DIGITAL MUSIC QUICK NEWS

– Lots of digital news is coming from the Consumer Electronics Show with Real making a myriad of small deals including inclusion in Google’s new free software pack and Verizon jumping into the –over-the-air music download market.  Content is again being touted as king at CES (After all who will buy all of these gadgets and use these services if they don’t provide access to cool stuff?) – but TV and Hollywood seem to be usurping the music industry as the stars this year in Las Vegas.

– The NY judge in the Sony BMG consumer rootkit lawsuit has tentatively accepted the settlement agreement worked out by both parties.  But two new lawsuits have been added to the growing list including a calls action suit in Atlanta and and individual suit in Mississippi.  The plaintiff in the Mississippi suit has even set up a web site to track the progress of his and all other Sony rootkit legal actions called SonySuit .

– Paid downloads hit an impressive post Christmas 20 million tracks last week more, than doubling the 9.5 million the week before according to Nielson Soundscan. 352 million track were downloaded in 2005.

– Digital Music News reports that webcast liscencor SoundExchange is threatening havoc in the online broadcasting world demanding a tripling of fees to 30% of small broadcaster and subscription services levels in a new round of licensing talks.  These fees are already much higher than those paid by over the air broadcasters.  Fortunately they must be approved by the Copywrite Tribunal.