Label:Life

Securing a firm toehold on the music charts is a challenge for many promising R&B/hip-hop artists. But it can be even more daunting when an artist is a British import.

Think about it. For every Soul II Soul and Floetry there is a Craig David or Ms. Dynamite.

One U.K. import preparing to tread U.S. waters is singer/songwriter Corinne Bailey Rae. Her self-titled album recently debuted at No. 1 in the United Kingdom. Prior to her stateside debut June 6 on Capitol Records, she is generating buzz thanks to gigs in New York, Los Angeles and Austin`s South by Southwest Music and Media Conference. Her track ‘Like a Star’ was featured on ‘Grey`s Anatomy’ and VH1 Soul`s ‘Sub Soul’ has added the video.

More@monstersandcritics.

Hutchison 3G UK (H3G) says it has sold a million music tracks since launching its audio download service in December 2005, with more than 200,000 tracks being downloaded per month. The company said data from the Official Charts Company (OCC), the body that compiles the UK’s music charts, showed that its service accounted for 53% of the mobile audio track download market since the start of 2006. H3G’s video download sales are not considered eligible for inclusion in the charts by the OCC. H3G relies heavily on revenues from value added services to help counteract the heavy handset subsidies and low monthly tariffs it offers new users.

Source:telegeography

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer may not have been able to stop the world’s consumers using iPods, but has banned his own children from using the world’s most-popular music player.

Speaking to Fortune Magazine, Ballmer confirms he rules his house with an iron rod – and he’s happy to brainwash his family. The magazine asked if he’s one of the many Microsoft employees who have iPods.

“No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children – in many dimensions they’re as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I’ve got my kids brainwashed: you don’t use Google, and you don’t use an iPod,” he said.

More@macworld

British rock act Embrace has been chosen by soccer’s ruling body the FA to record the official England World Cup song. The song, titled “World at Your Feet,” will be released prior to the soccer World Cup, due to start June 9 in Germany. The final release date has yet to be confirmed.

The World Cup deal was negotiated by FA marketing manager Tom Harold with the band’s label Independiente, following a suggestion from EMI Music Publishing’s Melanie Johnson. The choice was made by the FA based on demos supplied by the label and the publisher.

“The official England World Cup song has become something of an institution and is it really important that we have an original and exciting track,” explained Harold. “We’re confident that Embrace’s song will capture the imagination of the fans and players alike.”

More@billboard

Music fans once had a reputation for obsessively assembling their CDs into neat alphabetised rows, but the days of the cherished CD collection seem numbered as the iPod generation puts all of its music on to computers.

The charity Scope said today that its 300 stores were being inundated with donated CDs, as more and more people trim their collections – or even get rid of them altogether to free up space.

More@guardian

Apple Corps Ltd, which represents the business interests of the Beatles, has sued Apple Computer Corp in a UK high court.

The lawsuit is the third one filed by Apple against the Cupertino, California-based Apple Computer over the Apple trademark, which the Beatles has used since the late-1960s. Apple claims that Apple Computer’s iTunes violates an agreement formed between the two companies in 1991, which does not allow the latter company to utilise the Apple name and logo in relation to music distribution, according to Bloomberg. The trial is scheduled to commence on March 29 at London’s High Court. Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, said that Apple Computer may end up paying Apple Corps $50 million-$100 million to settle the dispute, according to MarketWatch.

Source:newratings

A short Fortune interview with Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) CEO Steve Ballmer ends with an interesting comment for investors in Apple Computer Inc. (AAPL).

Here’s the quote,

Do you have an iPod? No, I do not. Nor do my children. My children–in many dimensions they’re as poorly behaved as many other children, but at least on this dimension I’ve got my kids brainwashed: You don’t use Google, and you don’t use an iPod. Think you can you crack the iPod market? It’s going to take an innovative proposition. In five years are people really going to carry two devices? One device that is their communication device, one device that is music? There’s going to be a lot of opportunities to get back in that game. We want to be in that game. Expect to see announcements from us in that area in the next 12 months.

Source:cestockblog

A digital copyright bill winding its way through the French legislature may target digital rights management technologies like those used in Apple’s iTunes Music Store and iPod offerings. But analysts warn that the bill, if voted into law by the French Senate, could have far-reaching effects on music listeners in France—including the possibility of online music services abandoning that country.

The proposed law would require DRM developers to reveal details of their technology to rivals that wish to build interoperable systems. The bill could affect the FairPlay DRM used by Apple in its iTunes Music Store and iPod music players, and Microsoft’s Windows Media DRM. The French National Assembly approved the bill last week, sending it to the Senate for a final vote.

More@playlistmag

According to a survey by market researcher Forrester, online music sales are set to grow rapidly over the next five years. Traditional music sales are expected to make up almost two thirds of revenues in 2011, though; the old means of buying music are not going to die out any time soon. There will, however, be a 30 percent decline in European sales of traditional music formats like CDs and DVDs, with the gap being filled by services like iTunes.

More@techspot

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to boost its mobile music business this year with a new subscription scheme for downloading songs onto mobile phones, and expand its partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., a top executive said on Tuesday.

As the price of making cellular calls declines, U.S. wireless carriers are adding music and video download services, aiming to boost revenue by convincing customers to use their cellphones for more than just talking.

More@reuters