Ringtone business continues to grow
A Consect report puts the ringtone market at $300 million a year in America and $4 billion worldwide, with SonyBMG's Thomas Hesse predicting phones will become the player of choice.…
Data & Reports
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UK piracy up 30%
The BPI says commercial music piracy in the UK rose sharply last year, reaching an estimated £76.9 million, and has urged a stronger national enforcement effort.…
IFPI names ten worst piracy nations
The IFPI has named the ten worst countries for music piracy at a Madrid conference, with boss Jon Kennedy calling Spain's piracy levels a serious problem.…
Poll suggests Britons don't believe in Live 8
A Sky News poll found most Britons do not believe Live 8 will help eradicate poverty in Africa, with only 16% thinking it will make a difference.…
Japanese mobile music service passes 10 million download mark
Japanese mobile operator KDDI has sold its 10 millionth full-song mobile download, with over two million sold monthly since the service launched last November.…
Survey finds music fans would pay for legal P2P over iTunes or Napster
A PlayLouder survey of 843 fans found 84% would pay for a legal P2P service, with co-founder Paul Hitchman arguing ISPs could generate £240 million a year.…
Heatwave makes mudbaths unlikely at this year's Glastonbury
Forecasters predict a heatwave that could last into next weekend, making mud at Glastonbury unlikely, according to organiser Michael Eavis as reported by Gigwise.…
Nearly 700,000 classical fans download BBC Radio 3 Beethoven performances
Nearly 700,000 listeners downloaded free Beethoven symphony performances from BBC Radio 3, which plans to release the remaining symphonies later this month.…
Coldplay get first US number one
Coldplay's album X&Y has topped the US album chart with 737,000 first-week sales, the band's first US number one and the first UK band to top both charts since Radiohead.…
Whose song is it anyway?
A MusicTank event discussed when session musicians and band members can claim a share of songs they help create, with precedents including Magoogan, Valentino and Spandau Ballet's failed claim.…
Digital TV reach continues to grow
OfCom says 61.9% of UK households now have digital TV, with 14.32 million digital viewers in the first quarter, boosting government hopes of switching off analogue.…
US think tank reaffirms download issues but makes few new proposals
The US Centre For Democracy and Technology has published a report urging the music industry to adopt a three-part strategy largely matching existing industry practice.…