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MP3 Player News & Headlines
China court sides with Baidu in music piracy case
(AFP)
AFP - A Chinese court has ruled in favour of the nation's top search engine Baidu, saying its links to music downloads do not constitute piracy, state media and a recording industry body said Tuesday.
Nokia drops music package from flagship X6 model
(Reuters)
Reuters - Nokia will drop the ailing "Comes with Music" offering from the new version of its flagship X6 music phone, hoping a one-third cheaper price tag will boost sales of the model.
SpeckTone Retro Stereo Speaker System for iPod
The SpeckTone Retro is one of the few iPod accessories that has caught our eyes recently. The fifties look of the all-wood speaker cabinet is finished with a high-gloss lacquered piano finish, and is a surprisingly nice complement to the modern look of iPods.
Minnesota song-sharing case heads for 3rd trial
(AP)
AP - A trade group representing the major music labels said Wednesday it will reject a reduced penalty for a central Minnesota woman found guilty of sharing 24 songs over the Internet, and will instead begin preparing for another trial to determine new damages.
Sly Stone sues ex-manager for $50 million
(Reuters)
Reuters - Reclusive funk musician Sly Stone filed a $50 million lawsuit against his former manager on Thursday, alleging fraud and 20 years of stolen royalties.
HP to launch music service in Europe
(Reuters)
Reuters - Hewlett-Packard, the world's biggest maker of PCs, will launch a digital music service across key European markets on Monday, hoping to benefit from consumers' rising appetite for new types of music download services.
Sony sues cable channel over Michael Jackson works
(Reuters)
Reuters - Michael Jackson tributes that aired on the TV Guide channel following the singer's death last year featured Jackson's works without authorization, Sony Music Entertainment charged in a lawsuit filed on Tuesday.
Muzak Holdings emerges from Chapter 11
(AP)
AP - Muzak Holdings LLC said Monday that it has completed its financial restructuring and has emerged from bankruptcy protection.
MP3 Tech Commentary
Review: Yurbuds Earbud Covers Are Quite Fitting One of the niftiest things I saw at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show actually wasn't even electronic. Yurbuds are a set of rubberized covers that help earphones and earbuds stay in place. If you've ever struggled with earphones falling of your ears, Yurbuds may just be something worth looking into. For a closer look at how the device performs, read my Yurbuds review. Photo © Yurbuds Review: Yurbuds Earbud Covers Are Quite Fitting originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 00:23:10.
Free Christmas Music Albums As Christmas day is nearly upon us, what better way to celebrate than with festive music playing in the background? For your enjoyment, here are a couple of free Christmas album downloads to celebrate the holiday season: Source: Amazon MP3 Artist/Band: Jason Lytle Related Articles:
Tracks: 7
Free Christmas Album: Sampler Claus
is a compilation of 50s and 60s classic songs by artists such as Frank Sinatra, Mario Lanza, and others.
Tracks: 7
Free Christmas Album: Merry X-Mas 2009
is an improvised Christmas album of piano songs produced by Ex Grandaddy member, Jason Lytle, as a gift for all his fans.
Free Christmas Music Albums originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 at 06:54:44.
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Soundcheck Offers Free Corinne Bailey Rae MP3 Download Walmart's Soundcheck service, which showcases select artists by providing exclusive content, is offering up a free Corinne Bailey Rae MP3 download. The free track, I'd Do It All Again, is taken from the British Singer/songwriter's new album, The Sea, which is due for release 26. Jan, 2010. To get your free track, simply go to Soundcheck's Corrine Bailey Rae page and click on the highlighted free download button. You'll have to be quick though -- there's only a limited number of downloads available. Related Articles:
Soundcheck Offers Free Corinne Bailey Rae MP3 Download originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 15:59:06.
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Free Music Downloads This Week As we near the end of another year, here is the last selection of free music downloads for 2009 - don't worry though, there will be plenty more in 2010! If you're planning on a New Year's Eve party, then be sure to check out the first freebie in particular that's over 30 minutes of non-stop music! Happy New Year to you all! Artist/Band: MoneyPenny Artist/Band: The Little Death Artist/Band: Dan Black Related Articles:
Genre: Club / Electro / Disco House
Free Music Download: Spandex Xmas Mixtape 9 (31:35). This mighty mixtape from MoneyPenny is a non-stop mix of electronic dance music which is ideal for any New Year's eve party! For more free mixtape downloads by MoneyPenny, check out their MySpace page.
