AM News Brief: UMG Offers $’s To Keep Reid, Qtrax Is Online, Digital Sales Projections, Android & More

Hypebot publishes a briefing of top industry news mid-morning (ET) every weekday and when warranted adds a PM update late in the afternoon.

• Universal Music Group is trying to keep Island Def Jam head Antonio “L.A.” Reid from joining the ongoing executive shuffle by offering to form a joint venture with him. (Bloomberg)
• Four years after an embarrassing false launch at Midem, infamous ad-supported Qtrax is back online and licensing music. EMI has signed a short term deal and pc users can try it in beta here.  Check it out and tell us what you think.
• Global digital music revenues to hit $20 billion by 2015 according to a new report. (Telegraph)

MORE:

• Android just surpassed Apple and Blackberry as the top mobile operating system according to Nielson.
• Canadian songwriters propose $10 fee for music-sharing. (Gazette)
• we7 launches new personal radio app. (Music Ally)
• RIAA responds to City Pages cover story about Jammie Thomas-Rasset. (CityPages)
• A profile of Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman. (NYT)
• Whatever Happened To The Audiophile? (NPR)
• The Digital-Music Business Blooms In SF. (NYT)
• Commerce On Facebook, The Next Billion Dollar Business (SAI) Now comes the scramble for  artists and music companies to develop a Facebook commerce strategy.  
• Sony Music Hires CEO Who Has Admitted He Doesn't Know How To Run A Modern Record Label (Techdirt)
• How long is Last.fm gonna last? (TheNextWeb)