Websites mis-selling mobile ringtones and other services have been forced to clean up their acts, following a European Union crackdown. The BBC reports.
Some 301 sites were investigated, resulting in the closure of 54 and the correction of 159.
The biggest problems were unclear pricing and misleading advertising suggesting ringtones were free.
The investigation was a direct response to hundreds of complaints from parents and consumers across Europe.
Over half of the websites specifically targeted children.
A court in Chicago has given preliminary approval to settle 30 class-action lawsuits against companies that charged for ringtones, games and other content that end users thought were free. Phone Scoop reports.
Each claimant will receive either $10 cash award or a $10 refund (via their carrier). Given the number of possible claimants, the companies in question may pay out as much as $63 million. Some of the defendants include Sony Pictures, MBlox, and Lavalife.
Next year, the UK's Royal Mail will sell 1st class stamps that feature images of 10 famous British album covers. Interestingly, no Beatles albums were chosen. Artists represented include Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Pink Floyd, Coldplay, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones.
Soulful singer Saidah Baba Talibah has just released her latest album using a mobile phone instead of a conventional studio. Cellphones etc reports.
Aptly titled The Phone Demos, the collection features songs that will be included in her first full-length album which is scheduled to be released early next year.
Google has just announced the launch of Google Music available only in the US for now, reports the NY Times.
From Google Blog:
Today, we're rolling out a search feature that does just that by enabling you to search and more easily discover millions of songs, all via a simple Google web search. If you're searching for music, "time to result" is really "time to music."
Now, when you enter a music-related query — like the name of a song, artist or album — your search results will include links to an audio preview of those songs provided by our music search partners MySpace (which just acquired iLike) or Lala. When you click the result you'll be able to listen to an audio preview of the song directly from one of those partners.
For example, if I search for [21st century breakdown], the first results provide links to songs from Green Day's new album. MySpace and Lala also provide links to purchase the full song.
CNN on the pocket-sized revolution in the music world: Smartphone apps and programs for handheld gaming consoles now let all kinds of people create and remix tunes on-the-go.
... There's been an absolute explosion in [music] production on mobile devices across all kinds of different platforms," said Peter Kirn, editor-in-chief of createdigitalmusic.com.
Professional musicians are taking smartphones on tour with them for their musical capabilities, too. A video of the band Gomez shows the group using an iPhone as an instrument. The Gregory Brothers, the band formed by the siblings who make the "Auto-Tune the News" video series, have used the I Am T-Pain application to add robot-style vocal effects to their live shows.
A group of prominent musicians are joining a campaign to close Guantanamo Bay and demanding the release of records about what music was used during the potential torture of detainees there and at other facilities.
... Hoping to cast further light on the potential illegalities that took place at the detention facility, the group is also working to obtain records about why and how music was used (under laws authorized by the Bush administration) to effectively torture suspected terrorists. The musicians have officially endorsed a Freedom of Information Act request for the declassification of all secret government records pertaining to music utilized during interrogations. At least two members of the coalition, Reznor and Morello, have had their music linked to interrogations.
Google will soon launch a music service, we’ve heard from multiple sources, and the company has spent the last several weeks securing content for the launch of the service from the major music labels. One source has referred to the new service as Google Audio.
Cake - one of the most principled, enduring, self-reliant, and best-selling artists in post-alternative rock - are currently in the midst of recording their sixth studio album, with an entirely green twist: the new project is being written, rehearsed and recorded entirely with solar power. Rock Star Weekly reports.
During the recording process, Cake is sharing the results with their fans via a set of free ring tones--each based on a song from the upcoming album--released via the band’s mailing list.
Starting Oct. 13, the first of six ring tones based on brand new album tracks will be released through Cake’s mailing list. The first ringtone, titled “Long Time,” is only available for download to members of the Cake mailing list; to sign up, visit: cakemusic.com. Every six weeks, a ringtone for a new Cake song will be released via e-blast to all mailing list members up until the new album launch in Spring 2010.
