Apple's iTunes Turns 10; How It's Changed Music
Apple wasn’t the first company to market an MP3 player, but it’s dominated the market ever since it introduced the iTunes Music Store 10 years ago this weekend.
music industry
Free Music's High Price: How Illegal Downloads Silence Artists
Right now, four out of five digital music downloads are illegal, and if you think the only losers in that equation are greedy record label execs and wealthy superstars who can afford it, you're not hearing the whole story.
Citigroup Takes Back Record Company EMI from Terra Firma
Citigroup has foreclosed on U.K.-based record label EMI Group, taking it back from private-equity firm Terra Firma, which bought EMI from Citigroup for a whopping $4.7 billion in 2007.
Barry Diller Bows Out as Live Nation Chairman
Barry Diller announced his impending resignation as Live Nation chairman Tuesday, perhaps putting an end to his tussle with the rest of its board for control of the struggling concert promoter and talent agency nearly a year after its merger with Diller's Ticketmaster.
Legal Briefing: Supreme Court Considering Music File-Sharing Case
In today's legal news, the Supreme Court has expressed interest in a case involving a teenager's illegal music file-sharing, the legal battle over stem cell research has already pushed some scientists to other fields, and a third woman has alleged that a Wisconsin DA harassed her with sexual text messages.
Apple's Ping Ain't Got That Swing
The centerpiece of Apple's recent product announcements was its new music social network Ping. The core technology from Ping appears to be have been built by the team from Lala.com, the music streaming startup that Apple acquired in January 2009. But without the streaming music model, Ping is half the service Lala used to be. It's not a bad product, it's just not terribly transformative.
The Business of Hip Hop: Brand Masters Bring in the Cash
For many rap and hip-hop artists, behind all the trash talk and posturing, it's all about business. Forbes recently released its Hip Hop Cash Kings list, and the 20 big names on it racked up a total of about $300 million, despite the weak economy and the Internet revolution that is killing the CD business.
Jay-Z Captures Hip-Hop's Cash Crown
Hip-hop pays well, very well, at least for Jay-Z. Forbes reports Jay-Z racked up $63 million in the past year -- owing about $22 million in federal and state taxes, a sum greater than the total earnings of every rapper and hip-hop mogul besides second-ranked Diddy.
