggling major music labels and Internet services finding common ground, Sony Music Entertainment has agreed to make its back catalog of songs available on eMusic, one of the largest music retailers on the Web. Full story

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'Twilight' takes a bite out of MTV Movie Awards
By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer

06-01-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The MTV Movie Awards were a blood bath Sunday night with "Twilight" taking five trophies, including best movie. But it was Sacha Baron Cohen who gave the show its trademark bizarro moment when he landed upside-down on the lap of Eminem, who may or may not have been deeply offended. Full story

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Pixar goes `Up' with $68.2 million debut weekend
By DAVID GERMAIN AP Movie Writer

05-31-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The animated action comedy "Up" took flight with a $68.2 million opening weekend, maintaining a perfect box-office track record for Pixar Animation, whose 10 films all have been commercial and critical hits. Full story

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'Guitar Hero 5' promises expanded options
By LOU KESTEN  AP Writer

05-28-09 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Activision, publisher of the best-selling music game series "Guitar Hero," is looking to expand its audience with this fall's "Guitar Hero 5," with new features designed for casual players and die-hard fans alike. Full story

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Rapper Jay-Z close to a deal with Sony
By Mariel Concepcion

05-25-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twitter, the Web site that asks what everybody's doing, says it wants to be doing a TV series. Full story

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Study: Mobile Shopping Poised for Growth By Mike Shields, Mediaweek

05-27-09 Americans are gradually warming up to the idea of buying things via their mobile phones, particularly young adults and men, found a new study conducted by Harris Interactive for the mobile credit card security firm Billing Revolution. Full story

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Brown sued by photographer for bodyguard scuffle
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY AP Entertainment Writer

05-28-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- On the day Chris Brown took to YouTube to say he's "not a monster," a photographer sued the R&B singer, saying Brown's bodyguards beat him as he tried to take pictures at a gym. Full story

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Mobile Music Keeps Humming As Music Industry Shrinks
By Paul Bonanos

05-26-09 If you’ve followed the music biz’s uncomfortable adaptation to the online age, you’ve probably heard this one before: One segment within the industry is taking “a larger slice of a shrinking pie.” A new study from U.K.-based Juniper Research forecasts modest growth worldwide in mobile music over a five-year period, as the larger music industry continues to flounder. Full story

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Amy Winehouse dropped from Quincy Jones tribute album
Singer did not deliver track to legend on time

05-26-09 Amy Winehouse has been dropped from a forthcoming tribute album to production legend Quincy Jones. Full story

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Google Bans Music Uploads From Blogs
By Kim Tong-hyung Staff Reporter

05-26-09 Google has banned subscribers to its Korean blogging platform, Textcube (www.textcube.org), from uploading songs onto their blogs, citing the country's new anti-file sharing provisions aimed at thwarting online piracy. Full story

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Rapper T.I. to report to Ark. federal prison
By JON GAMBRELL AP Writer

05-26-09 FORREST CITY, Ark. (AP) -- Police guarded the rural road leading to Forrest City's federal prison complex Tuesday, awaiting the arrival of rapper T.I. to begin serving time on a weapons conviction. Full story

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Web service Twitter proposes TV competition series
By FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer

05-25-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Twitter, the Web site that asks what everybody's doing, says it wants to be doing a TV series. Full story

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'Night at the Museum' tops 'Terminator'
By DERRIK J. LANG AP Entertainment Writer

05-25-09 LOS ANGELES (AP) -- "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" claimed a box office victory over "Terminator Salvation." Full story

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T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.AP Writer

05-25-09 ATLANTA (AP) -- Grammy-winning rapper T.I. told fans he would stay optimistic when he heads to prison on a federal weapons conviction. Full story

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Thousands turn out to mourn Wayman Tisdale
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS AP Writer

05-21-09 TULSA, Okla. (AP) -- With his casket carried in a horse-drawn carriage, Wayman Tisdale was remembered Thursday as a basketball star and gifted musician by thousands of mourners swaying to gospel tunes. Full story

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Greg Kot: How the Internet Changed Music
By Claire Suddath

05-21-09 In 1998, Death Cab for Cutie was just another tenderhearted indie-rock band signed to a minor record label, playing empty clubs for $50 a night. But after two years of soul-crushing obscurity, something strange happened: people started going to the band's shows. The crowds were small but enthusiastic, and concertgoers told the same story: they'd found the group's songs on the Internet. Full story

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YouTube struggling with music right fights three fronts

While three of the four major record companies and many independent labels have deals in place with YouTube, the Google-owned video service really is struggling to get deals done with the songwriter collecting societies.

