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Technology

Apple in Negotiations to Offer Unlimited Downloads, Move Could Cement iTunes Dominance

Source: HypeBot
March 5, 2011

Apple is in talks with all four major record companies to offer unlimited downloads of purchased music. This would enable iTunes customers to sync their music across different Apple devices. While the labels have been reluctant to grant multiple download rights previously, Apple's relatively closed eco-sytem could offer them a level of comfort. Is This DRM 2.0? Sources tell Bloomberg that the deal would allow music to be downloaded to Macs, iPods, iPad and iPhone devices, as long as they ...

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Technology

$1.25 An Hour - The Biggest Music Download Ever...

Source: HypeBot
March 5, 2011

Disclaimer: This may not be the biggest music download ever, but it's big. A classical music label in the UK has released The Complete Piano Music, by Franz Liszt; it's a digital version of a 99-CD box set. The download weighs in at about 26GB for the FLAC download, and 12GB for the MP3s. In total, there are 1,464 tracks, which take up more than 7,350 minutes - or 122 hours. Still not convinced that this may be the biggest music download ...

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Technology

The Cloud: It's Not an Evolution...

Source: Digital Music News
March 3, 2011

There's a pervasive thought that cloud-based music access represents an evolution over locally-stored content. That somehow, hard drive MP3s are the Cro-Magnon, and cloud-based access the Homo Sapien. But this thinking ignores the surge of advancements in locally-stored access, and could lead to a lot of squandered capital. In reality, the cloud is better positioned as a complement to existing collections and access methods, not a replacement. In fact, most credible rumors suggest that both Apple and Google are thinking ...

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Technology

Rhapsody to Offer 60-Day Free Trial - Will It Work?

Source: HypeBot
March 3, 2011

Through March, Rhapsody is offering a 60-day free trialof its on-demand music service. This huge promotion comes by way of MTV Networks. Until last April, MTV was a part owner of Rhapsody. They, however, went independent and as part of the spin-out, MTV agreed to provide Rhapsody with $33 million in free advertising. MTV will be publicizing the new promotion across their major television, web, and mobile properties. This will be a telling moment for Rhapsody and subscription music in ...

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Technology

Facebook Changes "Like" Button to "Share" Without Notice and What It Means to You

Source: HypeBot
March 1, 2011

On Sunday, Facebook changed its “Like" button on sites across the net to essentially give it the same functionality as its “Share" button. The new Like button no longer opens a new window or offers any way to edit what their posting. What does this mean for your site? Before the change, “likes" appeared in a stream or on a wall as an action grouped with other actions and containing no detail other than a small notice that the user ...

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Technology

Apple Data Center Opens in Spring to Support Cloud

Source: HypeBot
February 25, 2011

In the past few weeks, Apple has been making headlines for potentially stonewalling the efforts of every single subscription music service in the market. Quite serendipitously, it has now been announced that their $1 billion data center in Maiden, N.C., is expected to open this spring and will be used to support iTunes and MobileMe. Due to Apple's acquisition of Lala, the recent move against rival services, and the data center, it's believed that the company will soon offer web-based ...

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Technology

Two Views of Topspin: 'It Works' Vs. 'Disillusioned'

Source: HypeBot
February 25, 2011

As more artists and marketers use the Topspin direct-to-fan platform and the company nears a March expansion to include a self-service platform, several views of its design and functionality are emerging. Many agree that Topspin is the most robust music marketing toolkit available. But despite several educational initiatives, some still find using Topsin confusing. “To maximize the potential of the platform, you will probably need a web marketing guru/developer," according to musician and marketer Charles Alexander. A Steep Learning Curve ...

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Technology

Quality vs. Convenience: Apple May Upgrade Sound Quality - But Will Enough Users Care?

Source: HypeBot
February 24, 2011

For a second time, Apple may pursue upgrading the quality of the song files they sell. The goal is to offer downloads that more accurately reflect their original recordings, perhaps at a higher price. It's a long road ahead of them, but executives like Jimmy Iovine, known for his criticism of the sound quality of song files and involvement in the Beats Audio line of headphones, is helping to push the initiative along. He believes that the war on music ...

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