New Music Business Week In Review

>>> The Federal Trade Commission has asked the courts to shutter download site Burnlounge as a pyramid scheme and freeze its assets. Late in the week Burnlounge issued a response.

>>> Universal bought indie Sanctuary for $87 million which means they’re now also in the agency and management business.

>>> Sonific has opened up its music widget creator SongSpot free to indie and D.I.Y. artists.

>>> If you, you’re label and your bands aren’t on social networking site Bebo, you may be missing out.

>>> Two download store upstarts beat Amazon to the starting gate with unprotected mp3’s from EMI and the indies. In the US PassAlong added DRM free content and in the UK 7Digital did the same alongside a new music locker and a vow to take on iTunes.

>>> Andrew Dubber of NewMusicStrategies.com guest blogged on Hypebot and offered a free whitepaper "20 Things You Must Know About Music Online".

>>> Blogger Peter Rojas (Engadget) and Gnarls Barkley’s label Downtown are partnering in an online only label called RCRD LBL that will use support from ads to give away music.

>>> Chatter about a major DRM free experiment from Universal is growing.