DIGITAL MUSIC NEWS – WEEK IN REVIEW

• The biggest news this week came out of San Jose, where Apple chief Steve Jobs unveiled a video-enabled iPod. That was accompanied by the release of iTunes 6, which offers music video, television, and short film content, adding yet another variation to the iPod+iTunes combination. Meanwhile, the company also posted record quarterly revenues and earnings.
• Earlier in the week, RealNetworks and Microsoft finalized a long-standing antitrust dispute. As part of the out-of-court settlement, Microsoft agreed to pay RealNetworks $761 million in the form of cash and promotional assets.
• Meanwhile, Sony BMG CEO Andrew Lack came under fire, as Bertelsmann appeared to be pushing for a replacement. Sony chairman Howard Stringer defended Lack.
• MTV was also quite active this week. The Viacom-owned property launched mtvU Uber, a broadband network geared towards a college audience. And on Thursday, the company announced the acquisition of iFilm for $49 million.
• Elsewhere, Yahoo became the latest to jump into podcasting with a beta release.
• Across the pond, the European Commission issued its recommendation for a pan-European licensing process, though the biggest work still lies ahead.
• And the BPI reported an increase in both physical and digital formats for the latest quarter.
• And further east, Japanese carrier KDDI reported its 20 millionth full-song, over-the-air download. That easily trumps results from other services.

From Digital Music News