Distorted-Loop.com

Walmart has re-launched its online music store, storming in with a US price cut on the music it sells - 74-cents will buy a track, well under the 99-cents per track offered by iTunes or Amazon.

Walmart has exclusively sold MP3s through its online store since February 2008 and now offers more than 3 million MP3s with content from all major labels. The enhanced MP3 online store is supported by multiple elements in Walmart stores, including a free MP3 download with every CD purchased in stores or online.

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EMI Music has hitched a deal with InMotion under which the label’s music catalogue will be made available for sale at the latter firm’s airport-based kiosks across the US.

Music fans will be able to buy and download a selection of EMI Music’s key current and catalogue albums and singles directly to portable devices at major US airports using its in-store PlayPoint Media Hotspot kiosks. 

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EMI plans to enter the increasingly crowded online music and video sales market with its own download service, to be made available through its existing portal, EMI.com.

The company already has some experience in this - it has been offering its Share service to music journalists for some while in order to securely distribute pre-release music to them for review.

There’s a strong likelihood the site will offer music streaming, as it is being described as a “learning lab” for people to discover new music. The company is increasingly forging its own digital destiny in online music - it’s no suprise last year’s biggest digital story comes from former EMI act, Radiohead, for example.

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Plans to introduce a Product (RED)-supporting music download service are advanced, but the Bono-backed group’s keeping plans close to its chest even as the anticipated autumn launch looms.

A representative of the group told Distorted Loop, “We have nothing new to announce since the last press release we sent to you - but hopefully soon!”

The last press release summarised most all the information available, confirming the subscription-based plan is designed to create a new revenue stream for artists and labels and to buy life-saving medicine for those living with AIDS in Africa. Read the rest of this entry »

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Universal Music has reached yet another deal to offer music in DRM-free MP3 format to music fans - even while the company hasn’t yet offered catalogue in the format to 65 million iTunes customers.

The new attempt to support a disruptive service this time champions one-year-old Sony BMG-owned service, Dada.net, which will now offer its users DRM-free full track MP3 downloads and ringtones for a monthly fee.

Dada is the only company to offer its content through all major mobile carriers - but where this gets more interesting is that the company “expects to be able to offer users over-the-air MP3 downloads to mobile devices in the coming weeks,” it said in the release announcing the Universal link. (Important to note this deal appears US only at this juncture). Read the rest of this entry »

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Peter Gabriel-backed ads-supported music service, We7, announced a second significant deal this morning - reaching an agreement with leading aggregator The Orchard to offer music from the labels it represents through We7.

This news means music handled by The Orchard will be made available for on-demand ad-funded download, streaming and mp3 sales. It’s highly significant as the move will bring 1.3 million tracks into the We7 service
 
The deal allows customers on the ad-funded music website access to The Orchard’s significant and diverse music offering, spanning international multi-platinum acts, cutting-edge breaking bands, and iconic and historically significant regional music.

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Kings of Leon took the number one slots on both the UK’s album and single charts, the Official Charts Company revealed today.  
 
The Tennessee rock band’s fourth album “Only By The Night” is also one of the fastest selling albums of the year, with over 220,000 sales in the week of release.   The only album to sell more in its first week this year was Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends.”
 
Meanwhile, the Kings of Leon single, “Sex on Fire” has spent a third week at number one, outselling it’s nearest rival Katie Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl” by more than half.
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Legitimate music consumers are once again at the receiving end of the bad half of the deal on news that giant US retailer, Wal-Mart, plans to close its DRM-server on October 9, meaning previous purchasers of music through its previous music service will lose their collections.

This move follows similar steps by Microsoft and Yahoo this year. All three companies elected to end support for the DRM keys required to transfer music between computers, which need to be authorised in order to play the tracks. Lack of a DRM server means this authorisation doesn’t take place, effectively depriving music buyers of access to their collections.

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The Official Charts Company has relaxed its album chart rules, permitting labels to offer releases festooned with extra material in an attempt to boost sales in the format.

The changes, which have received approval from labels across the industry, both independent and major, will allow for a wider range of audio material and additional merchandise to be packaged within chart-qualifying special editions. The new rules, which follow several months of consultation across the business, will be introduced from Monday September 29.  
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Napster has secured yet another lease of life, with surprise news emeging now that giant US retailer, Best Buy, has agreed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Napster for a cash price of $2.65 per share - $121 million.

The transaction has received required board approval at Napster and is expected to close during the fourth quarter. The proposed acquisition includes Napster’s approx. 700 thousand digital entertainment subscribers, its Web-based customer service platform, and innovative mobile capabilities.

In conjunction with the definitive merger agreement, Napster CEO Chris Gorog and key members of senior management of Napster have entered into employment agreements, effective at closing, pursuant to which they have agreed to continue as the Napster leadership post-acquisition.
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