MUSIC NEWS

Music Sales Have Increased 4.8% So Far This Year   Nielsen SoundScan reported late last week that overall music sales have increased 4.8% thus far in 2011, with some of the biggest gains coming in the digital sector. Total music sales climbed to 277 million units through August 21, vs. 264 million for the same period in 2010. Overall album sales gained 2.4% to 195 million units vs. 190 million at the same point last year. Physical album sales were down 4%, but 2011's gains in digital sales, which were flat last year, made up for the drop. Digital album sales surged 19.1% to 63 million units, while digital track-equivalent albums - measured as one album for 10 digital tracks, in order to account for the growing trend of purchasing single songs online - jumped 10.9% to 82 million units. The digital marketplace now accounts for 32% of all album sales, with electronic music the leading genre, taking 49% of the pie. [Full story: Variety] WSJ: Facebook Close To Adding Digital Music Services   Facebook this week acknowledged it is preparing changes designed to make the site a hub for listening to music, watching movies, and playing videogames. According to the Wall Street Journal, the social media site has told various media executives that it will begin letting such online music services as Spotify and Rdio publish user activity on Facebook pages, similar to such actions that allow the addition of friends or "liking" websites. CNBC reported yesterday [August 31] that Facebook was working to create its own music platform, to which the company responded, "Many of the most popular music services around the world are integrated with Facebook and we're constantly talking to our partners about ways to improve these integrations." The Facebook music initiative reportedly is designed to "integrate the social-media giant more closely with services that let users stream free music or an unlimited amount of music for a monthly fee." If finalized as expected, the changes could be announced at Facebook's f8 developer conference in late September. [Full story: Wall Street Journal] eMusic Launches Internet Radio Service With Over 40 Channels   Digital music retailer eMusic has announced the official launch of an Internet radio service known as eMusic Radio, with more than 40 programmed radio channels covering a broad range of genres and formats. In an email from CEO Adam Klein, the company also announced its plans to offer customers a cloud service by the end of the year. "Today we launch the next in a series of enhancements in response to member feedback about how you want to discover new music and listen to music you own," the email said. "Listening to music is a key part of music discovery, and owning music is also very important for you and other music collectors. With this in mind, we're combining new listening features with our rich editorial content to fill the gaps in your music discovery process on eMusic.com. eMusic Radio Beta launches with 40+ curated radio programs covering a diverse range of styles [and] by the end of this year we plan on delivering a cloud service, giving you universal access to music you own on multiple portable devices." [Full story: Business Insider] Sony Unveils Prototype Of New Android-Based Walkman Device   Sony Electronics this week unveiled a prototype of a new Walkman based on Google's Android operating system. Describing it as a strongermatch for Apple's iTouch and other competitive smartphones, Sony's Toshimichi Nagashima said, "This is our first try to make convergence between Android products and our own technology. After reviewing the customers' acceptance, we'll decide how to expand this kind of product. We have some confidence for this product [and] we may expand this kind of product in the future after getting some feedback." As reported by CNET, music-specific features of the new device include: 1] A dedicated W.Button on the side of the device that gives immediate access to music controls, even if the phone is locked; 2] A W.Music app to manage music on the device, letting people select music from their catalogs by looking at the library, tapping on album-cover icons, or picking a mood such as "energetic," "emotional," "dance," "relaxed," or "extreme"; 3] It can tap into Music Unlimited, Sony's cloud-based music service that has more than 10 million tracks. [Full story: CNET] Can A Re-Engineered MySpace Compete With iTunes? Until Specific Media acquired MySpace from News Corp. in June, many music industry analysts were skeptical that anyone would actually pay good money for the former social networking megalith. But this week, MySpace executive Al Dejewski told Advertising Agethat Specific Media plans to revamp the site as a digital music hub designed to compete directly with iTunes, Spotify, and Vevo. Dejewski did not offer details