05-21-09 Following their very public falling out with PRS For Music here in the UK, and with PRS counterparts GEMA in Germany, squabbles that have led to YouTube pulling all premium music video content in those territories, news today of ongoing legal wranglings between the video service and one of the US's songwriter royalty bodies, ASCAP. Full story

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Rapper Jay-Z confirms split with Def Jam records

05-21-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- There will be no encore for Jay-Z and Def Jam. The rapper confirms reports that he has left the record company where he made most of his biggest hits and went from artist to president, and back to artist again.Full story

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Apple warns of static shock from iPhone, iPod
by Steven Musil, CNet

05-19-09 iPhone and iPod users may experience a "small and quick" shock via their earbuds due to a buildup of static electricity, Apple warned Monday. Full story

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Michael Jackson postpones some London shows

05-20-09 LONDON (AP) -- Michael Jackson's representatives announced Wednesday that the elusive King of Pop will postpone several of his London comeback shows scheduled for this summer. Full story

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Rapper's shooting may have had roots in Atlanta dispute

Police today identified the man who allegedly shot and killed Atlanta rapper Dolla, above, at the Beverly Center as Aubrey Louis Berry, 23, of Georgia. Sources say Dolla and the man suspected of killing him had an altercation last week at a strip club last frequented by the hip-hop community.

By Richard Fausset and Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein

05-20-09 Reporting from Los Angeles and Atlanta -- Los Angeles police are checking reports that the fatal shooting of rapper Dolla at the Beverly Center had its roots in a dispute the rapper had with an events promoter who on Tuesday was arrested on suspicion of murder. Full story

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Kanye West pleads not guilty over paparazzi incident
By Veronica Schmidt

05-19-09 Kanye West has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from a scuffle with a paparazzi photographer last year. Full story

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'24' ends season on high note, with Jack Bauer low
By FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer

05-19-09 NEW YORK (AP) -- Even if the world had been applauding Jack Bauer at the season's end of "24," he couldn't hear them. Full story

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Analysis: What Can Replace Falling CD Revenues?
By Glenn Peoples, Nashville

05-18-09 CD sales are down 19.3% through May 10, translating to roughly $270 million in lost revenue this year and leaving a $162 million revenue gap, when taking into consideration other revenue streams, according to Billboard analysis (a breakdown is listed at the bottom). Full story

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Eminem Seals Exclusive Deal With Universal Music Publishing Group

Eminem has signed an exclusive worldwide deal, which includes 'Relapse' and 'Relapse 2', with Universal Music Publishing Group.

05-13-09 Gearing up to drop his new album "Relapse" in U.S. on May 19 and already releasing several singles off it, Eminem inks an exclusive worldwide deal with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). The deal includes Eminem's new album and its sequel "Relapse 2". Full story

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Music marketing takes center stage at iLike
Caroline Mccarthy CNET Writer

05-13-09 Social music start-up iLike has come a long way from its early days as the way to "dedicate a song" to your friends on Facebook. Full story

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What Now? Future Issues for the Music Industry

05-11-09 What fate for existing acts and future for new acts?

WITH TRADITIONAL record labels in a state of disarray, there's no shortage of new business models jostling to take up the slack. Propositions include bands like Groove Armada signing to a drinks company to release their music to 360 deals, where one entity oversees all aspect of a band's output, from music publishing and sales to live tours and merchandise. Full story

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Hugh Jackman and Beyonce To Collaborate
by Music-News.com