UK : Internet provider fires shot across bows of music industry on piracy

TalkTalk, the internet service-provider owned by Carphone Warehouse, has flatly rejected demands from the music and film industries that it should "police" the internet and cut off some broadband customers in an attempt to stem the flood of illegal file-sharing. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), has suggested persistent illegal file-sharers should be warned by their service providers and then be cut off under a "three strikes and you're out" rule. (The Guardian)

Q&A: President Of Digital Business For EMI, Douglas Merrill

The appointment of former Google chief information officer Douglas Merrill to president of EMI's digital business is certainly one of the more innovative executive moves made by a major label in recent memory. Billboard had the opportunity to speak with Merrill the day his appointment was announced. (Billboard, Silicon Alley Insider, Paidcontent)

Why Won't the Music Business Hire Nerds?

Last Thursday, Portfolio broke the news that Warner Bros. Music CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. had hired ex–Geffen Music executive Jim Griffin to launch an innovative new initiative that will almost certainly fail to save the troubled recording industry. Under the proposed plan, Internet users would pay a tax (Griffin suggests $5) on top of their monthly service bill allowing them to download all the music they want. Obviously — as lots of irate nerds on the Internet have already pointed out — such a thing would likely never work for millions of reasons. Nevertheless, Bronfman has reportedly signed Griffin to a three-year contract to put the plan into action. (NY Mag)

Jay-Z Deal Offers New Model for Music Sales

Jay-Z plans to depart his longtime record label, Def Jam, for a roughly $150 million package with the concert giant Live Nation that includes financing for his own entertainment venture, in addition to recordings and tours for the next decade. The pact, expected to be finalized this week, is the most expansive deal yet from Live Nation. (NY Times)

EMI Music appoints top Google executive Douglas Merrill to drive digital growth

EMI Music has appointed Google’s chief information officer and one of its most senior global executives, Douglas Merrill, to lead its growing digital music business. As President, Digital Business, EMI Music, Merrill will head a new global function which brings together for the first time leadership responsibility for all of the company’s digital strategy, innovation, business development, supply chain and global technology activities. (PR, Financial Times)

Judge to RIAA: You can't sue over songs 'made available' via P2P

In a widely anticipated decision, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled Monday to reject the RIAA's claim that a Kazaa user who merely "made available" copyrighted music necessarily violated the law. Rather, he said, the RIAA would have to demonstrate that unlawful copying actually took place. While the judge rejected the RIAA attorneys' "making available" argument, he did provide them with a road map showing a detour that might still allow them to arrive at their destination. (News.com)

Record companies sue Pirate Bay four

Record companies are demanding that the four individuals responsible for operating the file sharing site The Pirate Bay pay €1.6 million (15 million kronor/$2.5 million) in compensatory damages. The indictment covers 24 music albums, nine films, and four computer games. The compensation claim was presented to Stockholm District Court on Monday. "The record companies can go screw themselves," said Pirate Bay founder Gottfrid Svartholm Warg to The Local. (The Local, Ars Technica)

Why piracy isn't such a bad thing for music

As an international recession looms, it is reassuring to read some good business news. Britain's film industry is enjoying a boom. Visits to cinemas rose 3.7% to 162.4 million in 2007, much faster than growth of the whole economy, and box office takings rose 7.7% to £904.9m. But hang on: isn't this an industry, even more than music, in global meltdown because of an epidemic of illegal file sharing? How come it is expanding? (The Guardian)

Interview with Paul Resnikoff (Digital Music News)

For those who don’t know, Paul is the editor and founder of Digital Music News, which is a highly respected and popular news site for all things to do with the business side of the music industry. Paul has a serious amount of good contacts, which is why DMN is the best there is for the inside stories and gets the news before anyone else does. (Madyleight Stor)

The 2008 conference video series: Bob Ezrin at MidemNet

Bob Ezrin, producer & chairman of Live Nation Recordings - and one of the most important music producers ever - spoke to Billboard's Tamara Conniff at MidemNet 2008. He notably insisted that music should not be considered as mere content... (Midemnet's Blog)

