Will EMI Set Their Music Free?
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The label thinks about selling its downloads without restrictions.
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Papering over the cracks Microsoft is working on closing a loophole that creates a means to strip usage restriction from music files wrapped in its DRM technology. A program called FairUse4WM, recently posted on the internet, allows users to bypass Microsoft's Digital Rights Management (DRM) system.â¦
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The European Commissioner in charge of the single market, Charlie McCreevy, said Thursday he is restarting a consultation with industry with the aim of simplifying the European Union&#39;s approach to copyright levies.The move comes 14 months after the Commission abandoned a similar effort, following pressure from France and from lobbying by the music and film industries.Levies are slapped on a wide range of machines, ranging from photocopiers and re-writeable CDs and DVDs to mobile phones and MP3 players, in varying degrees in the 27 different countries. Their aim is to compensate rights holders when their copyright-protected material is copied.Levies on MP3 players, for example range from nothing to &#8364;15 ($21) depending on the rules in different E.U. countries. McCreevy said the current system is &quot;incoherent&quot; but he played down hopes of a total overhaul of the status quo.&quot;What is the right level? There are no easy answers,&quot; he said, during a press conference as he announced a consultation that will run until April 18. After hearing back from industry and from consumer groups the Commission will hold a conference in June &quot;to see if there is common ground&quot; to streamline the current system. &quot;Last time I suspended the initiative because there was no hope then. Now it should be possible,&quot; he said.Gadget makers welcomed the move. &quot;As an industry, we fully support fair and proper compensation for artists, creators and other rightholders. Industry is not advocating for private copy levies to be abolished, but has repeatedly demonstrated that the current system of &#39;rough justice&#39; is opaque, unfair to consumers and industry, and does not fulfill the stated purpose of fairly remunerating right holders,&quot; said Mark MacGann, director General of EICTA, the organization that represents the information and communications technology and consumer electronics industries in Europe.According to EICTA, levies collection has more than tripled since 2001, when the E.U. passed a copyright law designed to suit the digital age. The law permitted copying of copyrighted works such as music for personal use, but allowed individual member states to set levels of levies to help compensate artists.McCreevy said he had no plans to overhaul this law. &quot;The directive allows member states to set levies. There are no plans to do away with this. We just want to get some realism.&quot; He added: &quot;Hopefully people will come [to the conference in June] with an open mind.&quot;Meanwhile, McCreevy announced a parallel initiative to extend the period of copyright protection for performing artists from 50 years to 90 years. Stars that performed other people&#39;s songs in the 1950s, as well as the session musicians of that time, are at risk of being completely cut off from airplay and recording royalties just as they reach retirement age, McCreevy said.Extending the copyright period by 40 years won&#39;t have any impact on the price of music, McCreevy said.Both copyright-related initiatives will require political approval from national E.U. governments.
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British music company EMI Group Plc  confirmed on Friday that it, along with others, is to face an  inquiry into the promotion of records on New York radio  stations.
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U.K. record company EMI has shaken hands with the video-sharing website in a landmark deal.
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Meanwhile, take-over speculation mounts... EMI has signed a licensing and distribution agreement with Vidzone Digital Media to deliver the music giant's full DRM-free digital catalogue to mobiles and PCs via its cross-platform offering.â¦
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Microsoft's efforts to loosen up access to closely held music owned by record labels has an unintended consequence: It punishes artists who want to share. Commentary by Eliot Van Buskirk.
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LONDON/NEW YORK  - EMI Group PLC EMI.L, the  world's third-largest music company, on Friday said it and  other music companies faced a New York probe into how music  companies influence what songs are played on the radio.
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Record labels don't trust us with their music. They need to retune that thinking
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(InfoWorld) - Apple has taken another step toward selling DRM-free tracks from EMI and other labels through its new iTunes Plus service. The company released an update to iTunes (version 7.2) Wednesday that introduced support for new DRM-free music sales, a move first promised by Apple CEO Steve Jobs and EMI CEO Eric Nicoli in early April 2007. "With iTunes 7.2, preview and purchase iTunes Plus music -- new, higher-quality, DRM-free music downloads from participating music labels," Apple urges in notes accompanying the software. The company explains, "The first time you buy an iTunes Plus song, you specify whether to make all future purchases iTunes Plus versions (when available). You can change this setting by accessing your account information on the iTunes Store." However, it's not yet clear where users can find the new DRM-free songs within iTunes. When it comes to introducing new DRM-free music, Nicoli said in April, "Our goal is to give consumers the best possible digital music experience. By providing DRM-free downloads, we aim to address the lack of interoperability that is frustrating for many music fans. The updated iTunes is available for Mac and for Windows systems. A 29.6MB download, it is available through Software Update or for direct download from Apple's support website.
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EMI, home to artists such as Robbie Williams, Radiohead and Norah Jones, reported explosive growth in digital music sales yesterday and said it was winning the battle against piracy.
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By Tony Glover, The Business, London  Dec. 14--Music fans are forsaking Apple's iTunes music download service  in droves -- a trend that will dash the hopes of music labels like EMI.
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LONDON/NEW YORK  - EMI Group PLC, the world's  third-largest music company, on Friday said it and other music  companies faced a New York probe into how music companies  influence what songs are played on the radio.
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Merlin waves magic wand Independent labels are in a public row over whether to back Warner Music's bid for ailing British major EMI. The merger would see the 'Big Four' consolidate into a Big Three.â¦
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European consumers want music not video or games on their portable gadgets. According to Jupiter Research only a lowly five per cent of people would like a music player which could also play films.
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Steve Jobs: credit where very little credit's due EMI is close to removing rights management software from its digital music for good, in a move which would pile pressure on the rest of the recording industry to follow suit.â¦
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With Warner Music ditching DRM, Listening Post blogger Eliot Van Buskirk decides to do the same. But leaving Napster and Rhapsody isn't as easy is it should be.