More Music News For Tues. 8/11/09: Friendfeed, Ringtones Shrink, Jam Bands & More

• Facebook has acquired Friendfeed. (press release, NY Times)
• Shrinking Ringtone Sales Lead To Decline In U.S. Mobile Music Market: Ringtone sales declined 24% in 2008 versus 2007, from $714 million to $541 million, causing overall U.S. mobile music revenues to post an annual decline – a first for a U.S. mobile content category. Ringtones' share of the total U.S. mobile music market fell from 80% in 2005 to 63% in 2008. (Mi2N)
• British music executives head to Japan to drum up business. Independent labels attempting to promote UK acts in Japan as part of a mission co-organized by UK. (Guardian)
• Jam bands serve and listen to their audience and weather the economic storm better then most. (Washington Post)
• ComScore released its Q2 2009 retail e-commerce sales estimates, which showed that U.S. online retail spending totaled $30.2 billion, down 1 percent versus year ago. Q2 2009 represents only the second quarter on record where e-commerce spending has been lower than the same quarter the previous year.
• Live Nation's ticket sale continues with their End Of Summer Blow-Out Sale: all-in $10 lawn tickets and $15
  Reserved – no service fees, 24 hours only at LiveNation.com.
• An in depth look at Pandora. (SF Chronicle)
• WaTunes limits its free digital distribution service to iTunes and adds WalMart.com to its fee based TuneCore competitor. (WaTunes)
• Triple A Conference a wrap in Boulder. (FMQB)
• Apple’s $1.2 billion tablet computer. (Fortune)
• Ticketmaster taps record industry veteran Roger Ames is tapped to be head of international operations. (Hollywood Reporter)