hypebot

Hypebot Digital Music Quick Hits

- Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store has seized an 80% share of the British digital download market in less than 18 months of opening for business, the computer giant said.

- Imagine subscrbing to a digital radio station for $1 for a week, a new band download for 25  cents or a live concert web cast for $2?  PayPal today announced new micropayments processing fees for digital goods. The new pricing will provide merchants with a more affordable way to process payments for low-cost digital content such as video games, online greeting cards, news articles, mobile phone content and digital music. PayPal's micropayments pricing is designed to give customers the convenience of a-la-carte purchases, such as 99-cent downloadable ringtones, without having to sign up for annual subscriptions or pre-funded payment accounts. An extension of PayPal's existing payment service for digital music providers, PayPal's new micropayments pricing is designed especially for payments less than $2. The new fees will enable merchants to process payments at a rate of 5 percent plus 5 cents per transaction. Merchants can learn more about PayPal's new micropayments pricing by contacting micropayments@paypal.com.

DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS - WEEK IN REVIEW

• A slate of second quarter earnings announcements were released this week. RealNetworks posted respectable subscriber, revenue and profit gains, with music helping to bolster gains. Sirius Satellite Radio also posted strong subscriber and revenue gains, though net losses were sizeable. Napster posted doubled revenues, though net loss figures remained worrisome. And Warner Music revealed its earnings card Thursday, showing a modest net loss alongside a small revenue gain. Digital revenues now account for 6 percent of overall sales receipts at the major label. Finally, iRiver-owner Reigncom recently crossed into the black.
• Apple was quite active this week, launching an iTunes Music Store in Japan.
• And HP terminated its iPod co-brand program.
• P2P volume increased in July, with BigChampagne reporting a sharp increase in average simultaneous users.
• MTV was also in the news this week, revealing plans to push concert footage from 50 Cent and Eminem exclusively to broadband viewers. Coverage will then extend to "linear" television, but only after the exclusive broadband window.
• The satellite radio sector was also active. Ford listed several new models that will carry factory-installed Sirius receivers, further intensifying that relationship. And global satellite radio provider WorldSpace fetched $241.5 million in a recent Nasdaq IPO.
• Elsewhere, word of an upcoming Amazon music store circulated this week, with the company seeking a new recruit to manage content licensing.

New Book: "The Art Of Digital Music"

A new book The Art Of Digital Music is getting some buzz and seems worth a read.  We have not seen a full copy yet, but here is an overview from the book's web site:

"Recordable CDs now outsell conventional discs by more than 7 to 1 as millions of music enthusiasts rush to create their own personal soundtracks. Today, nearly every piece of music we hear is touched by digital technology. Following the trajectory of other revolutions such as desktop publishing, musical tools have finally reached that magical intersection of power, ease of use, and standardization that enables the average person to unleash the music that’s within them. And world-class artists have benefited even more from this new creative freedom."

"This book is designed to instruct and inspire two groups of readers: those who want to use technology to make better music, and those who want to learn how technology is changing the way music is created, experienced, and shared. Unlike a typical how-to book, The Art of Digital Music will captivate readers by showing them firsthand how top artists — pioneers such as Alan Parsons, Herbie Hancock, BT, Todd Rundgren, Steve Reich, and Phil Ramone — use digital technology in their work."

"In addition to interviews with artistic pioneers, The Art of Digital Music features lively discussions with...the producers, engineers, software wizards, and Internet visionaries who are shaping the sound of the future. The authors enhance the book with numerous how-to sidebars and provocative pull quotes..."

Amazon has the book on sale at discount here.

deviantART Summit Begins Today In LA

Today and tomorrow digital art web site deviantART.com is throwing a big event for art deviants at the Hollywood Palladium. The emphasis of the event is to help educate aspiring artists on how to break in to the big time with their art.

From ANIME to LITERATURE, DIGITAL ART to GRAFFITI, PHOTOGRAPHY to PIXEL ART and everything in between they're going to recreate what takes place on deviantART.com every single day of the year, in a massive gathering of the truly devious...and of course HYPEBOT is gonna be there.

We think registration is a bargain @ $55.