universal

How Google Music Beta Could Make Users Go Gaga

What's Google's new cloud-based music service got in common with Lady Gaga? Word of a forthcoming ad shot recently in NYC and pairing the tech and fame monsters might offer clues. READ»

After Touting 28-Day Advantage Over Netflix, Blockbuster Agrees to Same Delay

"Blockbuster has hot new releases ... 28 days before Netflix and Redbox," the troubled video giant boasted in its ads. Well, not any more -- at least not with Blockbuster Express.READ»

Warner Music: Apple, Google, and Microsoft in "Struggle for Supremacy"

Warner Music chair Edgar Bronfman says Apple, Google, and Microsoft are battling for the industry's attention.READ»

How Warner Music and Its Musicians Are Combating Declining Album Sales

Up-and-coming bands like Shinedown are helping Warner Music Group pull off the hardest trick in the music biz: redefining the record label for the digital age.READ»

• Keeping It on the Download

Julie Lee, SVP at Vevo

Before coming to Vevo, 10-year tech-industry vet Julie Lee spent time at Universal Music Group's successful eLabs division, where she devised partnership-development deals with Apple, Best Buy, and Walmart. Now, as SVP of Vevo's growth strategy, she's tasked with making the online music-video service the Hulu of the music industry.READ»

Universal Music Group Slashes CD Prices to Between $6 and $10

The slow death of physical media may be even slower than expected, if UMG's new pricing structure takes off: CDs will actually be priced lower than their digital versions.READ»

Robert Ludlum Is Dead, but Jason Bourne Rumors Live - on Facebook

Want to know which book may serve as the inspiration for the next Jason Bourne flick? Connect the dots through social media. [Viral Loop Chronicle #9]READ»

Why Vevo's a Victory--Even If It's Not "Hulu for Music Videos"

Music-video megasite Vevo launched today (sort of, read on). And bloggers and users alike are breathlessly dubbing it "the Hulu for music videos." But here's the thing: It's not. I mean, sure, there are similarities. Both sites ...READ»

Digital Music Arms Race: MSN Joins the Fray

The arms race to lure music-loving clients is heating up at the moment: First Google gets a music service, and now MSN does too. MSN's download service launches tomorrow, and Microsoft's schmoozed all four big record labels to help it ...READ»

Strategic vs. Traditional Investors: The Lowdown From a Venture Capital Vet

Every so often, I hear an early-stage venture capitalist warn a roomful of entrepreneurs about the pitfalls of taking money from strategic rather than traditional investors. Time for a rebuttal. READ»

Comcast Denies Reports It's Buying NBC-Universal

Will the cast of 30 Rock soon be making fun of a new corporate overlord? M&A bankers for General Electric may have reached a deal Tuesday to sell NBC-Universal to Comcast, reports TheWrap. Both companies have denied any ...READ»

Universal Studios Dubailand: A Case Study on the Rise and Fall of Dubai

They had everything they needed: Space, money, time, workers, tourists, big brands, and, perhaps most importantly, hype. Just a few years ago, the developers of Dubailand--an enormous $64 billion, 107-square-mile mega-theme ...READ»

Warner, 7digital Spread the Music

In a sign that the major labels are finally beginning to embrace digital music worldwide, U.K.-based digital music provider 7digital announced a pan-European licensing agreement with Warner Music to sell their MP3s, nearly completing ...READ»

Hulu Gets 'Lost' With Disney's Equity Stake

Walt Disney Company is taking an equity stake in Hulu.com, the Web's third most popular pit stop for video, according to the AP. The site, originally a joint venture between NBC Universal and Fox parent News Corp, will now have ...READ»

Electric Vehicle Makers Agree on a Universal Standard Plug for Charging

A suite of big-name manufacturers including Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Fiat, Toyota, and Mitsubishi, have agreed on a common standard for the plugs used for charging electric vehicles. According to German energy company RWE, ...READ»

Apple Rumor Mill Buzzing About iPhone 2; OS 10.6

According to Mac rumor site the Unofficial Apple Weblog, Apple seems to be poised to release the successor to its Leopard operating system, aka OS 10.5, at its World Wide Developer Conference later this month. The update to 10.6 ...READ»