Hypebot’s Music Industry QuickNews

• Billboard is reporting that Yahoo! owned Webjay is poised to be hit with lawsuits as hundreds of hit songs and videos are becoming available for download via the online mix tape site.
• CNN Money reports that, "U.S. ringtone sales totaled $500 million last year and should increase to $600 million this year, according to data from songwriter and music publisher trade group BMI. Globally, ringtone sales were $4.4 billion last year, according to Billboard, up from $3.7 billion in 2004.}
• GameTunes and parent company Musica are offering new-music samplers to be played in roughly 100 gaming centers affiliated with iGames according to Billboard.  In addition to listening parties and play at gaming centers, kids will get coupons for as much as $4 off purchases at the Virgin Megastore chain.
• Robert Sillerman’s CKX, which already controls "American Idol" and most of Elvis, acquired an 80 percent interest in the image and licensing of Muhammad Ali for $50 million in cash this week.
• According to TechWeb.com attacks launched over instant messaging and file sharing networks are up dramatically over last year. In the first quarter of 2006, malicious software attacks across instant messaging (IM), chat, and peer-to-peer (P2P) were up more than 700 percent over the same quarter last year, Foster City, Calif. FaceTime Communications reported.