HYPEBOT FEATURES:
- COMMENTARY: Lala is offering 10 cent songs streams thanks to a $20 million investment from WMG. Plus a link to the beta test.
- Winning Fans - Metallica vs. Nine Inch Nails
- Kork Agency is bought by The Agency Group
> CLASSICAL 360: Universal is moving into the management of classical music and jazz artists and producing live events with a new UK based division. (NY Times) It wasn't that long ago that MCA (which later became Universal) was forced to sell off its US agency division because of conflict of interest.
> HMV will add more music tech products to its mix when it opens a new concept store in Toronto. (Globe & Mail)
> Borders' first quarter music sales dropped almost 26%. (press release) Of course, the fact that they are devoting less and less floor space to music had nothing to do with it...
> Virgin Radio will disappear as a national brand in the UK. (FT)
> MP3 player sales are sagging and the future looks dim thanks to competition from cell phones and other devices. (SJ Mercury News)
> Podcast listenership continues to grow. Here are the Edison Research study results. (FMQB)
