| Singles no. 1's |
| US |
Maroon 5 & Christina Aguilera
Moves Like Jagger |
| UK |
Sac Noel
Loca People |
| AU |
Gotye & Kimbra
Somebody That I Used To Know |
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27-05-11 |
Demand for new Lady Gaga
album disturbs Amazon servers
Visitors to Amazon's website received a busy signal Monday when they tried to
download the the artist's latest album "Born This Way," which the online
retailer was selling for 99 cents on its release date.The high volume of traffic
caused delays for those customers trying to download the album. |
|
17-03-11 |
Spotify passes one million
subscribers mark
UK based music streaming service Spotify has over one million paying customers
and with that is now worth $1 billion. The music streaming service has revealed
that over 15 per cent of its users were now paying subscribers who use the
service without having to listen to adverts. Spotify has 6 million users in
total, including those who subscribe to the free version of the service. Spotify
is aiming to launch in the US before the end of 2011. |
|
18-12-10 |
Gorillaz releases free
album on Christmas Day
Gorillaz will release a new album on Christmas Day as free download. Band
foreman Damon Albarn is planning to release the record, recorded on his iPad,
through his band's online Website at Gorillaz.com. Last month Albarn recorded
the album on tour and he wants it to be out before December 25. |
|
08-12-10 |
Pirate Bay founders lose
appeal against sentences
The Pirate Bay have lost their appeal against jail sentences and
fines for copyright crimes. Fredrik Neij, Peter Sunde and Carl Lundstrom were
found guilty of copyright crimes last year. They were sentenced to one-year in
jail in Stockholm and ordered to pay $ 3.74 million in damages to various record
labels. They had their sentences reduced to ten, eight and four months
respectively but their fine has increased to $6.4million. |
|
19-11-10 |
Beatles music available
online
The Beatles full back catalogue has become available on iTunes. All 13 albums by
the band, along with their officially released compilations plus live footage,
have been added to the download service, making it the first time their music
has been legally available to download. |
|
26-08-10 |
Michael Jackson most
downloaded artist of all time
Michael Jackson is the world's most downloaded artist. The Nokia Ovi Music Store
data puts the late singer/songwriter well ahead of artists like Lady GaGa, Elvis
Presley, the Black Eyed Peas and Rihanna. Jackson is most popular in India where
26 per cent of all Ovi downloads are of his tracks. The renewed interest in
tracks such as 'Beat It', 'Billie Jean' and 'Thriller' has been attributed to
the anniversary of his death on June 25 and his 52nd birthday, which would have
been celebrated on August 29. |
|
03-06-10 |
UK illegal downloaders'
details stored on official list
People who infringe copyright through illegal downloading in the UK are will be
stored on lists under new proposals from communications regulator Ofcom. The
measure is part of Ofcom's proposed code of practice as part of the Digital
Economy Act 2010. The proposed code would only affect the largest Internet
Service Providers (ISPs): BT, Talk Talk, Virgin Media, Sky, Orange, O2 and Post
Office, though they could be applied to smaller ISPs and across formats
including mobile downloads in the future. Under the code ISPs would have to
compile lists of serial copyright infringers. Copyright holders, such as record
companies, would be able to ask for access to the lists to take legal action
against them. A three-stage process for copyright infringers has been outlined,
with users who receive three notifications of copyright infringement in a year
being placed on a list requested by the copyright owner. |
|
26-02-10 |
Deftones announce new
album and make free download available
The Deftones have announced details of their sixth studio album. The album will
be titled “Diamond Eyes” and will be available out May 18. It will be preceded
by a free download titled “Rocket Skates” that is available from the band's
official website, Deftones.com. “Diamond Eyes” will be the first Deftones
release with stand-in bass player Sergio Vega in place of Chi Cheng. |
|
11-02-10 |
Reduced file-sharing
judgment from $80,000 to $2,250 per song
Last Friday the case of accused file-sharer Jammie Thomas grew more complex
after the judge of the United States District Court lowered the original $1.92
million verdict against Jammie Thomas, the first person convicted of illegal
file-sharing in the US, from $80,000 per song to $2,250 per song, saying
“statutory damages must still bear some relation to actual damages.” The ruling
states that “the need for deterrence cannot justify a $2 million verdict for
