Remastered Beatles on iTunes in 2008

Beatles fans will probably have to wait until next year before they can buy the Fab Four's tunes from online retailers such as Apple's iTunes store, George Harrison's widow has said. A recent settlement to a lengthy trademark dispute between Apple and the Beatles' company, Apple Corps, has cleared the way for the band to distribute its catalogue in cyberspace. But Olivia Harrison told Reuters, 'We just have a few things to work out elsewhere. ...more

MusicNet catches remaining majors

Online music subscription service MusicNet adds remaining major labels to its arsenal Online music subscription service MusicNet has licensed Sony's and Universal's catalogues of music, meaning that it now boasts material from all five major record labels. The MusicNet venture is owned by RealNetworks, BMG, Warner and EMI and offers music from these labels, too. Todays announcement also includes further rights regarding the music from the three partner labels, including offering users permanent downloads, and the right to burn songs to disc or transfer them to a portable device. ...more

BPI turns its aim toward corporate IT managers

The BPI is turning its attention to corporate IT managers as it continues to step up its fight against unauthorised file sharing. The UK record industry's main representative body is sending a booklet to the country's largest employers warning them of the potential cost of file sharing in the workplace. 'Illegal filesharing in the workplace not only wastes employee time, it may also open up employers themselves to the risk of litigation,' said BPI chairman Peter Jamieson. ...more

Microsoft 'talking to publishers over new music service'

More rumours have surfaced that Microsoft is planning to create a rival to Apple's iPod/iTunes downloads service. According to Reuters, which quotes un-named 'sources', the software giant is already having discussions with the big music publishers on licensing their tunes for the new service. Robbie Bach, who led the development of Microsoft's Xbox video game business, is allegedly in charge of the new project. ...more

Analyst: Apple to shrink shuffle

Apple is planning to release an even smaller iPod shuffle, possibly in January, according to American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu. Wu claims that the new shuffle is the reason for Apple seeking to obtain a fresh source of Flash memory from Hynix. 'We are hearing of an even smaller form factor (smaller than a stick of gum) and the potential for the re-introduction of multiple colors, particularly popular among women, including black,' Wu wrote in a research note. ...more