New York - Despite significant turmoil in the public financial markets, U.S. private equity firms actually picked up the pace of their fundraising during the first three-quarters of this year, and are on pace to break an all-time record, according to a new report by Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst.

New York - Microsoft's (NASD: MSFT) research arm on Tuesday announced the formation of a joint research endeavor with New York University and a range of other schools, which aims to "provide the fundamental scientific evidence to support games as learning tools for math and science subjects among middle-school students."

Stockholm, Sweden - Spotify, the Sweden-based developer of an ad-supported digital music service, on Tuesday announced its launch with the signing of licensing deals with all four major record labels, as well as independent labels represented by Merlin and The Orchard.

Stanford, Calif. - Major record label EMI and recording artist Yoko Ono have withdrawn all copyright infringement claims against Premise Media, the producers of a documentary called "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" that uses a 15-second clip of a John Lennon song.

New York - News Corporation (NYSE: NWS) announced on Tuesday that it has acquired the rest of mobile entertainment firm Jamba from joint venture partner Verisign (NASD: VRSN) for about $200 million.

Dubai - KIT digital, a provider of IPTV delivery technology, announced on Tuesday that it has acquired Visual Connection, a Czech Republic-based provider of digital media and IPTV services, for $2.5 million in cash plus $7.5 million in performance-based payouts.

Berkeley, Calif. - MindFuse, a developer of multiplayer online casual games, has raised $1 million in convertible debt from the Keiretsu Forum, and also expects to raise an undisclosed sum of venture funding over the next month, VentureBeat reported.

New York - Appssavvy, a provider of social media advertising services, announced on Tuesday that it has secured a $3.1 million first round of funding, led by True Ventures with participation from About.com founder Scott Kurnit.

Manchester, England - A coalition of over 60 U.K. recording artists that includes Radiohead, Billy Bragg and Robbie Williams has been formed with the objective of lobbying for artists' rights in the digital age.

Port Washington, N.Y. - Apple's (NASD: AAPL) iPhone 3G was the top-selling smartphone among U.S. consumers from June-August, commanding 24% market share, and was second only to Motorola's (NYSE: MOT) RAZR in overall mobile phone sales, according to a report from market research firm NPD Group.

New York - Former Vanity Fair and The New Yorker editor Tina Brown on Monday launched her new online venture with IAC's (NASD: IACI) Barry Diller, The Daily Beast, which will mix original journalism and celebrity gossip with content aggregated from around the Web.

Los Gatos, Calif. - Online DVD rental service Netflix (NASD: NFLX) on Monday lowered its guidance on the number of subscribers it expects to count during the third quarter, as well as revenue targets for the fourth quarter, sending shares of the company down nearly 9%.

San Jose, Calif. - Melodis, a developer of search and sound recognition technology, announced on Monday that it has raised $7 million in its second round of financing, led by TransLink Capital.

New York - Crisp Wireless, a provider of mobile content distribution services, has raised $5 million in its second round of financing, led by Meritage Private Equity Funds, PEHub.com reported, citing a regulatory filing.