Rolling Stones Roll Into eMusic; Abkco Deal Quietly Emerges

The Rolling Stones have now landed on eMusic, a quiet deal catching only modest attention Thursday. eMusic subscribers now have access to the entire Rolling Stones catalog spanning 1964-1970, available as MP3s. That includes famous albums Let It Bleed, Beggars Banquet, and Aftermath, as well as indelible classics like "Paint It, Black," "Satisfaction," "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and a laundry list of others. (Digital Music News)

Napster Q4 Revenue Hits $31 Million

Shares of Napster Inc. jumped Thursday after the online music retailer said it expects its revenue for the fiscal fourth-quarter, which ended March 31, totaled about $31 million, beating analysts' predictions. The company's revenue totaled $29.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Napster also said its subscriber base rose to about 760,000 by the end of March. (Billboard, Digital Music News)

Why Steve Jobs wants to sell you a music subscription

Why is Apple suddenly in talks with record labels about bundling an unlimited music plan with new iPods, after resisting such a move for years? Steve Jobs has scoffed at music subscriptions in the past, saying customers want to "own their music." Never take Steve at his word: For years, he shot down the idea of iPods with video or an Apple-branded cell phone — until he made them happen. The same is about to happen for music subscriptions — but not because Jobs has suddenly changed his mind about consumers' tastes. (Valley Mag)

eMusic: Apple's bundled-music device would be anticompetitive

Apple is in for a fierce legal fight should it ever release a device that offers all-you-can-eat music, according to David Pakman, CEO of rival digital music service eMusic. "It smells like classic Sherman Antitrust Act to me," Pakman said. "I only know what I've read but the plan sounds very similar to the tying practices Microsoft used with Windows/Explorer. And Microsoft is still paying the penalties for that one." (News.com)

Apple Bundle Math

When doing the math and trying to decide if $20 or $80 or whatever is a good deal for an Apple-and-music bundle, a few things need to be in the calculations. First is the classification -- download versus tethered download. Big difference in revenue and royalties. The former is an unlikely scenario. The latter is a better guide to how the upfront fees would be disbursed. (Coolfer)

Sony BMG developing online music service

The CEO of Sony BMG Music Entertainment says that the company is developing an online music subscription service that would give users unlimited access to its music and be compatible with a host of digital music players. As for costs to subscribers, the newspaper quoted him as saying that the "simplest option would be a flat rate" fee per month of around 6 to 8 euros ($9 to $12) for unlimited access to Sony BMG's entire music catalog and that the downloads would be compatible with all players, including Apple's ubiquitous iPod. (AP)

eMusic: Apple's bundled-music device would be anticompetitive

Apple is in for a fierce legal fight should it ever release a device that offers all-you-can-eat music, according to David Pakman, CEO of rival digital music service eMusic. "It smells like classic Sherman Antitrust Act to me," Pakman said. "I only know what I've read but the plan sounds very similar to the tying practices Microsoft used with Windows/Explorer. And Microsoft is still paying the penalties for that one." (News.com)

Why would Steve Jobs rent music on iTunes?

It’s all the talk on tech and music blogs: The report in Wednesday’s Financial Times that Apple is negotiating with the big music companies for a deal that would give customers free access to the entire iTunes music library. In exchange for what? There are several answers to that question in the FT account, and that’s the problem. (Fortune)

Apple mulls unlimited music bundle

Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices. Apple, which is thought to make relatively little money from the iTunes store compared with its hardware sales, is also understood to be examining a subscription model. (Financial Times)

Napster and Telefonica's O2 link up to offer 5 mln tracks

Telefonica unit O2 has signed a deal with online music site Napster (NASDAQ:NAPS) that gives the mobile operator's subscribers access to 5 mln tracks for download to both the phone and PC, according to The Independent. (Thomson Financial, The Independent)

eMusic Adds Labels

eMusic has announced that its catalog has surpassed 3.5 million tracks with the addition of 43 new record labels and digital aggregators. The eMusic roster now includes German electronic label Kompakt (Michael Mayer, Superpitcher), indie rockers Constellation Records (Do Make Say Think, Silver Mt Zion), and pop/rock/electronic imprint IAMSOUND Records (Cut Off Your Hands) among others. (Hypebot)

