AM News: Google Buys Motorola Mobile, 2013 Copyright Bomb, Hastings Struggles, Becker To TAG

Google bought Motorola Mobile for $12.5B to "protect the Android ecosystem". (BI) Google says that Android will remain an open platform, but stocks stumbled on fears that other manufacturers will seek alternatives and the size of the purchase.

• Record Industry Braces for Artists’ Battles Over Song Rights. (NYTimes) This ticking copyright time bomb will explode in 2013 and artists need to act now.
• Losses widen at Hastings: CD and DVD retailer Hastings reported a net loss of $4.1 million for the 3 months ending July 31, compared to a net loss of $0.1 million for the same period last year. Net losses were $3.6 million for the six months that ended July 31st compared to net earnings of $0.9 million for the same six months in 2010.

MORE:

• An EMI sale might not raise antitrust concerns. – With record labels' power diminished in the music industry, antitrust officials might not be inclined to block a sale of EMI to one of the three other major labels. (LA Times)
• TAG Strategic has added Jeff Becker as VP Social Media and Brand Marketing to focus on marketing initiatives for TAG’s consumer brand clients. Becker founded online marketing departments for UMG/MCA Records, Live Nation and Taylor Guitars.
• 50 musicians worth following on Twitter. (Paste)
• As music goes digital: The Incredible, Inevitable Shrinking Album Cover (NY Times)