:: LNR Journalism ::

Nokia debuts free music streaming service in the USA

For how long?

Nokia :: Nokia today announced the launch of its free music streaming service Nokia Music in the USA. Nokia Music is a free mobile experience exclusive to Nokia Lumia handsets, providing consumers with a simple and delightful way to discover and enjoy music. Consumers can stream music from a suite of over 150 exclusive playlists that are curated and kept up to date by an expert team of US based musicologists. The playlists span a wide spectrum of musical genres from underground Detroit house tracks to New York Philharmonic favorites. Nokia Music also offers playlists created by global artists such as Lana Del Rey, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.

Announcement here press release, press.nokia.com

HT: discussed here "Listen up Pandora: Nokia Music now playing in U.S. for free" - A report by Kevin C. Tofel, gigaom.com

MTV embraces Viddy ("Twitter for Video") for big music show coverage

Beet.TV :: MTV is having scores of its staffers at the September 6 Video Music Awards use Viddy, a video sharing platform that allows users to upload and share 15-second videos, says Colin Helms, MTV's SVP for Digital in this interview with Beet.TV.

A interview by Andy Plesser, www.beet.tv

Court affirms $675,000 penalty in music-downloading case

CNET :: Joel Tenenbaum, handed a $675,000 penalty for illegally downloading and distributing 31 songs, looks on as court upholds the size of the damages fee. The fee had been lowered once; then reinstated.

A report by Elinor Mills, news.cnet.com

Global digital music sales to top $8.6b in 2012: Streaming revenues drive growth

Strategy Analytics :: Online streaming revenues will grow at almost five times the rate of download revenues in 2012, according to Strategy Analytics' latest Global Recorded Music* Forecast. Streaming revenues will increase 40% in 2012 - to $1.1 billion - whilst download revenues will increase by 8.5 percent to $3.9 billion (see Chart 1). Therefore, streaming services will take over as the leading revenue growth engine for the music industry in 2012, generating an extra $311 million - $8 million more than downloads at $303 million.

A press release, www.strategyanalytics.com

Via: Louis Goddard, The Verge

Drip.fm has indie labels eager to become subscription music services

paidContent :: Waves of music labels are keen to join a recently-launched new platform that promises higher returns than big-name streaming services. But can Drip.fm, which charges the same for just a few tracks each month that Spotify does for millions, entertain users as well as owners?

A report by Robert Andrews, paidcontent.org

Google+ 'Studio Mode': Self-marketing for musicians

It's a(nother) game changer. Musicians will switch to Studio Mode and broadcast their gigs via Google Hangout. What's next? Your fans will listen to your music and watch the clip on GoogleTV as well. Your (still) working in the music industry? Hand in your notice and start your own self-marketing consulting business.

VentureBeat :: Music over online conference lines or video-conferencing software mostly sucks — because the conferencing world is optimized for voice, not song. Google’s trying to change that — and bolster its social network, Google+ — by adding Studio Mode to Hangouts on Air. Studio Mode is a special treat for audiophiles … and bands that want to connect with fans.

A summary by Johne Koetsier, venturebeat.com

SoundCloud puts Adyen Payment Solution in the mix (to help you sell your clips?)

A system to share your music clips integrates a one-click payment solution? Looks like SoundCloud might soon offer a service, which enables users "to sell their own tracks," at least that is what Matt Brian, The Next Web, believes (and it is hard not to draw that conclusion).

PR Newswire :: Adyen, the fast growing provider of next generation Internet and mobile payment solutions, has today announced that its innovative, single-click payment solution has been selected by SoundCloud, the leading social sound platform, which lets anyone create, record, promote and share their sounds on the web. Adyen's payment solution is currently being integrated into SoundCloud worldwide.

Official press release - Continue to read here www.prnewswire.com

SoundCloud partners with one-click payment service Adyen – will users soon be able to sell their own tracks? - HT: and discussed by Matt Brian, thenextweb.com

Download portals reject YouTube video to audio converter over piracy concerns

TorrentFreak :: Last month Google issued warnings to the owners of websites and software which allow users to copy YouTube videos. Now, the developer of RipTunes has discovered that this anti-copying policy has now been carried over to many of the large downloading portals including Download.com and Softpedia. Shockingly, however, Brothersoft is still willing to host the software, but only when the developer pays up.

A report by Ernesto, torrentfreak.com

Echo Nest raises $17m for musical big data

AllThingsD :: Investors putting $17 million into The Echo Nest, which maintains databases used by companies like Spotify, Vevo and Nokia. Norwest Venture Partners led the round, and previous investors like Matrix and Jim Palotta, who had put more than $8 million into the company, re-upped.

Continue to read Peter Kafka, allthingsd.com

If music creation will continue without copyright, why do we need copyright?

Forbes :: I have a lot of sympathy with David Lowery’s views on the music business. Yes, it is true that copying is reducing musicians’ incomes. Yes, it is true that property rights and the rule of law are important. And yet there’s one underlying economic point that needs to be remembered. We don’t actually care about the producers at all: only that they continue to produce.

[Tim Worstall:] Where David Lowery goes wrong: we don't care about producers, not even musicians.

Continue to read Tim Worstall, www.forbes.com

HT: @jeffreymedios