Ringtones, like flatulence, are best enjoyed in privacy. If you need to share it in a crowded public place, it should be with due embarrassment at what you're making those around you endure.
Palm receives a response to its complaint about Apple's restrictions on its iTunes software -- though it was not the answer the company was hoping for.
Sony Ericsson has announced a pair of inner-ear headphones that know when you're using them. PC Pro reports.
According to Sony Ericsson, the MH907 headphones use capacitive technology to start the music when you insert both headphones into your ears.
Removing one of the earbuds will pause the music, while reinserting it will cause the music to resume - all without the need to touch the controller, which could be useful for those gasped conversations on the treadmill.
Guruji.com, the Indian searche engine has ventured into finance, music, movie tickets earlier and now its the time for ringtones. Given the huge number of mobile penetration in India this might be a really good service. Guruji also has a search algorithm which they claim can comprehend the user intent; handle attached or detached versions of a word; understand phonetic variations as well as capture more advanced variations of a word which are not captured through the phonetic approach.
Read WatBlog's interview of Anurag Dod, CEO of Guruji.com to know more about Guruji’s plans.
Apple has changed the way consumers buy ringtones from the company, bringing into question whether the largest digital music-retailer in the U.S. can breathe new life into the ailing mobile content category. MocoNews reports.
... Previously, Apple charged 99 cents to convert songs that consumers already owned on iTunes into ringtones, but experience was clunky and not available on the phone or accessible beyond the U.S., said an Apple executive at last week’s event.
Apple has a number advantages. Not only will the ringtones be integrated directly into iTunes on the phone, it also will be tied to user’s iTunes accounts. Convenience could be key. Price is also a factor. Often ringtones cost up to three to five times as much as a full-track song. In the early days, the prices soared mostly because consumers were willing to pay more, and because they had no way to convert songs they already owned. While that’s changed, prices have stayed artificially high because ringtone royalties paid to artists have been set higher than full-track royalties. At $1.29, you could consider it a bargain.
Apple has obtained the rights to offer ready-made ringtones for the iPhone and managers are trying to have them available in time for next week's press conference, music industry sources told CNET News.
Owners of Apple's iPhone have long had the ability to create custom-made ringtones for their devices. The new music snippets are mainly a convenience, as they make it possible for iPhone owners to obtain a pre-cut ringtone instead of having to create their own.
One of the iPhone's main selling points is its ability to play music. But we don't always want to listen to music from our iTunes libraries, do we? Here are five ways to listen to music on an iPhone without using iTunes.
What can the television industry learn from the music business as it wakes up to the threat from file-sharing?
If you've got a popular product - whether it's Lady Gaga, Top Gear, or Heroes - it's going to be popular on all sorts of platforms. And that includes unauthorised places where fans go to share what they like.
Does that mean you end up earning less from legitimate outlets?
Maybe, though it's hard to get figures. But all that pirated material floating around and being talked about could also be seen as free marketing, sending paying customers your way.
The four big record companies are to compete with Apple's forthcoming Cocktail project by developing their own format called CMX. The Guardian reports.
Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are reportedly preparing a new digital album format that will include songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes and artwork.
The news comes just weeks after reports of a similar project, Cocktail, being developed by Apple. According to the Times, Apple rejected CMX and instead began work on an in-house alternative. It is not clear how Cocktail and CMX will differ, other than ownership.
... The major labels plan to launch CMX, which is just a working title for the format, in November. It will reportedly be "soft-launched" with a few select releases.
Apple is making use of another technique that will excite mp3 buying customers. The Celebrity Café reports.
iTunes will introduce a way to purchase music under the code name of “cocktail.” Users, when buying whole albums on iTunes, will be able to access artwork and liner notes that would normally be part of a CD purchase, as well as possible ringtones.
