Category: Digital Music
7digital sign up Sony and go 100% DRM-free in their digital music store
This morning, in a loft in Shoreditch, 7Digital announced that their digital music catalogue is to become 100% free of DRM. The last holdout among the major labels – SonyBMG – has bowed to consumer demand and agreed to sell its catalogue of 250,000 tracks in MP3 format, as opposed to the restricted WMA format. Even better, all SonyBMG tracks that customers have previously bought will be upgraded to MP3s at no cost. All MP3s are at 320kbps quality…
5 Best and 5 Worst iAccessories for iPods and iPhones
If there's one thing the world probably doesn't need more of, it is media studies graduates. If there's two, it is probably media studies graduates and iPod cases.
There's so many hanging around (iPod cases, that is, though there's probably a fair few unemployed media graduates too) because the iPod has been so ludicrously successful, and a "product eco-system" has built up around it, and other companies have released companion products to try and make some money of their own out of it. Apple don't mind it either, as it expands the functionality of their products and they get to license a "compatible with iPod" logo and rake in the cash for doing little or no work. It's just like nature: the parasites and the host have developed a symbiotic relationship.
But with so many billions of parasites to choose from… what accessories should you get for your iPod? I present to you, the top five best and worst iAccessories…
Cliff Richard doesn't like digital downloads
Cliff Richard is a name that resonates with musical history – he’s the only artist ever to have had number one singles in five consecutive decades, and although he’s never been widely played on the radio, he always sells bucketloads of singles whenever he releases anything…
Mamma Mia! ABBA comes to SingStar on PS2 & PS3 this Christmas
It’s easy to forget poor old SingStar, crushed into the mud of the Guitar Hero/Rock Band wars, but there are people out there who just want to get up off the sofa and let rip with their vocal chords without the aid of any silly instruments.
This is not my outlook on home-based popstar games you understand, but I can see how the endless rock could get to some very strange, lifeless people out there; the sort that dance around handbags or form a circle with their mates and bounce up and down every time ‘Come on Eileen’ graces the airwaves. These people may like to know that ABBA have agreed a deal with SingStar to bring their catalogue to PS2s and PS3s…
Sony Ericsson to launch mobile music service in a stunning display of originality
Sony Ericsson’s fortunes and market share have been declining of late, there are rumours floating around that they’re thinking about launching a mobile music service to fix things called “Me Too”. Just kidding. It’s actually called “Playnow”, named after their existing “Playnow Arena” a-la-carte download service available only in Scandinavia…
MXP4: New digital audio format packs more than just the music track
New digital music formats come along with the promise of improved audio quality and smaller file sizes, such that many portable “MP3 players” no longer use the MP3 format.
Now, though, Masinaut has come up with a music format which aims to offer an “interactive, multi-sensory experience”.
The MXP4 — Multiplied Experience Platform in 4D) — format allows musicians to include an original song but also musical variations, graphics, lyrics, trivia, and other information such as tour dates…
RUMOUR: iTunes 8 will have "genius" recommendations
Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, has been right on most of the stuff he’s said so far about the forthcoming iTunes and iPod updates, and this morning he pushed out an update to his blog with a tip of some rumours that might make it into the final release…
EMI adding over 400,000 new tunes to We7's free streaming library
We7, the free-to-use ad-funded music site that’s famously the brainchild of musical wildcard Peter Gabriel will, finally, soon feature the Peter Gabriel back catalogue in its listings.
This is thanks to music goliath EMI announcing a deal to stick 400,000 of its songs up on the streaming service before the end of the year, a move which will significantly boost the amount of content on the rapidly-growing free music site. Sony BMG…
Band X (The Smashing Pumpkins) releasing new single G.L.O.W. in video game Y (Guitar Hero World Tour)
It is, in case you’re not down in the vicinity of where all the fashionable kids hang out, the cool thing. Release your record via Rock Band and/or Guitar Hero, so that instead of being seen as some crusty old group reforming once more to pay off a few debts, you are, in fact, bleeding-edge innovators who have STILL GOT IT.
Next to try it is The Smashing Pumpkins, who will be releasing two old songs a few people have heard of – 1979 and The Everlasting Gaze – alongside one ALL NEW SONG called G.L.O.W.
Nokia "Comes With Music" coming to the UK first via Carphone Warehouse
Nokia has announced that its “Comes With Music” service, which it has been signing up music companies for several months now, will go live in the UK… sometime in October.
Yes, this “groundbreaking music service” is still keeping the nitty-gritty details about itself hidden. What we do know is that The Carphone Warehouse will be the exclusive pre-pay retailer for the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic “Comes With Music” edition, and begins taking pre-orders for it today. Presumably, though not confirmed, consumers will be able to use other Nokia multimedia handsets as well — you know, ones that are less than a year old…
