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DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS – WEEK IN REVIEW

From Digital Music News:

Several developments emerged this week in the mobile music sector. Sprint Nextel inked a Real_7 deal with RealNetworks to feature Rhapsody stations on its deck. And Cingular was active, pointing to a download store in 2006 and inking a retail relationship with Musicland.

The P2P sector was especially intense this week. The WinMX website went dark, reflecting a possible reaction by owner Frontcode Technologies to an RIAA cease-and-desist letter. Meanwhile, chatter focused on a possible acquisition of Grokster by Mashboxx.

The RIAA faced a negative ruling over its handling of minors, potentially altering the role that parents will play in future lawsuits. And Hollywood studios banded together to offer a new anti-piracy consortium.

In the portable MP3 sector, Dell threw some new devices into the arena, including a flash-Dell_2 based competitor to the Apple shuffle.

The volleys between Apple and labels continued, with Steve Jobs criticizing the majors for being "greedy" by seeking a-la-carte price increases. Amazon has reportedly been hot and cold in its bid to begin a digital music store, and eMusic inked a content partnership with Emusi_4 AIM. And Sony BMG artists Switchfoot publicly railed against new CD copy-protections.

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