11/14/08

Music News Bulletin - 14/11/08

EMI will unveil plans to radically re-structure its business today, splitting EMI Music into three business units: new music, catalogue and music services
"EMI Music chief executive Elio Leoni-Sceti is meeting staff today to unveil the plan.
He will also report half-year results, which show that EMI Music made £59m of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the six months to September 30, compared with a loss of £14m last year.

The date is the first in a series of strategy meetings, which will take in offices in LA, New York and Milan, to unveil the plans to key territories.
It will also be the first time that Elio Leoni-Sceti, who was appointed chief executive of EMI’s recorded music division in July, meets many of his staff" [MusicWeek] [Billboard] [CMUDaily]

Sony DRM-Free To iTunes?
"The Apple rumor du jour is that Sony Music Entertainment will license DRM-free tracks to iTunes, under the iTunes Plus program. The speculation began on Apple blog 9to5mac.com, which provides very little information other than hinting its more than just a hunch.
A Sony Music spokesperson did immediately respond to requests for comment.
To date, EMI Music Group is the only major label licensing DRM-free tracks to iTunes. The others license DRM-free to other services, notably Amazon.com, but have resisted doing the same in iTunes." [Billboard]

Is the Datz Music Lounge Worth the Money?
"Of all the new music services, the most innovative is Datz Music Lounge, which UK consumers can buy for £99.99 per year. Its interface is nothing special. There is no editorial content, no lists, no hints that Datz is acting as a gatekeeper of any kind. What is so innovative is its revenue model, and what is amazing is that many labels -- including two majors -- have signed on.
Datz allows for unlimited access to its catalog of music. Subscribers get MP3 downloads of any song on the site. There are no restrictions, no protections. Subscribers keep everything they download. The revenue model is a great leap of faith from the typical per-track/per-album model." [Coolfer]

LIVE NATION'S ARTIST WEBSITE COMPANY TO SELL MAJOR-LABEL MP3S
"More digital, and according to Digital Music News three of the four majors - EMI, Sony and Universal - have licensed their DRM-free MP3 catalogues to Live Nation's US-based Musictoday outfit which operates websites and merchandise stores from numerous artists, including The Rolling Stones, Eminem, Dave Matthews Band and Christina Aguilera. It means artists signed to those majors whose official online shops are managed by Musictoday will be able to sell DRM-free MP3s directly to fans. Musictoday's Chas Patrizia told DMN: "We're going to allow artists to control the presentation of their content; it's a totally different experience. They don't have to go to iTunes, they can go directly to the artist. Most of our bigger artists have opted in"." [CMUDaily]

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