Apple executives hope this new addition will encourage customers to spend more on an entire album instead of just buying singular songs—it is hoped to launch in September, along with a new tablet edition of a MAC computer. Reuters states that Apple has further projects in mind, even promoting the idea that the new tablet will be able to connect to a iPod touch. The music companies on board for project Cocktail are EMI, Warner Music, and Sony Music.
Orange and Universal Music are looking to attract subscribers and reduce piracy with the launch of a music streaming service available to pre-pay consumers. NMA reports.
Pay-as-you-go customers of the new Monkey package who top up £10 each month will receive 600 minutes of music streaming, accessed by calling 247 from their phone.
According to Wireless and Mobile News, ringtone sales are effected by celebrity news and gossip. For example, when it was announced that the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch had cancer, his ringtone sales jumped 64 percent.
Zed, a leading digital entertainment company, analyzed sales of ringtones from a number of its carrier partners and found that celebrity gossip does influence fans' purchasing decisions:
-- when Michael Jackson died, his ringtone sales soared more than 9,544 percent!
-- when T.I. went to jail, his ringtone sales jumped up 19 percent week over week.
-- when Fergie got married and Kevin Jonas got engaged, ringtone sales dropped 10 percent and 16 percent respectively.
-- when Chris Brown and Rihanna suffered domestic issues, ringtones dropped 18 percent and 28 percent respectively.
Palm Inc. says the Pre can again connect to iTunes — only a week after Apple Inc. shut it out. A software update delivered automatically to the phones re-enables the transfer of music, photos and video from iTunes, according to a Palm blog post made late Thursday.
Over the past year, however, as sales of CDs have continued to fall and paid-for downloads from services like Apple’s iTunes have fallen short of hopes, record companies have moved to embrace casual file-sharers. Legal services offering free, unlimited streaming of music, rather than downloads, are proliferating. According to a survey published last week, they are taking some of the wind out of the pirates’ sails.
One of the most recognizable brands in the history of illegal downloading is due to officially resurface, perhaps as early as next week, sources close to the company told CNET News. Only this time the name Kazaa will be part of a legal music service.
Altnet and parent company Brilliant Digital Entertainment attached the Kazaa brand to a subscription service that will offer songs and ringtones from all four of the major recording companies. For the past few months, a beta version has been available.
The site will open with over 1 million tracks. According to the blog TorrentFreak, the new Kazaa will offer unlimited downloads for $20 a month.
Microsoft has sued a Hong Kong seller of mobile ringtones, saying the company used phishing techniques to flood Microsoft Live Messenger users with spam messages. PC World reports.
The lawsuit accuses a company called Funmobile of sending out thousands of spam instant messages over the past four months. The case was filed last month in King County Superior Court in Seattle, but Microsoft did not name the company involved until Thursday. Microsoft is seeking a court injunction to stop the spam, as well as monetary damages.
According to court filings, Funmobile and its U.S. subsidiary, Mobilefundster, have sent out instant messages that included links to phishing sites controlled by the company.
According to TMC News, China Mobile Ltd. has set up centralized music, video, and mobile payment centers around the country.
Starting from January 1, 2010, it will centralize all its wireless music operations by storing all ringtones in a repository centerd in Sichuan province. From next year provincial China Mobile operators will not be allowed to offer their own ringtones.
... The new business model of the telecom carrier's wireless music will be applied to its video, gaming, and mobile payment units.
The Sichuan music center by far has a selection of more than 1.1 million songs. And the wireless music club under the center has recorded over 90 million members.
As part of an agreement with Florida's Attorney General, Verizon and Alltel (now part of Verizon) will have to deliver roughly $30 million in refunds to consumers for ringtones and other services that customers either didn't want or didn't understand they signed up for. According to a statement by Attorney General Bill McCollum, Verizon is also required to adopt new guidelines preventing customers from getting snookered by such promotions in the future.
The Universal Music Group and Virgin Media said on Monday that they had reached a deal that would offer consumers unlimited downloads as part of a partnership that steps up antipiracy enforcement. The New York Times reports.
