London - Global digital music sales leapt 40% in 2007, to $2.9 billion, but declining CD sales pushed the overall market down 10% for the year, according to a report issued Thursday by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). [more..]

Washington - Companies bid more than $2.4 billion in the opening round of the Federal Communications Commission's wireless spectrum auction on Thursday, which took place as scheduled despite calls by some to delay it in light of the recent credit crunch. [more..]

Tokyo - Profit for Japanese video game maker Nintendo soared 96% during the first three quarters of its fiscal year, ended Dec. 31, propelling the company to raise its sales projections for both its Wii and DS game devices. [more..]

Los Angeles - Yahoo is in early talks with the major record labels on launching an online music service that will offer songs as unprotected MP3s, either for sale or in an ad-supported model, the Associated Press reported, citing record company executives familiar with the matter. [more..]

Agoura Hills, Calif. - Video game publisher THQ has announced that it will shutter its Concrete Games studio, cancel production on several new titles and discontinue its "Stuntman" and "Juiced" franchises, as it attempts to strengthen its development of high-quality games. [more..]

New York - Major record label Warner Music Group has filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Seeqpod, an online music service that provides links to streaming music files hosted on third-party sites, Silicon Alley Insider reports. [more..]

Los Angeles - Gemstar-TV Guide International, a provider of electronic program guides for digital TV services, announced on Thursday that it has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against cable TV provider Virgin Media in the U.K. [more..]

Arlington, Va. - Traffic at newspaper websites grew a record 6% in 2007, averaging 62.8 million unique monthly users during the fourth quarter, according to a report conducted by Nielsen Online for the Newspaper Association of America (NAA). [more..]

McLean, Va. - USA Today announced on Thursday that it will acquire California-based Banquet, which operates action sports website BNQT.com, along with an advertising network. [more..]

New York - The number of mobile TV service subscribers worldwide is expected to reach 462 million by 2012, spurred by the expansion of 3G networks and flat-rate plans for mobile video, according to a report from market research firm ABI Research. [more..]

Los Angeles - Live Nation, the large concert promoter and venue owner, announced on Thursday that it has sold its North American theatrical business to Key Brand Entertainment for $90.4 million. [more..]

San Bruno, Calif. - Google's YouTube video-sharing site announced on Thursday that it has expanded access to the tens of millions of videos on its site, via mobile phones on 3G networks that accept streaming video files. [more..]

New York - IGA Worldwide, the operator of an in-game advertising network, announced on Thursday that it has added about $5 million to its second round of venture capital financing, from Translink Capital, Presidio STX and ITOCHU Corporation. [more..]

Quincy, Mass. - Modiv Media, a provider of online marketing technology, has raised $8 million in its second round of venture capital, led by current investors, including Ignition Partners, Oak Investment Partners and SeaPoint Ventures. [more..]

I think people will pay 99c to get a single rather than steal it. I think people would rather steal a full album than pay 10 dollars or more for it. Labels need to make the effort to get artists to deliver in a manner that realizes these perspectives. [more..]

The future of the web and media lies in the middle ground between completely open networks and linear, command-and-control editorial systems, blogs Scott Karp. [more..]

The next time you put together a social media strategy dedicated to getting people to create content and others to consume it ... make sure you also have a smart way of engaging those who will be microsharing it. This is a population of people you can't afford to ignore anymore, blogs Rohit Bhargava. [more..]

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New York - Take-Two Interactive's Rockstar Games label on Thursday announced the release date for its "Grand Theft Auto IV" title for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, which will ship to retailers worldwide on April 29. [more..]

Palo Alto, Calif. - Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) has signed on to be the first major studio to authorize older titles from its library to be manufactured and distributed through HP's DVD on-demand service. [more..]

Santa Monica, Calif. - News Corp.'s MySpace has signed an agreement with BBC Worldwide that will bring clips from BBC shows like "Doctor Who," "Torchwood, " "Top Gear" and "The Mighty Boosh" to its members worldwide, Reuters reported. [more..]

San Francisco - The Facebook online social network has recruited its own users to help translate the site into other languages, CNET News.com reports. [more..]

Santa Clara, Calif. - Vudu, the maker of a set-top box that delivers movies and other content on-demand over a broadband network, announced on Thursday that it has slashed the price of its basic Vudu box by $100, to $295. [more..]

San Diego - Video-sharing site Veoh Networks announced on Thursday that it will add content from FEARnet, a horror and thriller website and video-on-demand joint venture between Comcast, Lionsgate and Sony Pictures. [more..]

San Francisco - Mobile media distributor SendMe announced on Thursday that it signed a deal with EMI Music, to offer the major label's full catalog of mobile content, including over 4,000 ringtones. [more..]