Mobile phones set to propel music industry into online age

Mobile phones are proving the savior of the struggling music industry and could be the vital springboard needed to propel the business finally into digital sales, industry experts have said. "I believe a lot of the new revenues for the music industry will definitely come through mobile phones," said Dominque Leguern, director of MIDEM, the premier trade fair for the world's music industry that closes its doors on Thursday. With the number of cellphone users predicted to hit the three billion mark in 2007, and 90 percent of the world's population expected to have mobile access by 2010, this could prove a powerful shot in the arm for the music industry

onlymusicmp3.com

onlymusicmp3.com - Sells music downloads form a variety of artist and genres

Musopen

Musopen is a database of online music - public domain music that is - which has been recorded by individuals or orchestras and stored here online for free access. It is completely community-driven. You can browse or search. Each record includes information about the piece and composer, sometimes images, and always the sound file itself (in MP3 format), which you can download or play on the site itself

Indies aim to grab share of online sales

Independent record labels behind artists like The White Stripes, Deep Purple and Arctic Monkeys announced a global deal Saturday to pool access to their catalogs, seeking to grab a bigger share of digital music sales from the major record companies. Indies and their trade groups from more than a dozen countries signed on to Merlin, a nonprofit licensing agency that will cut deals on their behalf with download sites and mobile services, under the terms of the agreement unveiled at Midem, a music industry gathering in the French Riviera town of Cannes

MOG

MOG - a social networking site for blogging music aficionados

iJigg

iJigg - A music site that allows artists to post their work while giving listeners a chance to discover new music

AOL names Napster as exclusive music subscription provider

AOL and Napster have announced that Napster will become the exclusive music subscription provider integrated into AOL Music, replacing AOL Music Now. The two companies will work together to migrate approximately 350,000 paid subscribers of the Music Now service to Napster's digital music subscription service. Additionally, AOL will promote Napster with links to the Napster service throughout AOL's free music site, AOL Music, a music destination on the web

Wikizic

Wikizic - A musician's resource database, available in English and French users, and soon German, Spanish and Italian users

Roots label Shanachie ventures into country music

Indie label Shanachie Entertainment, home to world, Celtic, jazz, reggae and blues music, is branching out into the country market. The 30-year-old New Jersey-based company has signed singers David Ball and Daryle Singletary, and country rock band Confederate Railroad. They join a roster that includes Ladysmith Black Mambazo, jazz saxophonist Everette Harp and R&B band Silk

Michael Brecker dies at age 57

Michael Brecker, a versatile and highly influential tenor saxophonist who won 11 Grammys over a career that spanned more than three decades, died Saturday at age 57. Brecker died in a hospital in New York City of leukemia, according to his longtime friend and manager, Darryl Pitt

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh

Aziza Mustafa Zadeh - Official site of operatic jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. In German and English

Gutenberg! The Musical!

Gutenberg! The Musical! - Official site for Gutenberg!The Musical! by Doug Simon and Bud Davenport, featuring Christopher Fitzgerald and Jeremy Shamos as two writers appearing in a backer's audition for their musical about the inventor of the printing press

Overrated Underrated

Overrated Underrated - Social movie and music review site

Juanes launching label with Universal Music

Colombian rock star Juanes is launching a new record label in partnership with Universal Music. 4Js is a joint venture between Juanes and Universal Music Mexico. The label will be distributed worldwide by Universal Music. 4Js has four Colombian acts signed to its roster and plans to officially launch in the first quarter with a release by iconic folk singer/songwriter Octavio Mesa. Like Surco, the joint venture between Universal and producers Gustavo Santaolalla and Anibal Kerpel (to which Juanes is signed), 4Js will not be a stand-alone label but more of an A&R and production entity. Headed by Juanes, the label will focus on pinpointing talent from Colombia and the world

Ropeadope set to launch digital exclusive label in 2007

Ropeadope, the trend-setting independent record label, clothing company, Internet destination and all around lifestyle-defining endeavor, will launch a digital download exclusive label imprint, Ropeadope Digital, in February 2007. It will make its debut with releases from seven artists, including Aunt Jessica, DJ Klock, Electric City, The Frequency, Skip Heller, Larval and Reminder, offering full length albums exclusively via download at Ropeadope.com and all other major digital music retailers

Haystack

Haystack - Music social network developed to help people find music based on trusted opinions. Now in beta, launch version coming in late January

U.K. pop charts set for radical overhaul

The British pop chart will undergo one of the biggest shake-ups since its inception 54 years ago on Sunday when any song downloaded from the Internet will be able to compete for the number one single spot. Up to now, only songs which were physically available for purchase in shops counted toward the weekly chart. Downloads could be included, but only a week before an actual CD single went on sale and for two weeks after it stopped appearing in stores

Mogopop

Mogopop - Free, web-based service where members and visitors can create, publish, and download multimedia content for iPod

Label supports record shop campaign

The oldest record label in the world is backing a campaign to save the world's oldest record shop from closure. Spillers Records, in Cardiff, which sold the first wax phonograph cylinders when it was founded in 1894, has already attracted support from rock bands including the Manic Street Preachers. The band's frontman James Dean Bradfield still shops at the store, and he and bass player Nicky Wire used to busk outside before they became famous. Now the band's record label, Columbia Records, has added its weight to the campaign