Monday, February 25th, 2008
Daily News: Monday
Nickelback to Sign 360 Deal? “Warner insiders said the major label - which shelled out $73.5 million last year for a 73.5 percent stake in Roadrunner - is also keen to lock up one of its best-selling bands in a long-term deal. For its part, sources said Warner wants to sign a so-called “360 deal” with the band that would give Roadrunner a piece of its album, touring and merchandising sales.” (via NY Post)
Free Streaming Boosts Last.fm: “A shift towards free, full-length streams has boosted Last.fm traffic considerably, according to information released by parent company CBS. The jump includes a 59 percent surge in unique visitors, and a 58 percent increase in total pageviews over the past month. “Free is the future, and this is signaled not only by the industry’s growing acceptance of what we’re doing, but more importantly, by the incredibly fast increase of users accessing music on Last.fm since we launched free-on-demand,” said Last.fm cofounder Martin Stiksel.” (via DMN)
Global Online Music Sales to Total US$8.9 Billion By 2010: “The worldwide Online Music market is expected to witness rapid growth over the review period to reach US$8.9 billion in sales by 2010. The extent of growth in the worldwide online music industry can be gauzed from the fact that downloaded music revenues exceeded online sales of physical media during 2006. The widespread availability of legal web sites is a major factor contributing to the increased sales in this industry.” (via PR Web)
Zubillaga Splits With WMG: “Warner Music Group executive VP, digital strategy and business development Alejandro (Alex) Zubillaga, will leave the company June 1 to “pursue entrepreneurial activities in media and other businesses,” the music giant said today. His replacement on that date is Michael Nash, who has served as WMG’s senior VP, digital strategy and business development since Feb. 1, 2000.” (via Billboard)
Christian Subscription Service Launches: “Devout Christians are now being treated to a music subscription service specializing in faith-based music. The service, called GospelDepot (gospeldepot.com), is powered by MediaNet Digital division MusicNet in partnership with Ways & Means Entertainment. Participating labels include EMI Christian, Integrity, Verity, Word, and Malaco. Like other subscription offerings, GospelDepot offers on-demand access to a massive catalog, though permanent downloads require a 99-cent payment.” (via DMN)
