Hypebot’s New Music Industry Briefing For Tuesday April 25, 2006

UPDATED:

– URGE, the new MTV/Microsoft download service, will be unveiled to the press in a private viewing late next week. (Digital Music News)

– RIP: Phil Walden, the founder of Capricorn Records and former manager of Sam Cooke.

– Skype has cut a deal with EMI that follows a recent pact with Warners that should expand the Voice Over Internet phone provider’s dominace in the VOIP ringtome market and paves the way for a related download service. Will Skype’s parent Ebay get into the game as well? (P2Pnet)

– Apple will add advertising to the iTunes web site, according Advertising Age and to content partners who have been briefed on the plan. The introduction of ads could be the first step in allowing ads in other areas of their web sites and on iPod podcasts.

– Music Choice announced a deal with Universal Music Group, the world’s leading music company, to add their extensive music video library to Music Choice’s broadband music service. The service also features exclusive music shows & interviews, live performances, daily music news, and dozens of interruption-free audio music channels.

– eMusic is jumping beyond the typical "card on a peg" offered by other digital music retailers with a packaged set of eight specially designed collector’s cards on independent artists that include a taste of eMusic’s editorial content, a "how-to" download guide, and detailed information about eMusic’s discovery features. The CD jewel-box size kit is priced at $14.99 and offers consumers a "starter subscription" to eMusic with 65 downloads per month plus 25 free downloads at sign up.