Sony Music Entertainment and indie digital music distributor IODA has announced a global partnership to create a distribution and services network for independent rights holders. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal allows Sony to combine IODA’s online music platform with RED, the independent music distribution company it acquired in 1994. IODA has a roster of over two million tracks, which it licenses to more than 400 digital storefronts worldwide, as well as about 2,000 film and video clips. Retail partners include iTunes, Amazon and MySpace Music.

Continue Reading

Sony is jumping into the online music distribution market, as sources told CNET that Sony is attempting to deal with other major recording companies to provide music downloads through the PlayStation Network.

This comes after Sir Howard Stringer, Sony Chairman, President and CEO, said that the company can compete with iTunes by providing “something that Apple can’t” and will “grab that opportunity before Apple begins to provide support for other hardware and blocks [Sony] out.” Digital music served on the Playstation Network seems to be the answer.

Continue Reading

Hulu, the site that offers free streaming TV shows and movies, is trying to strike deals with major labels Universal, EMI, Sony and Warner to host music videos. The dealings indicate that Hulu is planning to compete directly with YouTube-backed music video site Vevo.com, which is expected to launch later this year.

YouTube has already teamed up with Universal Music Group (UMG) for Vevo, but is also interested in negotiating the addition of the remaining labels to the new video site. Ironically, if all goes as planned, Hulu and Vevo will both stream the exact same music videos licensed from the same labels. They will undoubtedly be contending with each other for our attention in the near future, but if they are offering the same content, how will we choose between the two?

Continue Reading

Universal Music Group and YouTube/Google are a few weeks away from an agreement over the label’s video rights. YouTube will be responsible for creating a new site, Vevo.com, which would distribute Universal’s video content, and step up advertising revenue with new strategies.

Sony renewed their contract in February, and now Universal, home of U2 and the Killers, will also end their war with YouTube. The soon to be launched Vevo is supposed to generate enough cash to pay for the licensing bill.

Continue Reading

In January, Apple and the music industry seemed to be on good terms. With the removal of copyright protection software (DRM), and the renegotiation of pricing on iTunes, the scenario was heartening. But now, discussion over the specific timing of these changes has sparked renewed antagonism between the two giants.

Steve Jobs is purported to have made an aggressive stance on the issue back in December, leveraging Apple’s dominance in the growing mobile sales market. While Apple and Sony spokesmen declined to comment, Dave Goldberg, the former general manager of Yahoo Music said:

“I think Steve has been smart, and he knows he has the upper hand. [The music industry] can’t afford to pull their music.”

Continue Reading

Sony announced today that it was delaying the release of one of its most anticipated video games because a song in the game had verses from the Koran as part of its lyrics.  Never mind the fact that the musician who licensed the song to Sony, Toumani Diabate (above), is himself a Muslim and means no offense with the lyrics.  The game, LittleBigPlanet, was set to be released tomorrow, but now has been recalled and will be released next week instead.

This recall is going to cost Sony a ton of money, since they had already shipped copies of the game out to stores before making this decision.  This is another absurd politically correct decision meant to appease people who are just looking for something to be angry about.  Things have gotten completely out of control.

Check out a video of Diabate below… Continue Reading