1. Alex Pham's Digital Notes: YouTube's Free Tracks, Amazon's Cloud Store, Siemer's Big Prize

    September 25, 2013 8:11 PM EDT YouTube's Free Offerings Google, it would seem, loves giving stuff away. Last week, it was QuickOffice, a suite of productivity apps it purchased in June and is now distributing as a free download. Today, it's more than 150 audio track ...

  2. Study: Online Music Sales in Russia to Grow by 158 Percent in 2013

    September 25, 2013 3:52 PM EDT Legitimate online music sales in Russia are to more than double this year, a local research company says, adding that iTunes’ presence in the market has a serious impact. In 2013, Russia’s legitimate online music market is to reach $8 million, a ...

  3. Ross On Radio: The End Of 'Us And Them'

    September 25, 2013 11:43 AM EDT It was a question that the industry could have asked at any time in the last five years. Instead, it finally came in a study presented by my Edison Research colleagues on the panel "What's Working at Work" at the National Assn. of ...

  4. Jack Johnson Scores Fourth No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart

    September 25, 2013 10:59 AM EDT Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson claims his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, as "From Here to Now to You" bows atop the list with 117,000 sold in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan.   The new effort is his third cons ...

  5. Business Matters: How Good Was iTunes Radio's Start? (Really Good)

    September 24, 2013 4:57 PM EDT Just how good was iTunes Radio's start? Pretty good. Apple announced Monday that iTunes Radio picked up 11 million listeners in its first five days of availability.   The news immediately made clear that iTunes Radio should be considered a ...

  6. Nirvana’s ‘In Utero’ Turns 20: Ex-Geffen Execs' Remembrances, Anecdotes, Marketing Strategy (How 'Rape Me' Became 'Waif Me')

    September 24, 2013 12:43 PM EDT Nirvana had much to live up to following the release of its groundbreaking 1991 album, “Nevermind.” But, with the weight of the world on them, the grunge trio surprised (and perhaps alienated) many with its raucous and emotionally raw follow-u ...

  7. Spotify Goes Live in Argentina, Greece, Taiwan, Turkey

    September 24, 2013 6:34 AM EDT Digital music service Spotify has launched in  four new countries - Taiwan, Argentina, Greece and Turkey. The latest additions mean that the Sweden-based company has now made its music streaming service available in 32 countries. In Taiwan, Spot ...

  8. Guest Post: Compilation Producers vs. Spotify, Round One

    September 23, 2013 4:37 PM EDT Dance music label Ministry of Sound has reportedly sued Spotify in the United Kingdom over playlists of MoS’ well-known compilation albums -- even though MoS doesn’t license to Spotify. How can you tell it’s an MoS compilation? Because Spotify’s ...

  9. Billboard Roundtable Part 2: Bruno Mars, the Super Bowl, Big Data (Video)

    September 23, 2013 3:30 PM EDT The Panel Marcie Allen Founder/president, MAC Presents Lori Feldman Senior VP of brand partnerships & music licensing, Warner Bros. Records Marcus Peterzell EVP of entertainment, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment; head of Ketchum Sounds Bo ...

  10. Over 11 Million People Have Already Used iTunes Radio

    September 23, 2013 1:53 PM EDT The Internet radio business suddenly got a lot more competitive. Less than one week after its launch, over 11 million people have already tried iTunes Radio. The figure was included in a press release Apple issued Monday morning about last week& ...

  11. Big Machine's Scott Borchetta On Spotify, Beats Music, Entering TV With Dr. Luke

    September 23, 2013 12:28 PM EDT When Scott Borchetta caught up with Billboard at IHeartRadio in 2012, he was struggling with the best royalty solution for Big Machine Label Group and free streaming music services like Spotify. One year later, however, little has changed about ...

  12. Twitter Names Bob Moczydlowsky Head of Music

    September 23, 2013 11:55 AM EDT Twitter has named Bob Moczydlowsky, TopSpin Media's former SVP of product and marketing, as its new head of music. The move, originally reported by AllThingsD and further confirmed by his many "thanks" on Twitter, follows the depa ...

  13. John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes Interactive Album App to Launch

    September 23, 2013 11:25 AM EDT A new interactive album app called "John Lennon: The Bermuda Tapes" will launch Nov. 5, exclusively through the iTunes App Store. Directed by filmmaker Michael Epstein, the app chronicles the legendary singer-songwriter's 1980 soj ...