stealing and illegally distributing 24 songs for the sole purpose of obtaining
free music.” Now it seems that Thomas is not only appealing the new $54,000
judgment, but she also rejected an offer by the RIAA to settle for $25,000. |
|
04-02-10 |
Previously unreleased Jimi
Hendrix songs available online
A previously unreleased Jimi Hendrix song was published on the Internet. "Valleys
Of Neptune" is the first song off the new collection of previously unreleased
Hendrix studio recordings coming this spring. The single is the starting point
of a year-long celebration of Hendrix' life and career as the 40th anniversary
of his death this fall. |
|
06-01-10 |
Ke$ha breaks female
download record
In what is traditionally a high-volume download week a sales mark was broken in
the last week of 2009 as Ke$ha's "TiK ToK" sold 610,000 digital tracks. This is
the highest weekly download sales by a female artist since tracking began in
2003, and the second-best overall after Flo Rida's "Right Round" sold 636,000 in
the last week of February 28, 2009. Coincidentally, Ke$ha can be heard on "Right
Round" as she provided vocals on that track. "TiK ToK" broke the female record
set by Lady Gaga with "Just Dance" a year ago. |
|
20-11-09 |
.music domain available
next year
Next year, as an alternative to .com and .co.uk, the .music domain name will
become available.
ICANN, the governing body which decides who gets the right to manage these new
domain name extensions, has announced that music releated applications will be
favored over a purely commercial applications. |
|
14-11-09 |
Beatles songs removed from
website
The Beatles’ back catalogue has been removed from Bluebeat.com which was selling
the tracks at a discounted price. A judge in Los Angeles granted EMI, the band's
record label, an injunction against US the siteduring a court hearing this week.
The order was issued after EMI began legal action claiming the company did not
have permission to sell the collection. Bluebeat's owner, Hank Risan, argued
that his website did not need a licence because it was selling re-recorded
versions of the band's songs, which had been created using "psycho-acoustic
simulation" software but he was told by the judge that he did not have evidence
to support his claim. Recently it was announced that the band's digitally
re-mastered back catalogue is to be released on a limited edition apple-shaped
USB. |
|
06-11-09 |
Beatles back catalogue
available digitally
US download site BlueBeat.com is selling Beatles tracks, including their
recently released remastered albums, and is also streaming them online for users
to listen to as many times as they like for free.
However, it is unclear whether EMI and Apple Corps have agreed to let the
website distribute the tracks. It has long been rumored that The Beatles music
will be made available to buy on iTunes, but a deal between the band, their
representatives and the download store is yet to be finalised. BlueBeat.com is
also selling songs by AC/DC, another band known to have not issued their
material digitally before.
Pirate Bay closure increases file-sharing on other
sites
The closure of file-sharing site The Pirate Bay led to a 300 per cent increase
in copycat sites launching.
Swedish courts ruled in August that The Pirate Bay should be closed down after
its four founders were jailed for copyright infringement. Although The Pirate
Bay complied with the ruling but is now operational again, a report has shown
that the torrent files used on it were simply relocated to similar other sites. |
|
23-09-09 |
France passes law for
disconnect illegal file-sharers from the Internet
France’s parliament has formally passed a revised “three-strikes” bill that will
allow authorities to disconnect illegal file-sharers from the Internet. First
proposed back in June of last year, the “Creation and Internet” law was later
passed before being ruled unconstitutional by the country’s Constitutional
Council for the use of the Haute Autorité pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la
Protection des droits sur Internet (HADOPI), a new govt agency whose task it
would be to sanction those accused of illegal file-sharing. It concluded that
under the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man only a judge should have the
power to disconnect individuals from the Internet, arguing that the Internet is
essential for the “free communication of thoughts” and therefore full civic
participation in a democracy. The new bill satisfied those concerns by now
allowing a judge to make the “third strike” decision of either disconnecting an
Internet user, a fine of up to 300,000 Euro’s ($415,000USD), or a two-year jail
sentence. Enforcing the new law is expected to be hard as court time of course
is limted as compared to the number of illegal file-sharers in France.