Genre: Rock / Blues / Soul
Free Music Download: Why My Baby (4:06). Taken from their self-titled new album, this track shows off the bands musical style which is a mix of rock riffs, blues, and soulful melodies. As an added bonus, there's also a second download this week from The Little Death's new album called, Won't Ever Let You Down Again (6:27). The new 13-track album is now available digitally from digital music services and via the band's MySpace web page.
Genre: Electronica
Free Music Download: Pass That Head Noize (Missy Elliot Cover) (3:21). Dan Black is a British electronica artist who is also a former member of 'The Servant' band. The free promotional track that you can download is a good example of Dan's electro-pop/hip hop style. Incidentally, the U.S. version of his new album, ((UN)), (Polydor Records) will have a bonus selection of extra tracks and is expected, spring 2010.
Free Music Downloads This Week originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, December 30th, 2009 at 09:00:06.
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Will The New MusicDNA Format be MP3's Nemesis? A new music format called, MusicDNA, has been developed that could potentially replace the ageing MP3 format. Bach Technology, who co-developed MusicDNA with the Fraunhofer Institute of Digital Media Technologies (IDMT), say the new format will provide the user with a far richer media experience when compared to standard audio formats. The new technology makes use of an enhanced set of metadata tags to increase a user's interactive experience. Some examples of how these tags could benefit a consumer are: accessing the artist/band's latest videos; following links to related blogs; discovering related music on media-orientated services and social networks, etc. For a long time now, the music industry has been trying different methods to reduce online music piracy -- the most notable being (the almost defunct) DRM technology that prevents files from being copied, shared, etc. The problem with this however was it often restricted the user so much that even major music services like iTunes eventually phased it out. However, this new format potentially offers the consumer a great deal more entertainment for their money than just music. This could be just what the music industry needs to try to increase sales and reduce online piracy via file sharing networks. The big question now is, will the new MusicDNA format 'persuade' consumers to migrate from the trusted MP3 format with the promise of an enhanced multimedia experience? Related Articles:
Will The New MusicDNA Format be MP3's Nemesis? originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 at 09:00:30.
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Bear Hands Celebrate New Single With Free Music Downloads Brooklyn-based indie band, Bear Hands, are celebrating the imminent release of their new single, What a Drag, by giving it away as a free download on their Website. Until it's officially released (16 Feb. 2010 / Cantora Records), you can download it and another 2 free songs (Can't Stick Em, What a Drag (Cale Parks Mix)) simply by providing your email address and following the link sent to your inbox. As well as the new song, Bear Hands have also got a limited edition 7" vinyl that is being released at the same time. For more information, visit their Website. Related Articles:
Bear Hands Celebrate New Single With Free Music Downloads originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 07:25:33.
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A First Look at Apple's iPad Tablet Now that the dust has settled, it's time to take an objective look at Apple's latest product, the iPad tablet. The quick lowdown: While the device certainly has its strong points, a few big warts (*cough, no multi-tasking and Flash, cough*) prevent it from the being the groundbreaking, netbook slayer that Apple wants it to be. We take a gander at the device's specs and other features in our first look at Apple's iPad tablet. Photo © Apple A First Look at Apple's iPad Tablet originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 00:53:28.
Not Zune Enough? Talk Swirls About a Zune Phone Microsoft? Who dat? Apple may have buried news about its competitors this year when it hogged the media spotlight with its lead-up to the much-anticipated iPad unveiling. But hidden within the iPad-induced rubble are indications that Microsoft may be planning to release a phone version of its Zune device. That would be the same, oft-maligned Zune that always got treated as the red-headed stepchild in comparison to Apple's iPhone. According to an article from Information Week, a recent Zune firmware update included "Setup Information Files" that specifically reference a phone. Meanwhile, one analyst also predicted that the unveiling of a Zune phone is likely this February or March. As much grief as the Zune has gotten compared to the media darling iPhone, the latest iteration of the device is actually quite solid (which means building on it wouldn't be such a bad idea). In fact, the Zune was the fifth most searched portable device of 2009. And with Microsoft's Windows Mobile losing ground thanks to Apple and Google's Android platform, the company — despite past proclamations against getting into the phone hardware business — could certainly use a boost in the mobile arena right about now. Photo © Microsoft Not Zune Enough? Talk Swirls About a Zune Phone originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 00:01:02.
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