Technology News

Major Label Acts Get Hip to Music Apps

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2009

Apple's app store is doing for music promotion what the company already did for music sales: making it portable, desirable and easy to access.

Forget about ringtones and Rhapsody; these apps let you subscribe to artists. Unlike the Presidents of the United States of America app we discovered last week, Kyte's iPhone apps for Universal Music Group artists don't give you full tracks, but they do keep fans updated with new information through exclusive videos -- mostly filmed on cellphone, ...

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Live Nation/Ticketmaster Merger Face Antitrust Subcommittee Hearing

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2009

The potential merger of Live Nation and Ticketmaster will face off against the Department of Justice tomorrow as the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights will decide whether the two concert industry superpowers can join forces or if whether the merger violates monopoly laws.

The hearing will be titled “The Ticketmaster/Live Nation Merger: What Does it Mean for Consumers and the Future of the Concert Business?” Confirmed witness include Ticketmaster CEO Irving Azoff, Live Nation president Michael Rapino, ...

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N.J. Settles with Ticketmaster over Springsteen Tickets

Source: Michael Ricci
February 23, 2009

The New Jersey attorney general's office has reached a settlement with Ticketmaster over the recent sale of tickets to Bruce Springsteen performances in that state, calling for major changes to the way Ticketmaster does business.

The settlement -- announced Monday, a day before hearings open in Washington on the proposed merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation -- requires Ticketmaster to reform several of its business practices, in particular with regard to its ticket resale operation, TicketsNow.com.

New Jersey Atty. Gen. ...

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A Free Ticket to Digital Music Forum East

Source: HypeBot
February 23, 2009

If you can be in New York City this coming Wednesday and Thursday February 25-26, I've got a pass to Digital Music Forum East in exchange for some coverage of the event. It's shaping up to be a very strong conference well worth attending even if you have to pay.

DEADLINE MIDNIGHT EST MONDAY 2/23: If you think you deserve this free ticket and are willing to write a couple of short posts for Hypebot, leave a comment below with ...

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Video: New Music Business Models

Source: HypeBot
February 22, 2009

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How We Bungled the Digital Television Transition

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

America's transition to over-the-air digital television signals, which netted the government $19 billion in a wireless spectrum auction, was doomed from the start, thanks to a flawed voucher program and a time frame that left the country stranded between administrations.

In January, close to two million people were stuck on the waiting list for $40 coupons that only cover part of the cost of a digital television converter. The converters make new over- the-air digital signals watchable on analog televisions, ...

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Feds Propose Storing Internet User Data for 2 Years

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

In the name of combating child pornography, federal lawmakers are proposing that internet users' online surfing habits be retained for two years.

The so-called “Internet Stopping Adults Facilitating the Exploitation of Today's Youth Act of 2009," or SAFETY Act, was floated in both the House and Senate on Thursday. Among other things, it demands: “A provider of an electronic communication service or remote computing service shall retain for a period of at least two years all records or other information ...

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Confessions of an iPod Touch Artist

Source: All About Jazz
February 21, 2009

Mobile devices are no longer just for communication, entertainment and business: They can make art, too. Several different iTunes apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch allow users to edit photos, record music and now paint.

Last month, French artist and videographer David Lasnier began composing paintings with the Brushes app on his iPod Touch and uploading the artwork to Flickr. The paintings quickly garnered praise and links from commenters and bloggers.

“The small screen and the limited types of ...

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