Universal, the largest recording company in the world, said it would offer its entire catalog — which contains works by artists like Amy Winehouse and U2 — to customers of Virgin Media for a monthly subscription.
The music will be free from copy protection, a feature that distinguishes the service from most existing subscription offerings. The cost of the service, which will probably start by the end of the year, was not disclosed.
In return, Virgin Media, the British cable television and broadband provider, agreed to take steps to reduce piracy on its network, something that other broadband providers have resisted.
The measures could include temporary suspensions of offenders’ Internet connections, the company said.
During the 15-month gestation of Palm's new cellphone, the Pre, the company's designers and engineers drew inspiration from Japanese Zen gardens and grassy fields. Forbes reports.
The nature theme extended to the phone's audio sounds as well. Palm commissioned a new set of ringtones and alerts for the phone.
... When recording the audio's base notes, the company opted for actual musicians playing simple instruments like Tibetan bells over synthetic gizmos that generate "electronic blips and bloops," says Matias Duarte, Palm's vice president of human interface and user experience.
"We wanted to have tones that would be part of the Pre's aesthetic whole," Duarte says. "The phone's hardware, software and audio experience needed to be coherent."
The karaoke-style game lets users use adapted game controllers - lead guitar, base guitar and drums - to play along to various songs. The BBC reports.
Both Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney were at the event - along with Yoko Ono and George Harrison's widow, Olivia.
The game marks the first time any Beatles music has been licensed to a third party.
The game, which goes on sale on 9 September, will feature 45 songs, along with a bonus track - All You Need is Love - which can be bought online via Xbox Live.
Microsoft says all proceeds from the sale of the bonus song will go to Doctors Without Borders, the US branch of the charity Medecins San Frontieres (MSF).
For fans excited about the upcoming Dave Matthews Band concerts at Fenway Park, AT&T is offering a bonus: A chance to get a free download of a song today from the new album that the band is set to release next week. The Boston Globe reports.
The album - "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" - is set for a Tuesday release, but starting today and for a limited time, AT&T wireless customers can get a free mobile MP3 download of one of the album's songs, an AT&T spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
AT&T is working with Napster Mobile on the promotion, she added.
The Palm Pre’s default ringtone by Roger Bourland - composer, professor, publisher, and Chair of the UCLA Department of Music - has leaked. You can listen to it here.
Bourland was commissioned by Palm to provide eight ringtones for its new handheld device, the Pre. Titles include “PRE”, “Flurry”, “Raindance”, “Scamper”, “Discreet”, “Triangle”, “Dulcimer”, and “Anticipation”.
The Palm Pre is scheduled for release, June 6, 2009.
A flurry of recent research has documented that talking on a cell phone poses a dangerous distraction for drivers and others whose attention should be focused elsewhere. Now, a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology finds that just the ring of a cell phone may be equally distracting, especially when it comes in a classroom setting or includes a familiar song as a ringtone. News & Information from Washington University reports.
In any setting where people are trying to acquire knowledge and trying to retain that information in some way, a distraction that may just seem like a common annoyance to people may have a really disruptive effect on their later retention of that information," said the study's lead author, Jill Shelton, a postdoctoral psychology fellow in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
... "Many of us consider a cell phone ringing in a public place to be an annoying disruption, but this study confirms that these nuisance noises also have real-life impacts," Shelton said. "These seemingly innocuous events are not only a distraction, but they have a real influence on learning."
Titled "The distracting effects of a ringing cell phone: An investigation of the laboratory and the classroom setting," the study was conducted at Louisiana State University, where Shelton received her doctoral degree. Her co-authors in the LSU psychology department include Emily Elliott, Sharon Eaves and Amanda Exner.
The music collection society - PRS - have unveiled a new pricing plan it hopes may entice YouTube and Pandora back to the UK market. The BBC reports.