US P2P traffic down
A study has shown that P2P traffic is down to roughly 15-20% of all US Internet
traffic. That is a substantial decrease from 37% in 2007. Daily average traffic
fluctuations of 40 US consumer & regional ISPs were used which concluded that
not only is P2P traffic down, but also that cyclical inverted traffic pattern
suggests “either persistent congestion or, more likely, evidence of widespread
provider manipulation of P2P traffic rates.” |
|
13-08-09 |
Dexys Midnight Runners,
Specials and Selector BBC sessions to be made available online
Some rare recordings by Dexys Midnight Runners and The Specials are set to be
released. The songs were recorded for BBC sessions and concerts and will be made
available online starting this September. Many were originally broadcast on John
Peel's BBC Radio 1 show.Other band's featured in the series include The
Stranglers and The Selector. The releases will go online in three separate
phases, on September 14, November 9 and December 7. On September 14 tracks by
The Stranglers (1977), Rich Kids (1977 & 1978), The Skids (1978) and 999 (1978)
will hit the internet. On November 9 there will be some more The Skids (1978),
Gang Of Four (1979), Public Image Limited (1979) and Angelic Upstarts (1980 &
1981) made avaialable and on December 7 it is the turn for The Specials (1979),
The Selecter (1979), Ultravox (1981) and Dexys Midnight Runners (1980).
Pirate Bay takeover this month
Swedish company Global Gaming Factory has claimed that their takeover
of torrent-sharing site The Pirate Bay will take place on August 27. Talks for
the takeover atarted after guilty verdicts being given to four men involved with
the website for copyright infringement in April. The Global Gaming Factory's
plan is to turn the site into a legal music downloading website. It is said that
negotiations with representatives for one of the four major record labels were
already started. |
|
17-07-09 |
Guns N' Roses album leaker
sentenced
A judge has sentenced the man that partly leaked the Guns N' Roses album
"Chinese Democracy" to one year probation. The blogger will also serve two
months of home confinement, subject his computers to government scrutiny, and
record a public service announcement for the Recording Industry Association of
America. Cogill pleaded guilty to copyright infringement for posting 9 tracks
from the Guns 'N Roses album last year.
Illegal file-sharing among teenagers dropping fast
A survey has shown that illegally sharing music among teenagers has dropped
dramatically over the past year. The study of 1,000 music fans shows that 65% of
teenagers are now streaming music through services such as Spotify and YouTube,
with 31% of 14 to 18 year-olds listening to streamed music on their computer
daily compared with music fans overall (18%). The study has also revealed that
less than one third of teenagers now illegally download music. In January this
year 26% of 14 to 18 year olds admitted to file-sharing at least once a month,
compared with 42% in December 2007. |
|
04-07-09 |
Pirate Bay becomes
legitimate
Music file-sharing website The Pirate Bay has been sold. It will be transformed
into a legal music site that sees artists and record labels get paid for the
downloads they provide. Recently, its four founders and hosts were sentenced to
a year in jail and fined for copyright infringement offences. The site
will be acquired by Swedish software company Global Gaming Factory X AB in
August. The Pirate Bay has been sold for around US$ 7 million. According to Hans
Pandeya, CEO of Global Gaming Factory X AB, “in order to live on, The Pirate Bay
requires a new business model, which satisfies the requirements and needs of all
parties, content providers, broadband operators, end users, and the judiciary." |
|
12-06-09 |
Swedish Pirate Party
represented in European Parliament
Sweden's Pirate Party, which aims to reform copyright laws and protect music
file downloaders, has won a seat in the European Parliament. The party took 7.1
percent of the Swedish votes last week, meaning that it will gain at least one,
and possibly two seats. The Pirate Party is the third largest political party in
Sweden and has seen an increase in profile since four men involved in setting up
the file-sharing website were sentenced to a year in jail for copyright
infringement in Stockholm. |
