DIGITIAL MUSIC NEWS WEEK IN REVIEW

• RealNetworks made the biggest news this week, announcing a new portable subscription service. The company also improved its Harmony transcoding software, promising that its downloads are once again compatible with every iPod model.
• Sony BMG and Warner Music Group publishing unit Warner/Chappell inked a new alliance, opening the door for quicker licensing of new tracks for new digital technologies.
• Coldplay got off to a strong start online, with its single "Speed of Sound"
• topping iTunes Music Store rankings in every country. The EMI group will release its album June 6th.
• In the portable mp3 space, both Creative and iRiver suffered big net losses, with heavy price chopping leading to the declines. Meanwhile, SanDisk is hitting some unexpected success, quietly leveraging its substantial retailer relationships to support a recent mp3 player expansion.
• In satellite radio, both XM and Sirius reported strong revenue and subscriber increases in the latest quarter. But overall losses continued, with XM the only one in the pair to narrow the gap.
• In mobile music, Nokia revealed plans to introduce a 4GB music phone, with PC-transfers and over-the-air downloads supported. The N91 will rollout worldwide by the end of this year. On the content end, MTV announced a new relationship with China Mobile, part of an overall global expansion for the Viacom cable channel.
• Infinity has made a big move into podcasting, converting a money-losing AM station in San Francisco into a podcast-only broadcast.
• And the RIAA remained on the offensive, ending the week with 725 new lawsuits.

From Digital Music News.