From 1 July 2009, firms will have to pay 0.085p for each track streamed, down from the previous rate of 0.22p.
PRS for Music say the new plan will "enable the digital market to grow".
Earlier this year, YouTube started removing premium music videos to UK users after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with the PRS.
Companies wishing to play or stream music over the internet are legally obliged to pay royalties to the artist, enshrined in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
However, many companies said the old rate was prohibitive.
Some EU countries still can't access iTunes—for which consumers can thank a music licensing system that won't allow digital stores to operate across geographic borders. But the European Commission is now pushing record labels and collecting societies into the Internet age and has announced its first successes. ars technica reports.
Last year, European Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes raised questions about the strange state of the European music market. "Why is it possible to buy a CD from an online retailer and have it shipped to anywhere in Europe, but it is not possible to buy the same music, by the same artist, as an electronic download with similar ease?" she asked. "Why do pan-European services find it so difficult to get a pan-European license? Why do new, innovative services find licensing to be such a hurdle?"
This year, she intends to do something about the problem, which has resulted in low growth rates for digital content sales.
Sony Ericsson have patented a system whereby a cellphone could be controlled by facial expressions, shuffling between music tracks according to visual mood analysis. SlashGear reports via Go Get It.
The patent, titled “Generating music playlist based on facial expression”, describes capturing an image of a user and using facial recognition to build a custom playlist depending on the listener’s mood.
In a more complex implementation, Sony Ericsson suggest that brief video could be captured, tracking emotional states of happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, fear, disgust, neutrality, etc. These would be compared to the musical characteristics of the tracks stored on the cellphone or PMP, similar to how Sony Ericsson’s existing SenseMe application works.
Thumbplay, a New York-based mobile content provider, has launched a widget platform that allows artists and music labels to leverage social networks, like Twitter or MySpace, to sell ringtones and wallpapers. The platform, called OPEN Pro, can also be used by fans, who may want to link to their artist's favorite song in a blog post they wrote about a concert.
Earlier this week, a company called Tune Hunter accused music-finding service Shazam along with Samsung, Apple, Amazon.com, Napster, Motorola, Gracenote, Verizon Wireless, LG Electronics, AT&T Mobility, and Pantech Wireless of infringing on its patent on a music identification system. News.com reports.
The suit accuses Shazam's music discovery and identification service of violating the patent and the other companies of benefiting directly from Shazam's alleged infringement. Tune Hunter is asking for unspecified damages and an injunction from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Texas that would prevent "further infringement" on Tune Hunter's patent.
Nokia has run into yet another potential hurdle in trying to crack the U.S. market, reports News.com.
The company revealed on Wednesday that its Ovi Store will not have the billing support of U.S. carriers when it launches next month, according to Reuters.
Consumers can pay in eight countries -- Australia, Britain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Singapore, Spain -- through telecoms operator bills for software or media bought from Nokia's Ovi store, to be opened in May. Executives had hoped to add the U.S. to that list earlier this year.
Along with barring women from public places, prohibiting co-education, forbidding barbers from shaving men and shutting down music shops, rebel Talibans of Pakistan have banned the sale of mobile phone ringtones in line with their narrow interpretation of Islam.
Mobizaar, an online service dedicated to helping users easily create, find, and share their personalized ringtones for free, today announced the release of their new application available for use on Facebook.
With the Mobizaar application, all Facebook users can exercise a new level of personal freedom and customize their mobile phones with the most personally compelling ringtones and other mobile content.
Some 301 sites were investigated, resulting in the closure of 54 and the correction of 159.
Apple has opened three new iTunes Twitter accounts, 
Sony Ericsson has announced a pair of inner-ear headphones that know when you're using them. 
One of the iPhone's main selling points is its ability to play music. But we don't always want to listen to music from our iTunes libraries, do we? Here are five ways to listen to music on an iPhone without using iTunes.
Apple is making use of another technique that will excite mp3 buying customers. The 
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