|
09-05-09 |
Swedish Pirate Party
looking for seat in European Parliament
A poll has suggested that the Pirate Party, a Swedish political party who back
file-sharing, could be winning a seat in the European Parliament in June. A
survey conducted by a Swedish newspaper showed that over 5% of the 1,500 people
questioned said they would support the party. With 4% of the minimum voting
percentage for a European Parliament seat, the results suggest that the party
winning a seat is not unlikely. The Pirate Party was formed in 2006 with the
political aim of legalising non-commercial file-sharing of music and films. |
|
30-04-09 |
Pirate Bay founder demands
retrial
According to the lawyer defending Pirate Bay founder Peter Sunde in the
copyright infringement case which saw Sunde sentenced to a year in jail for
copyright infringement, the judge in the case is a member of the same copyright
protection organisations as some of the main entertainment industry
representatives in the trial. He has therefore called for a retrial. The lawyer
has revealed that a previous judge had been removed from the case at his request
after he was also found to have similar connections. The judge is signed up to
the Svenska föreningen för upphovsrätt (Swedish Copyright Association) which
would imply him to be biased and constitute a conflict of interest. |
|
25-04-09 |
Sonic Youth make sneak
preview available online
Sonic Youth have given a sneak preview of their new album “The Eternal” by
providing the new song “Sacred Trickster” online at www.matadorrecords.com. Fans
can download the track, which features Kim Gordon on vocals, for free. “The
Eternal” will officially be released on June 9. Fans purchasing the album early
can also get a free Sonic Youth live album on vinyl, recorded in New York on
July 4, 2008 and additional MP3s from the band featuring outtakes and alternate
live material.
Study showing that music pirates buy 10 times more
music than they illegally download
According to another study music piracy actually increases music consumption.
The study, called “Consumer Culture In Times Of Crisis,” was done by the BI
Norwegian School of Management in Norway. They looked at almost 2,000 online
music users over the age of 15 and concluded that those who download music
illegally also purchase the most number of legal digital downloads. In fact, the
study reports that file-sharers actually buy 10 times as much music as they
download for free. |
|
15-04-09 |
Ryan Adams working on
online side project
Ryan Adams has worked on a death metal side project called Werewolph. The alias,
under which Adams has occasionally recorded before, is Adams’ first work since
marrying popstar and actress Mandy Moore last month. A website has been set up
at www.werewolph.com that features three new online tracks. Ryan Adams parted
ways with his band The Cardinals last month.
Pirate Bay to launch VPN Service iPREDator
Thousands of users have signed up for IPREDator, which is due to go live anytime
now. BitTorrent tracker site The Pirate Bay is set to launch this VPN service
called IPREDator,which is a spin on the controversial IPRED, the Swedish
Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement Directive, to allow file-sharers to
download copyrighted material anonymously for the measly price of $6.67 a month.
A VPN service anonymizes a subscriber’s IP address, instead using one assigned
to it by the VPN to connect to a BitTorrent application. Demand has turned out
to be si high that the original April 1 launch date has been pushed back. On
April 1 IPRED became law in Sweden, which requires ISPs to reveal the names of
IP addresses accused of illegal file-sharing to copyright holders. |
|
10-04-09 |
New Green Day song
available for preview online
A new Green Day song titled “Know Your Enemy” is available online from their
MySpace. Only the first 90 seconds of what is the first single from the upcoming
Green Day album “21st Century Breakdown” can be previewed. “21st Century
Breakdown” is the first Green Day album since 2004’s “American Idiot” and will
be out in the middle of May. The album will be available in a limited edition
CD, vinyl EP and 60 page art book. |
|
02-04-09 |
Spotify launches download
service
Online music service Spotify will be selling downloads of songs from its
six-million track catalogue.