  14. Apple Says It Sold 9 Million iPhones Since Friday

    September 23, 2013 9:43 AM EDT Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply. Its shares jumped 6 percent in premarket trading. Apple says the two new models gave it its strongest iPh ...

  15. Clear Channel Prepping IHeartRadio Country Music Fest, TV Awards For 2014 (Exclusive)

    September 23, 2013 8:21 AM EDT In a wide-ranging video Q&A (below) at the IHeartRadio festival in Las Vegas with Billboard Saturday night, John Sykes, Clear Channel president of entertainment enterprises and Tom Poleman, Clear Channel President of national programming p ...

  16. Ylvis, of Viral Video 'The Fox' Fame, Sign to Warner Music, Play iHeartRadio Fest

    September 22, 2013 10:15 AM EDT Norwegian comedy duo Ylvis made their live U.S. debut at Las Vegas' iHeartRadio festival on Friday, Sept. 20 as the night's surprise guests. The two musician brothers, Vegard and Bard Ylvisaaker, performed their YouTube hit "The F ...

  17. Facebook Shares Hit All-Time High

    September 21, 2013 1:24 PM EDT Shares of Facebook hit an all-time high Friday after a Wall Street firm upgraded the stock and predicted big growth in advertising revenue at the world's dominant online social network. Cowen & Co. analysts John Blackledge and Thomas Ch ...

  18. Jack Johnson Set for No. 1 on Billboard 200, Avicii and Chris Young Aiming For Top 10

    September 20, 2013 9:06 PM EDT Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson is on course for his fourth No. 1 album on the Billboard 200, while EDM superstar and recent Billboard cover act Avicii is aiming for a top 10 debut with his first album, "True." Industry sources suggest ...

  19. Britney Spears' 'Work B**ch!' Aiming for High Hot 100 Debut, Pop Radio Playing Edited Version

    September 20, 2013 5:57 PM EDT One more time, Britney Spears has caused a circus-like frenzy ahead of a new album. "Work B**ch!" introduces Spears' eighth studio set, due Dec. 3. While the track is off to a fast start at radio, its title and lyrics are causing ...

  20. Record Companies Allowed to Pursue Vimeo for Copyright Infringement

    September 20, 2013 12:15 PM EDT A federal judge in New York won't allow user-generated video website Vimeo, owned by Barry Diller's IAC, to dodge a big copyright lawsuit. Capitol Records and other big labels brought the legal action in December, 2009, alleging that ...

  21. Chart Moves: Album Sales Hit New Low; Madonna's 'MDNA World Tour' Debuts; Earth, Wind & Fire Reaches Chart High

    September 20, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, Keith Urban beat out the Weeknd for the No. 1 slot by less than 3,000 copies. Urban's "Fuse" debuted at No. 1 with 98,000 copies, while the Weeknd's "Kiss Land" started w ...

  22. Unvision Mulling IPO Next Year (Report)

    September 20, 2013 6:20 AM EDT Univision is considering a initial public offering next year, Reuters reported on Thursday. The Spanish-language broadcaster has been private since a $12 billion buyout from Thomas H. Lee Partners, TPG Capital, Providence Equity Partners and Mad ...

  23. Britney Spears' Las Vegas Residency: Full Details On the Pop Singer’s Two-Year Deal (Q&A)

    September 19, 2013 2:59 PM EDT Beginning in December, Las Vegas will be the only place on earth where you’ll be able to see Britney Spears perform over the next two years. After months of speculation, the pop superstar announced her two-year Las Vegas residency show, titl ...

  24. Exclusive: Jeff Toig, Former Muve Music Executive, Goes to SoundCloud

    September 19, 2013 2:37 PM EDT Jeff Toig, the Cricket Wireless senior vice president behind the creation of subscription service Muve Music, is moving to SoundCloud, the Berlin-based company that offers a popular audio hosting and streaming platform. Toig's team will ove ...

  25. Apple iTunes Radio’s Promise Vs. Its Delivery: A Report Card

    September 19, 2013 7:20 AM EDT iTunes Radio, after much chatter and speculation, has finally gone live as a feature in Apple Inc.’s new iOS 7 operating system, which also featured a new configuration of iTunes itself.  Apple iTunes Radio Launching Sept. 18, Called 'Pur ...

