Big stories in the news

I don't know if this qualifies as "stunning" news, but it's pretty big. Apparently, Apple is looking to buy Universal Music. This could the beginning of something very, very big in the music industry, because in Apple, you have a company that has already established itself as pro-MP3. This is different than just having online music efforts going on. It means that you might have a major label that isn't hidebound by the notion that online music without some sort of rights management is an unacceptable solution. Couple that with the MP3-friendly and formerly Coz-employing EMusic, already part of Vivendi-Universal, and you just might see positive change in the world of "legit" online music. Of course, it remains to be seen whether EMusic would be part of the deal, as nothing quite so specific was mentioned in the news report.

How it would affect pressplay, the joint venture between Universal and Sony, is also unclear, but fascinating. Sony, of course, is in sort of the same boat as Apple, in that they make MP3-compatible hardware. The difference being that the music and hardware divisions at the Japanese electronics giant have had problems getting along. This could be the nudge that changes that, too.

Secondly, Clear Channel is cutting ties with independent promoters. On the one hand, independent promoters are an insidious force in the radio industry, and it can be argued that they're largely responsible for narrowing playlists across the country. On the other hand, you can argue the same for Clear Channel. With the sheer number of stations controlled by the conglomerate, they are certainly in a position to deal directly with record labels, as a corporation, and effect the exact same sorts of limitations brought about by the indie promoters. So I'm not sure what will really become of that.