So, MySpace Music! It's going to change the distribution of recorded music as we know it... or at the very least entice people into giving their credit card numbers over to the site, thus setting themselves up for a lifetime of fake Macy's gift card offers. No, but seriously, it's going to be an incredible leap forward for the entire industry, because it'll give money to artists and labels and allow people to listen to said artists' and labels' music for free, right? Well, actually, that whole "giving money" part may not be true for the many independent labels out there whose bands account for millions of pages on the site, but who aren't part of the joint venture that MySpace has entered into with three of the four major labels. A letter from the indie-leaning digital distributor
The Orchard outlines some of the concerns that those not affiliated with a major label might have about the service:
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Idolator
Lil Jon's having a great day! He finally escaped the clutches of TVT Records, although it took TVT's bankruptcy and purchase by the digital-music distributor The Orchard for this glorious moment to come about. Lil Jon has agreed to withdraw his massive lawsuit against the Orchard in exchange for the rights to his long awaited masterpiece Crunk Rock, while The Orchard gets to keep his catalog and reissue it digitally. Sounds like a win/win. Make your own "WHHHAAAAT?" or "YEEEAHHHH!" joke here. [Marketwatch]
Microsoft is apparently sending "substantial one-time bonuses" to independent labels and digital aggregators that deal with those labels as a thank you for letting the Zune use their content in Zune's new music-sharing functionality. The Orchard sent an e-mail to its partners saying that Microsoft "made a corporate decision to demonstrate their commitment to the independent sector in a manner we all appreciate: rather than simple lip service, they wrote a check"; they also said that partners would get a "Zune bonus" derived from this payout. Anyone seeing a bump yet? How much did you get? 