  26. Jack Johnson, Justin Moore Vying for No. 1 on the Billboard 200

    September 18, 2013 7:52 PM EDT Singer/songwriter Jack Johnson and country singer Justin Moore are heading for the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart next week. At the present, industry sources forecast that Johnson's new album, "From Here to Now to You," mig ...

  27. Pepsi's Frank Cooper Talks iTunes Radio, Exclusive Brand Channels (Exclusive)

    September 18, 2013 6:56 PM EDT Apple’s long-awaited launch of iTunes Radio on Wednesday brings an exclusive list of sponsors -- McDonald’s, Nissan, and Procter & Gamble among them -- but only one with its own branded stations. Pepsi, iTunes Radio’s premier beverage sponso ...

  28. 2vLive Concert Streaming Platform Launches with Cee-Lo, Demi Lovato (Exclusive)

    September 18, 2013 5:52 PM EDT While live-streaming concerts is nothing new to the music industry, a market leader has yet to emerge. 2vLive , an Atlanta-, London-, and Toronto-based company that describes itself as the "On Demand" of live concert streaming, aims t ...

  29. Exclusive: 'Spotify Landmark' Original Content Series Launches With Nirvana's 'In Utero' (Listen)

    September 18, 2013 4:12 PM EDT Spotify has launched its own original content series and dedicated website called Spotify Landmark, a multi-media documentary series focusing on classic moments in music history. The premiere episode (embed below), entitled “The Real Story of ...

  30. Pandora/ASCAP Ruling: Judge to Sony/ATV, UMPG, Others – You’re Either 'All In' or 'All Out' (Analysis)

    September 18, 2013 12:32 PM EDT The ruling by the ASCAP rate court handed down on late Sept. 17 says the performance rights organization blanket license must include all of its repertoire, including the songs of the publishers trying to withdraw the digital rights. But the ...

  31. Pandora, Slacker Up Their Game on Day of iTunes Radio Launch

    September 18, 2013 11:27 AM EDT Pandora and Slacker both announced new features to their services Wednesday, the same day that Apple is scheduled to press play on its iTunes Radio service as part of the release of its iOS 7 operating system. Pandora, whose 72 million monthly l ...

  32. Grammy Nominations Concert Returning to L.A.

    September 18, 2013 10:02 AM EDT After shaking things up in Nashville last year, the Recording Academy is bringing the Grammy Nominations Concert Live!! back to Los Angeles. The hour-long CBS concert special will take place at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on Friday, Dec. 6 at 10 ...

  33. Should You Upgrade Your iPhone, iPad To Apple's New iOS 7?

    September 18, 2013 8:29 AM EDT  The changes to Apple's iOS software became apparent as I drove to the headquarters of the company's rival, Google. As I navigated using Apple's mapping app, I noticed one of my favorite attributes was missing: the directions for ...

  34. Electronic Arts Names Andrew Wilson CEO

    September 18, 2013 6:30 AM EDT Electronic Arts Inc. has tapped an insider to lead the company, naming Andrew Wilson as its new CEO. Wilson joined the video game publisher in 2000 and is the company's executive vice president of EA sports and its online portal for digital ...

  35. Pandora Prevails In ASCAP Rate Court Case

    September 18, 2013 2:49 AM EDT The New York ASCAP rate court has come down in favor of Pandora in a ruling that says that the performance right organization blanket license has to include all of its repertoire. That means that the all the publishers who have pulled their ...

  36. Kendrick Lamar Tops Soul Train Awards Nominees

    September 17, 2013 8:08 PM EDT Kendrick Lamar is the top nominee for the Soul Train Awards. The rapper is up for six awards, including album of the year for "good kid, m.A.A.d city" and song and video of the year for "Poetic Justice." R&B singers Justi ...

  37. Gallo's Film/TV Briefs: Diddy’s Revolt Goes Live Oct. 21; ‘Into the Woods’ Starts Filming; ‘Mad Men’ Pours a Holiday Mix

    September 17, 2013 5:40 PM EDT Sean Combs’ Cable Channel Revolt Goes Live Oct. 21 Sean Combs’ cable channel Revolt will go live Oct. 21 on Time Warner cable systems in New York and Los Angeles prior to a national launch in January. Revolt will be made available to customers w ...

  38. Alex Pham's Digital Notes: Madonna Leverages BitTorrent, Linkin Park Streams on Xbox, Brian Frank Exits Beats Music

    September 17, 2013 3:50 PM EDT Madonna Leverages BitTorrent The queen of pop is the latest established artist to use BitTorrent. In Madonna's case, she will be releasing a free BitTorrent Bundle containing a 17-minute film entitled "secretprohectrevolution" tha ...