Majors Sign Up With Euro Web Community MusicMakesFriends

Universal Music, Sony BMG Music and EMI Music have made their entire digital catalog available to the web platform, which today launched a premium subscription option in addition to its free advertising-supported streaming service. The pan-European, music-driven community enables users to legally listen to radio programs created by other members. Now more than 1.5 million tracks will also be available on demand alongside other features for a monthly fee. (Billboard)

Vivendi sees 500,000 Zaoza subscribers by end 2008

Vivendi expects its new Internet music, ringtone and video games provider Zaoza to attract 500,000 subscribers by the end of the year, the French telecoms and media group said on Tuesday. The portal, which will be commercially launched on Wednesday, offers a selected list of exclusive content for mobile phones and computers for 3 euros ($4.42) a month. (Reuters)

Rental Redefined: eMusic Strikes Avis Partnership

Rent a car, get some independent MP3s.  That is a proposition being presented by eMusic and Avis, an unusual pairing.  According to information shared Tuesday, Avis renters will be given access to a handful of free downloads supplied by eMusic.  Additionally, eMusic will offer a collection of playlists geared towards seasons, destinations, and other pertinent themes. (DigitaMusicNews)

Rob Lewis, CEO, Omnifone: Freeing Mobile Music

Omnifone’s MusicStation, a subscription mobile music service giving all-you-can-eat music for £1.99 a week, clocked up over 500,000 track downloads within 10 days of debuting on Vodafone late last year. Right now, there’s only Universal repertoire and no carriers have yet committed to the idea - but more labels are “only a matter of time”, and network discussions are “ongoing”. Lewis gave me a sneak preview of the prototype LG handset that demonstrates the idea… (PaidContent)

MWC Debates DRM

The digital rights management debate moved to the mobile space today, as delegates at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona heard Larry Moores, senior VP global product management for Real Networks, call for DRM-free music to be made more widely available. "DRM remains important for subscription models but the issue is when you buy [an a la carte] track from Verizon or Vodafone it's very difficult to get it to play on something else," said Moores, speaking during the "Fight for the right to make money" panel (Billboard)

Napster Posts Smaller 3Q Deficit

With a 15 percent jump in revenue from subscriptions, online music retailer Napster Inc. said Wednesday it spent less and lost much less in its third quarter than a year earlier. For the three months ended Dec. 31, the company posted a net loss of $2.8 million, or 6 cents per share, compared with a net loss of $9.5 million, or 22 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue totaled $32.8 million, up 15 percent from $28.4 million in the year-ago quarter, with the rise driven primarily by growth in subscription and wireless music sales, the company said. (AP)

Omnifone, LG In Deal For Unlimited Music Phone

As expected, U.K.-based music download company Omnifone has signed LG Electronics on to make the first mobile phones that will feature its MusicStation Max unlimited mobile music service. Omnifone has music licensing deals with the four major record labels and many independents for its MusicStation service. Consumers who buy the handsets will have to sign up for a music, voice and data phone plan that will allow them to download music. Phone plans run for 12 to 18 months. After that period, users can either buy a new MusicStation Max device and continue the service or keep their current phone and music library at no additional charge. (Billboard, Mark Mulligan's Blog)

Napster Mobile Diplomacy Continues, Chilean Pact Emerges

Napster Mobile broadened its platform into Latin America on Monday, the latest chip in a global expansion. The deal involves Chilean operator Entel PCS, a division of telecommunications company Entel. Napster Mobile, a joint venture between Napster and Ericsson, will supply Entel with a catalog of roughly four million, full-track songs, as well as a substantial master ringtone collection. (Digital Music News)

Yahoo! Music switches to Rhapsody-run service

Yahoo! is closing down its subscription Yahoo! Music service and has signed a deal with Rhapsody for it to take over the online giant's music offerings. Silicon Valley Insider estimates the Yahoo! unit may be worth between USD66m and USD110m. The deal comes at the same time as Yahoo! is expected to announce its rumoured acquisition of plug-in music app, FoxyTunes. (StrategyEye, Forbes, Billboard)