Top Stories

Indie Label Collective Merlin Signs MySpace Music Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 9:00am.
Los Angeles - MySpace Music, the joint venture between the News Corp.-owned (NYSE: NWS) social network and the major record labels, on Monday announced a global licensing agreement with Merlin, which represents independent labels accounting for 10% of global music sales. The parties did not say whether Merlin received any equity stake in MySpace Music, although Merlin did note that they have agreed on an "indie participation plan" for Merlin labels and artists, representing "an opportunity to participate in and benefit from the financial growth of MySpace Music with very minimal threshold qualifications."

Sony to Launch Online Entertainment Store in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:23am.
Tokyo - Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced plans on Friday to launch a new online store next year that will sell books, music and movies next year, and deliver content to networked televisions and other devices. The company did not provide many details about the "Sony Online Service," as it is tentatively being called, but is expected to be positioned as a competitor to Apple's iTunes Store.

Google Book Settlement Gets Preliminary Approval; Hearing in 2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 11:02am.
New York - The judge overseeing the settlement agreement between Google (NASD: GOOG) and authors and publishers over the direction of its massive book-scanning project has pushed a hearing on a revised settlement back to Feb. 18, while at the same time granted preliminary approval to the new deal. "The preliminary approval order sends a positive initial message; this agreement promises to benefit readers and researchers, and enhance the ability of authors and publishers to distribute their content in digital form," Google said in a statement.

eBay Completes Sale of Skype Unit to Investor Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 9:34am.
San Jose, Calif. - Nearly three months after first announcing the deal, online auction giant eBay (NASD: EBAY) said that it has completed the sale of a majority stake in its Skype Internet telephone business to an investment group headed by Silver Lake Partners. Under the deal, the investor group -- which also included Joltid Limited, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Andreessen Horowitz -- paid $1.9 billion and a $125 million note in exchange for a 70% stake in the unit.

MySpace to Acquire imeem Music Streaming Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 9:29am.
Los Angeles - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) MySpace has agreed to acquire streaming music service imeem for an undisclosed sum, although sources told CNET News.com that the deal is valued at about $8 million. The deal reportedly includes a payment of $1 million in cash, as well as earn outs and accounts receivable.

Facebook, Zynga Face Class Action Suit Over Offer-based Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 11:35am.
Sacramento, Calif. - A class action suit has been filed against Facebook and social network gaming firm Zynga, over "offer-based" advertisements that allegedly resulted in users being billed for unwanted services, Valleywag reported.

Mobile TV Chipmaker Telegent to Raise Up to $250M in IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 11:14am.
Sunnyvale, Calif. - Telegent Systems, a developer of semiconductors that enable mobile TV services, on Monday filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $250 million in its initial public offering (IPO).

Apple to Launch iPhone in South Korea This Week

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 10:16am.
Seoul, South Korea - Apple (NASD: AAPL) will launch the iPhone in South Korea later this week with local carrier KT Corp, which is already accepting pre-orders for the smartphone, the Associated Press reported.
tags: Mobile | Korea | Apple | Retail | iPhone | KT Corp. |

Report: Million Spotify Streams Earn Lady Gaga Just $167

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 10:03am.
Los Angeles - Despite racking up more than a million streams in Sweden during a five month period on ad-supported streaming service Spotify, artist Lady Gaga's song "Poker Face" generated a songwriting royalty payment of just $167 from Swedish performing rights society STIM, TorrentFreak reported, citing the local Swedish outlet Expressen.

Study: Online Video Ads Less Effective on Social Networks

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 9:36am.
Los Angeles - Online video advertising is more effective on content sites and within email than it is when place on social networking and video game-related sites, according to a report from Eyeblaster, a provider of third-party online ad distribution.

AOL to Unveil New Logo Following Next Month's Spinoff

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 8:42am.
New York - Hoping to reinvigorate its business, AOL said that it plans to alter its logo beginning Dec. 10, the day after the completion of its scheduled spinoff from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX).

Google Acquires Customized Ad Technology Firm Teracent

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 23, 2009 - 8:28am.
Mountain View, Calif. - Google (NASD: GOOG) announced on Monday that it has acquired Teracent, a developer of online display advertising customized by machine-learning algorithms.

Nokia Lays Off 330 Research and Development Staff

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 10:23am.
Espoo, Finland - Cell phone maker Nokia (NYSE: NOK) announced on Friday that it will lay off up to 330 employees from its research and development operations, representing about 2% of its global research and development staff of 17,000.
tags: Mobile | Nokia | Layoffs |

Report: Video Viewing on Social Media Sites Doubles in Year

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 9:56am.
New York - Internet users now spend nearly double the amount of time watching videos on social networking sites than they did just one year ago, according to newly released figures from Nielsen.

Details Emerge About AOL's Massive Workforce Reductions

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 9:50am.
New York - A day after AOL announced plans to cut one-third of its workforce -- up to 2,500 employees -- details are beginning to emerge about specifics of the plan.
tags: AOL | Layoffs | Time Warner |

Online Marketer QuinStreet Files for $250 Million IPO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 9:40am.
Foster City, Calif. - QuinStreet, a provider of online marketing services, has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to raise up to $250 million in its initial public offering (IPO).

Mobile Broadcast Firm IPWireless Lands $15.5 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 8:08am.
San Francisco - IPWireless, a San Francisco-based developer of mobile broadband and broadcast technology, said on Wednesday that it has raised $15.5 million in its first round of funding, led by Spark Capital.

Chegg.com Gets $57 Million for Online Textbook Rentals

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2009 - 8:06am.
Santa Clara, Calif. - Chegg.com, an online textbook rental company, said on Thursday that it has raised one of the largest funding rounds for a Silicon Valley tech company this year, landing $57 million in its fourth round.

Judge Shutters Websites Selling "Re-Recorded" Beatles Tunes

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 11:17am.
Los Angeles - A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction against two websites, BlueBeat.com and Basebeat.com, that had been selling unauthorized downloads of songs from the Beatles and other artists on the cheap, the Associated Press reported.

Senate Judiciary Approves Copyright Czar Nominee

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 19, 2009 - 10:56am.
Washington - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted unanimously to approve President Barack Obama's nomination for the newly-created position of copyright czar, Victoria Espinel.