  39. New Apple TV Software Turns iOS Device Into a Portable Remote Control for Your Music

    September 17, 2013 2:56 PM EDT Apple reportedly plans to release new software on Sep. 18 for its popular Apple TV hardware ($99), which lets you listen to music on nice speakers and watch video on a big screen by routing them through your iOS device. The way it works for musi ...

  40. Betty Who Signs To RCA As Marriage Proposal Video Goes Viral (Exclusive)

    September 17, 2013 1:30 PM EDT 1 1.554 k 26 2 0 Betty Who, the Australian-born, New York-based pop singer, who released her debut EP "The Movement" last April (and which  premiered on Billboard.com ), has signed a U.S. label deal with RCA Records days after a YouTube video of ...

  41. Pandora Media to Issue New Stock, Crosslink Capital to Sell Some Holdings

    September 16, 2013 9:29 PM EDT Internet radio giant Pandora Media Inc. said Monday it will issue new shares in a move that could raise three times as much investor cash as its initial public offering two years ago. The move will refresh the company’s dwindling cash reserves a ...

  42. New Investor, Restructuring at Rhapsody

    September 16, 2013 8:06 PM EDT Rhapsody announced Monday it has received added an investor and will restructure the company. Jon Irwin will step down as president and will continue working with the company as a strategic advisor.  Investment firm Columbus Nova Technology Par ...

  43. Business Matters: What Google Trends Says About Spotify, Deezer, iTunes and the State of Digital Music

    September 16, 2013 6:30 PM EDT Google Trends shows what we already know: subscription services are increasingly popular while interest in paid downloads has peaked. But Google Trends, a Google service that graphs the frequency of search terms, also shows the popularity of ...

  44. Live Nation Preps Ford-Sponsored Web Series 'Rider Challenge' With Lumineers, Kid Cudi, Fitz & The Tantrums, More

    September 16, 2013 3:59 PM EDT Live Nation is entering the original webisodic content arena with "The Rider Challenge," a Ford Fiesta-sponsored digital series that premieres Sept. 30 on LiveNation.com. The series will chronicle fans of The Lumineers, Kid Cudi, Fall ...

  45. Recording Academy's Neil Portnow Extends Contract Through 2019 (Exclusive)

    September 16, 2013 8:00 AM EDT Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow has been contracted to remain in his post through 2019. The Academy’s Board of Trustees voted unanimously to extend Portnow’s contract, which was set to expire in 2015.   "Neil is a dynamic leade ...

  46. Audiosocket Aims to Reduce YouTube Copyright Conflicts

    September 16, 2013 12:00 AM EDT Audiosocket, a music licensing company, has signed a deal to provide SourceAudio with a new fingerprinting technology aimed at reducing the growing number of conflicts over copyright ownership on YouTube. The conflicts have been characterized as ...

  47. Rdio Partners With Cumulus Media (Report)

    September 15, 2013 10:49 PM EDT On-demand music service Rdio and broadcast radio network Cumulus Media have entered into a partnership that will provide Rdio reach and resources and give Cumulus an additional online platform for its content.   The deal, first revealed by the ...

  48. Janelle Monae, Arctic Monkeys and Sheryl Crow Heading For Top 10 on Billboard 200

    September 13, 2013 9:33 PM EDT Here’s a look at next week’s Billboard 200 albms chart: Janelle Monae is set for her first top 10, Arctic Monkeys is making a strong return and Sheryl Crow's aiming for her ninth top 10 set. Monae's "The Electric Lady" should ...

  49. Chart Moves: Bastille's 'Bad Blood' Debuts, Fleetwood Mac's 'Opus' Opens, Little Big Town's 'Tornado' Celebrates Anniversary

    September 13, 2013 9:30 AM EDT This week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, budding pop princess Ariana Grande claimed her first No. 1. Her debut album, "Yours Truly," has sold 138,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Behind Grande at No. 2, ...

  50. Katy Perry Returns to No. 1 on Billboard's Social 50 Chart

    September 13, 2013 9:00 AM EDT Billboard's Social 50 chart has a new No. 1 this week, as Katy Perry returns to the top for the first time in more than a year. The Social 50 ranks the most popular artists on YouTube, Vevo, Facebook, Twitter, SoundCloud, Wikipedia, Myspace ...

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