CRB Freezes Royalty Rate — iTunes Store Safe!
The Copyright Royalties Board have decided to keep the royalty rate for music downloads at 9 cents. An spokesman for Apple said, “we’re pleased with the CRB’s decision to keep royalty rates stable.”
The three-member board that sets statutory copyright licenses e-mailed the Digital Media Association (DiMA), the National Music Publishers’ Association, Apple, and other download stores with its decision to keep the royalty rate 9.1 cents. The board also set the same rate for CDs and mandated established a 24-cents rate for ringtones. The decision is the first time the Board has established mechanical royalty rates for digital downloads.
![[del.icio.us]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Google]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[StumbleUpon]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/stumbleupon.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
![[Email]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/email.png)
Increased Royalty Rate Could Kill Apple iTunes
Later today the Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) meet to discuss and decide whether royalty rates for digital downloads should increase from 9 cents to 15 cents per track — a rise requested by National Music Publishers’ Association.
Your Music Anywhere Via The Web With blueTunes
![blueTunes logo [take your tunes to the cloud]](http://blog24.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bluetunes_logo.gif){kind=logo}
A new web service for listening to your own music, not sharing it, has been launched today. Called, blueTunes, it allows users to upload their music collection and listen to it via the web. Going on holiday? Take a laptop and your music will follow. At a party that lacks decent music? (We’ve all been in that situation I’m sure!) Login and blast a few of your favorites favourites!
How Apple Could Improve iTunes Genius
Genius was introduced in Apple iTunes 8. It is a feature that enables users to created playlists of music that ‘go together well’.
Since its introduction iTunes Genius has had an unfair amount of criticism. While it is not perfect, Genius is a useful tool which will improved upon given time.
While Genius relies on mass user input to work perhaps Apple should consider joining forces with some software and web-based services that already exist to greatly improve the feature.
Firstly, when I first read about Genius (before the official launch) I thought it would actually analyse the music itself rather than just data about user music collections and playing habits.