The online service that allows users to listen to an unlimited amount of
streamed songs for free, has signed a deal to sell downloads with online music
provider 7digital. The service is a direct rival to iTunes, as both services
sell similar downloads. Initially, only users in the UK, Germany, France, Italy
and Spain will be given the option to buy Spotify tracks, although the service
is expected to be rolled out in other European countries in the near future.
Initial results have shown that far fewer people than expected are signing up
for paid premium accounts on the service and that cuurently the most successful
is the free part.
Nine Inch Nails and Jane’s Addiction release free
online EP
Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction have contributed two songs to a free EP
which is downloadable from a website created to support the band’s upcoming
summer tour together. The EP features 6 songs in total, the remaining two of
which were contributed by Tom Morello’s new band Street Sweeper. The EP is
available for free at www.ninja2009.com. |
|
20-03-09 |
Pete Doherty's new album
streamed online for free
Pete Doherty's debut solo album “Grace/Wastelands” has been made available
online for free before it goes on sale in the US. The entire album can be heard
for free on Myspace Music and can be found at the album’s official profile at
myspace.com/gracewastelands. The album was produced by Stephen Street (known
from his work for The Smiths and Blur) and features some special guests
including Graham Coxon and Dot Allison. Doherty’s Babyshambles group members Mik
Whitnall, Adam Ficek and Drew McConnell also play on the album.
Beatles back catalogue online
Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are set to release the Beatles back catalogue
through their own website. The two surviving Beatles members, along with the
estates of the late John Lennon and George Harrison, have been negotiating with
Apple about an iTunes release but so far have not been satisfied with the offer
made by Apple. Disagreement exists on the 99 cents per download rate. Meanwhile,
the Beatles edition of the Rock Band video game has been set for a September 9
release date. |
|
12-02-09 |
Groove Armada launch new
online music model PAP4
Groove Armada's Andy Cato has said that the band have pioneered a brand new
business model for distributing music over the internet. According to Cato, the
new business model is called pass-along-paid-for (PAP4) and if proven successful
may be used by other bands in the future. The band's new EP is currently being
given away for free via PAP4, which works via a sharing system. The more fans
share a track, the more of the EP they get for free. Fans who register for the
new distribution model are initially given the EP's first track for free and to
gain access to the second track, fans need to send a unique link to the first
track to 20 of their friends. Once the first track has been shared between fans
200 times, and then 2,000 times, the original sharer is given access to the EP's
remaining two tracks. |
|
21-01-09 |
Bruce Springsteen previews
new album online
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's new album “Working On A Dream” will be
streamed online for free. The follow-up to “Magic” from 2007 is due out January
27, can be previewed online until its physical release date. Sprinsteen’s 24th
studio album features 12 tracks as well as a bonus track, which was featured in
the film The Wrestler.
Digital download sales topping 1 billion
Digital download sales topped 1 billion for the first time but these
figures ar in no way comparable to illegal downloads. According to data released
by IFPI Communications in the UK last week, it is estimated that more than 40
billion illegal downloads of songs occurred during 2008. While digital downloads
accounted for revenues of around $3.7 billion last year, it is estimated that
more than 95% of downloads are still done illegally. Digital sales in 2008 were
up 36% as compared to 2007. Top selling digital single was Lil Wayne’s
“Lollipop” with 9.1 million units sold. |
|
07-01-09 |
Springsteen makes another
new track available online for free
Bruce Springsteen has made free downloads available through Amazon.com and "Guitar
Hero" in the run-up to release of his new album "Working On A Dream" on January
27. The third single from that project, "Life Itself," is available online as a
free track, along with a new video. Amazon previously made the album track "My
Lucky Day" available.
Morrissey previews new single online
Morrissey is previewing the first single from his upcoming album “Years Of
Refusal” online. Listeners can hear the track “I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris”
streaming from his MySpace player. The single will physically released on
February 9, and the album is set for a February 17 release date the US and
February 23 in Europe. |
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