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Universal Music UK chooses Roo to launch online video package

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roo.jpgROO Group has been selected by Universal Music UK to launch 130 online video players that will feature exclusive Universal Music video content from its diverse roster of artists.

Under the deal, ROO will roll out its cutting-edge video players across all of Universal Music UK’s major sites, which includes its portfolio of label sites such as Mercury Island, UCJ and Polydor Records, and a multitude of artist sites that will all feature full-screen viewing capabilities. The partnership will enable Universal Music UK to commercialize its digital offering and launch new revenue channels through services such as creative advertising solutions, the distribution and promotion of streamed content, downloads and sponsorship opportunities.

Originally posted on June 27, 2007 @ 9:57 am

L.A.’s online live music guide launches

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freshred.jpgFreshred.com, a brand new music web site that seamlessly integrates live concert listings, music recommendations and a simplified, complete user experience, has officially launched today. “We are the online music resource for die-hard and casual live music fans to learn about all bands and music events coming to Los Angeles,” Freshred.com’s brainchild, Founder Mayur Khandelwal explains. “We’ve created the most comprehensive, community-focused, online music search engine allowing users to browse for venues, bands and music related events all in one place.”

Freshred.com features include weekly, customized newsletters with recommended “Shows of the Week” from music experts, a venue directory and special promotions including free concert tickets and prize giveaways from freshred.com’s sponsors. Some of the Web 2.0 tools that fans will find useful include auto-notices when favorite acts add a show in LA, RSS feeds and personalized weekly calendars. Unlike other music sites, which depend on promoters and artists to provide event information, freshred.com seeks to collect as much listing information as possible. The site invites venues, bands and promoters to create a username and password and submit user protected up-to-the-minute show listings, ensuring that all freshred.com listings are accurate.

Originally posted on June 26, 2007 @ 8:14 am

eMusic offers Steve Jobs lifetime subscription for his new iPhone

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emusic.jpgeMusic, the world’s largest retailer of independent music and the world’s second-largest digital music service after iTunes, announced that it is offering Apple CEO Steve Jobs a free lifetime subscription. The offer was made to thank Jobs for his support of the removal of digital rights management (DRM) software from online music. Because every track sold on eMusic comes without DRM, it’s the only significant legal music download service, other than iTunes, whose tracks will play on the iPhone. In honor of Apple’s release of the iPhone this week, eMusic is offering 35 free tracks to anyone who signs up for an eMusic trial at www.emusic.com/phone, including new iPhone owners who may be feeling a little light in the wallet after dropping a few hundred dollars on the hotly anticipated handset.

“We know Steve Jobs loves music, so for his new iPhone we thought he might want something a little different from the Top 40 fare that iTunes focuses on,” said David Pakman, eMusic President and CEO. “eMusic specializes in the best music beyond the commercial mainstream, from breaking indie rock acts like Arcade Fire and the National, to jazz greats like Charles Mingus and Miles Davis, to electronic breakouts like the new release from Matthew Dear. All Steve has to do is call me up from his iPhone and I’ll get him a free lifetime pass to all the great music he can handle. We hope that he and all other iPhone users will explore what eMusic has to offer.”

Editor’s note: The offer to Jobs is cute but he can afford any music that he wants. Why not just give it to someone else… maybe to Bill Gates if he will buy himself an iPhone. But wait, Gates is rich. Just raffle it off!

Originally posted on June 25, 2007 @ 7:42 pm

The sounds of silence will be heard by millions

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savenetradio.jpgThe regularly scheduled programming of millions of Internet radio listeners will be temporarily interrupted today with tens of thousands of U.S. webcasters observing a national Day of Silence. Protesting the recent 300 percent royalty rate increase for online music webcasters, the aim of the industry wide daylong blackout is to raise awareness of the threat these new rates pose to the future of Internet radio and rally support for legislation pending in Congress.

“Webcasters of every size and from every corner of the country will stand unite tomorrow to protest a very real and fast approaching threat to their livelihood,” said Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio Coalition. “With nearly a half million emails and phone calls from webcasters, listeners, and the artists they support sent to Congress in just the last two months, this national grassroots campaign has certainly captured the attention of lawmakers, but there is more to be done and time is running out.

The Coalition urges their listeners to contact their congressional representatives and ask them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act and preserve the future of Internet radio.

Internet-only webcasters and broadcasters that simulcast online will alert their listeners that “silenece” is what the Internet radio may be reduced to after July 15th, the day on which 17 months’ worth of retroactive royalty payments are due to the SoundExchange collection organization, following a recent Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) decision.

[Complete list of participating webcasters]

Originally posted on June 26, 2007 @ 7:52 am

30 million to have music phones by end of year – JupiterResearch

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JupiterResearch, a leading authority on the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on business, has found that although US consumers are continuing to acquire music-capable mobile phones, only few take advantage of those capabilities. According to a new report, “Mobile Music: Target Impulse Purchases and Purchasers for Over-The-Air Downloads,” only about five percent of consumers report sideloading songs onto their phone, and only two percent report downloading songs over the air. Thus, although some 27.9 million US consumers are expected to have music phones by the end of this year, the music functionality of the phone will remain significantly underutilized.

Even the long-anticipated release of Apple’s iPhone later this week will probably not serve as the catalyst for mass adoption of music phone capabilities.

Originally posted on June 25, 2007 @ 6:49 pm