Trying to gain ground in one of the few markets where it is behind, Google said Monday that it had begun to offer in China links to free music downloads, a service it does not offer anywhere else in the world. Google executives said they were responding to the phenomenal popularity of free music downloads in China and were acting legally by forming an alliance with the music industry, including Sony BMG Music Entertainment, EMI Group, Universal Music and the Warner Music Group
Not only are CD sales still falling, but a whopping 17 million customers stopped buying CDs altogether in 2008. The economic downturn is cited as one reason for the sharp decline, but new services offer viable ways for the music industry to survive this rocky transition period
In some universe, the name Syfy
is less geeky than the name Sci Fi
. Dave Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, is betting it’s this one. To that end, the 16-year-old network — owned by NBC Universal — plans to announce that Syfy is its new name 16 March at its upfront presentation to advertisers in New York
Australian authors and publishers are set to receive a windfall from Google’s project to put millions of books online. In recent weeks several Australian publishing industry bodies, such as the Australian Society of Authors, the Copyright Agency Limited and the Australian Publishers’ Association, have been contacting members to let them know about the settlement Google has reached with American authors and publishers. Under the terms of this settlement, copyright holders are to be paid US$60 ($91.85) a book and US$15 an article or chapter copied from the more than 7 million items in the Google Library project
In today’s Crikey email I have reported that Freeview Australia, the marketing arm for Australia’s free to air television industry, were indeed behind attempts to suppress a spoof video sending up the new digital multichannels. This is despite Freeview’s denials to me yesterday
The 14 year old daughter of a city counselor in Spain is the source of a small political crisis in the city of Getafe. The girl used her mother’s work 3G modem to download some episodes of the popular TV-show Lost
, resulting in a massive $40,000 bill
The shrill bleeps from 80s home computers and the hammering clicks of ancient calculating machines are noises that many people would prefer to forget, but not chip-tune musician Matthew Applegate. He plans on assembling a virtual orchestra of 20 retired relics of computing at the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park. The choice of venue will even allow Applegate to feature the famous Colossus Mark 2 computer in the event, which was used for code-breaking in World War II and was recently reconstructed at Bletchley Park in 2007
It’s been a rough week for the RIAA as massive layoffs are about to cost many employees their job. On top of that, the anti-piracy outfit is being sued for abusing the legal system for its war on piracy, civil conspiracy, deceptive trade practices, trespassing and computer fraud
Irish internet users are to be blocked from accessing music swapping web sites, as internet service providers bow to pressure from the music industry. Eircom, the country’s biggest internet provider, is to start blocking its internet customers from accessing music swapping
At the 81st annual Academy Awards, Slumdog Millionaire
won eight Oscars, including best picture, director and adapted screenplay, completing a joyful ride that had carried it to wins at the Golden Globes, Writers Guild, Directors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards
At least on the surface, most in the mainstream music industry agree: illicit file-sharing is evil. However, when you aren’t getting paid to have a certain opinion, things can change. No longer taking a salary from his former company, Ex-IFPI chairman and EMI director Per Eirik Johansen speaks freely
The cast of hit sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf are to reunite for a new two-part storyline which will see them finally return to Earth. Red Dwarf: Back to Earth will air on UKTV digital channel Dave over the Easter weekend
Several studies have shown that an extension of copyright on sound recordings is a bad idea. It will lead to less competition and higher prices while only the record labels benefit from it. Next Tuesday, the Open Rights Group will be hosting a round-table event to discuss performance copyright extension in the EU
Actor Ricardo Montalban, best known as the debonair and mysterious Mr Roarke on the popular television series Fantasy Island, died yesterday at the age of 88. Mexican-born actor had a long career in Hollywood, but found broad fame as the star of ABC’s Fantasy Island in which he fulfilled the dreams of his guests with the help of his sidekick, Tattoo
Emmy-winning actor Patrick McGoohan, best known for starring in cult 1960s TV show The Prisoner, has died at the age of 80
Apple has agreed to start selling digital songs from its iTunes store without copy protection software. At present, most music downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store can only be played through an iTunes interface or iPod. The agreement with Sony BMG, Universal, and Warner Music will end digital rights management (DRM) software currently attached to iTunes music
Looks like Bill is about to launch is mission to inflict himself on an unsuspecting ex-X-Files director:
Before, I run
half-cockedout to California seekingKim Manners(One of the Directors ofThe X Files) I would like to know if such a ventureout Westtorev-upthe formerthirteen productionslocation ? I am not only an unregistered fan bummed out, as thousands happen to be; I am trying to facilitate the energy towards some worthwhile end! Honestly, the epidode invilving the Birth of William holds so much! To think that The Wonderful Actors, Jillian Anderson and David Duchovny, ARE A MUST is nonsense…Lucky for Chris Carter et al. They gave his series a wonderful start; but the plot and the writing skills deserve so much more! Please respond!
Okay, so he’s dropped plans to harass Chris Carter and has switched target to Kim Manners. Who knows why?
He’s an unregistered fan
? I don’t even know what that means. He likely should be registered as menace and his whereabouts broadcast so any of his intended victims can get out of his flight path or have warning to release the guard dogs.
Aside from still being unable to deal with the series having ended years ago, he’s obsessed with a rather lame subplot and wishes to carry it on under his own steam without the show’s two main stars. Somehow he seems to have missed a major clue here. The show worked due the chemistry of Anderson and Duchovny and the brilliant writing and directing of a small core of talented people.
Bill is under the impression that he can set all that aside all of the things that made the show work so well, throw together his own screenplay and hand it to a director who will likely see him escorted off the premises if he manages to get close enough to had it over.
I’d be quite happy if somebody could round up Bill with a butterfly net and get him back on his meds, because I do not get why he insists on getting my approval for his delusions.
I yam what I yam,
declared Popeye. And just what that is is likely to become less clear as the copyright expires on the character who generates about £1.5 billion in annual sales. From 1 January, the iconic sailor falls into the public domain in Britain under an EU law that restricts the rights of authors to 70 years after their death. Elzie Segar, the Illinois artist who created Popeye, his love interest Olive Oyl and nemesis Bluto, died in 1938
Matt Smith has been named as the actor who will take over from David Tennant in Doctor Who — making him the youngest actor to take on the role. At 26, Smith is three years younger than Peter Davison when he signed up to play the fifth Doctor in 1981. Smith will first appear on TV screens as the 11th Doctor in 2010
Fantasy author Terry Pratchett is now a real-life knight after being awarded the highest recognition in the Queen’s new year honours list
RSS – Posts