Idolator

Yesterday, a judge ruled that RealNetworks, AOL, and Yahoo! had to pay the American Society of Composers, Arrangers, and Performer 2.5% of "adjusted music-use revenue" between 2002 and 2009. That's half a percentage point higher than what terrestrial radio stations have to pay to the organization, a decision that U.S. District Judge William C. Conner came to because online radio generally plays more songs per hour than its over-the-air The three companies—who had proposed rates ranging from .9% (for music videos) to 2.5% (for on-demand audio)—could owe as much as $100 million to ASCAP as the result of the decision, and needless to say, they are not very pleased. More »

Reports are surfacing this morning that RealNetworks, owner of music-streaming service Rhapsody, is planning to announce its own entry into the digital music player world. This comes shortly after murmurs that files from Rhapsody— and other online services like Yahoo! and Napster—won't work on Microsoft's Zune digital media player. We're sure our tech-happy bretheren at Gizmodo—who have info on Best Buy's attempt at competing with the iPod (huh?)—will have the latest news and product shots. One question: Is it too much to hope that Real put on a music-blogger dog and pony show, too? More »