The 2008 conference video series: Domino Records' Laurence Bell

Laurence Bell, founder, of pioneering UK label Domino Records (Arctic Monkeys, Junior Boys, Franz Ferdinand...) was interviewed by A&R Worldwide's Sat Bisla as part of MIDEM 2008's Talent Only initiative. (Midemnet's Blog)

The 2008 conference video series: MidemNet "Reinventing the label" panel

This ground-breaking MidemNet 2008 session looked at how labels are going beyond their core business of selling recorded music; and at what the label of the future might look like. Speakers: Steve Greenberg, S-Curve Records; Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG Music Entertainment; Emmanuel Mougin-Pivert, Warner Music France 360°, Peter Rojas, RCRD LBL; Ke Song, Taihe Rye Music. (Midemnet's Blog)

Pumpkins sue Virgin over name use

Rock group Smashing Pumpkins are taking legal action against Virgin Records over claims their name was used illegally for promotional purposes. The dispute arises from the label's use of the band in Pepsi Stuff, a promotion with the cola giant and website Amazon. According to breach of contract papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the band claims the deal threatens their "artistic integrity". (BBC News, The Guardian)

Australian music sales fall 10 per cent

Rising digital sales failed to prevent Australia's music industry losing 10 per cent of its income last year. A 4 per cent slump in CD sales caused the worst damage, according to statistics from the Australian Record Industry Association. But last year was a good one for Australian artists, with 36 local albums featuring in the top 100 and four - by Silverchair, Powderfinger, The John Butler Trio and Missy Higgins - in the top 10. (News.com.au)

Bertelsmann ponders its harmony with Sony

Bertelsmann, Europe’s biggest consumer media group, said that it would sell out of the music business if Sony, its joint-venture partner, was willing to offer a similar valuation to that paid by Guy Hands when he bought EMI for £2.1 billion last year. Thomas Rabe, the chief financial officer, said: “What we will do depends on price. Of course, the EMI price is a good price for a seller, but we would not be interested in selling if we were offered a figure based on the current valuation of Warner Music. The market is undervaluing music assets.” (Times Online, FMQB)

Kazaa downloads cost one man $750 per song in RIAA suit

James V. Lewis was sued by the labels in August 2007 after an IP address flagged by MediaSentry was traced to his ISP account. Lewis never showed up in court, and the RIAA filed for a default judgment in October. After a hearing held last week, the judge gave the RIAA what it was looking for: a default judgment in the amount of $3,000 plus an additional $420 in court costs. (Ars Technica)

Former Major Label Band Seeks Fan Funding

What do you do if your band gets dropped by Interscope Records (under the Universal Music Group umbrella) after your first album and you can't afford to record the second one, even though the first one sounded pretty good by a lot of people's reckoning? If you're Annie Hardy, the lead singer and only permanent member of Giant Drag, you put a Paypal button on your MySpace page asking fans to donate so that you can make your next album a reality. (Wired)

Italian File-Sharers Let Off The Hook

Italian companies may not spy on individuals who engage in illegal file-sharing, according to a controversial new ruling. The ruling of Francesco Pizzetti, president of the official Italian body for Guaranteeing the Protection of Private Data, follows the attempts of a German record label, Peppermint, which last year began using the Swiss computer firm Logistep to gather the IP addresses of at least 300 Italians who were illegally sharing files. (Billboard)

Raconteurs release surprise album

The Raconteurs are to rush out their new album, Consolers of the Lonely, in just a week's time. The LP will be released simultaneously on vinyl, CD and digitally across the world on 25 March. In an attempt to stop the album being leaked, the band have also chosen not to send review copies to music journalists. The Raconteurs are also the latest band to criticise sites like iTunes for selling individual album tracks. (BBC News, The Guardian)

A Better Way Forward: Voluntary Collective Licensing of Music File Sharing

The current battles surrounding peer-to-peer file sharing are a losing proposition for everyone. The record labels continue to face lackluster sales, while the tens of millions of American file sharers—American music fans—are made to feel like criminals. Every day the collateral damage mounts—privacy at risk, innovation stymied, economic growth suppressed, and a few unlucky individuals singled out for legal action by the recording industry. And the litigation campaign against music fans has not put a penny into the pockets of artists. We need a better way forward. (EFF White Paper)