of how MySpace would compete in the digital music landscape, but said the site already has contracts with the four major music labels. Not so fast, says Billboard's Glenn Peoples. "Any product deemed an 'iTunes killer' by its creator or the media is probably going to fail," he observes, noting that the idea of a music hub is "anything but original." But Prefix's Andrew Winistorfer disagrees, explaining that MySpace "actually is in a good position moving forward." While he concedes that Specific Media's acquisition of MySpace was "a head-scratcher," he says its ambition to carve out a large presence in the digital music space "actually makes sense." [Full story: The Week] Putumayo Announces First Two Digital Albums   Pop quiz time: What do The Beatles have in common with acoustic musicians in Brazil? Among many possible answers to this question is that, until recently, both the Fab Four and the multi-million-dollar Putumayo record label [which recorded such an acoustic album, pictured left] were digital music hold-outs, refusing to release their catalogs to online music stores. As noted by the New York Times, Putumayo World Music - which has developed a multimillion-dollar franchise around the idea of making global music accessible to everyday Western shoppers - has sold 27 million albums around the world. The label's CDs are sold in record stores, as well as through a network of clothing boutiques, museum gift shops, and Whole Foods markets, but it never has made its albums or individual tracks available as downloads. That formally changed this week, when the label released its first two digital albums, "African Beat" and "Latin Beat." [Full story: New York Times] Digital Music Store To Assist Members In "Buying, Selling CDs"   In a move that is destined to draw almost immediate record label scrutiny, Wisconsin-based Murfie Music has launched a new business model designed to help music fans buy, sell, trade, and store individual CDs or entire music collections. In a company statement released this week, co-founder Matthew Younkle says Murfie's concept is to sell both new value-priced music CDs, while "freeing the country of the billions of used music CDs lying idle in peoples' closets, basements and garages." Noting that "Murfie's unique feature aspect of CD ripping and downloading makes it possible for people to use their music while eliminating the clutter of plastic discs and jewel cases in their own homes," Younkle explains that "members manage their CD collections remotely, getting the music they want via a secure digital download and selling, trading, or giving away, valuable CDs they no longer listen to or want." The cornerstone of Murfie's business model, Younkle claims, is made up of two well-established rights for the sale and distribution of copyrighted materials: those being that consumers are allowed to legally convert their music digitally [Murfie members receive files ripped from their actual CDs], plus the basic right to sell CDs that they have purchased." [Full story: company statement] Canadians Receive Pensions For "EHS" And WiFi Tied To Internet Radio    "That loud music is going to make your skull explode!" While this age-old warning from the parents of any head-banger might be a bit of an exaggeration, don't tell that to Nanaimo, British Columbia resident Christel Martin, who claims that "electro hypersensitivity" [EHS] - including WiFi signals delivering Internet radio stations - causes her to have massive headaches and to feel ill. [Stock photo, left.] Martin said it is becoming increasingly difficult for her to enter stores, the downtown library, even the hospital without being bombarded with high frequency electromagnetic radiation. Further, because of this malady, she receives a disability pension because of her sensitivity to wireless technologies used in cell phones, hand-held devices, and wireless Internet radio frequencies. Specifically, Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states, "Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice." EHS is a condition recognized by the Canada Pension Plan and several countries across the globe; in fact, one out of four people in Canada receives a pension for similar reasons. [Full story: Canada.com] Al Bell Presents American Soul Music  ... And American Soul TV If you're into classic and contemporary Soul, R&B, Blues, Gospel, Jazz, Hip-Hop Soul, Rap Soul, and Neo-Soul, we invite you to listen to Al Bell Presents American Soul Music. Former Stax Records owner and Motown President Al Bell personally has programmed this awesome radio station online, presenting your favorites from the 1960s and '70s [and some '80s], a lot of the best new music that's being released today, and some real gems you haven't heard in a long, long time. Come to www.AlBellPresents.Com and hear it for yourself!