The Digital Music Weblog

• PlaysForSure doomed, again
  

  Filed under: News, DRM, Creative, Microsoft, Sandisk, Napster, Rhapsody, Real Networks, Yahoo! Music

  The grapevine says some at CES are being told Microsoft will no longer develop PlaysForSure, its proprietary DRM system, a move Microsoft swore up and down it would never make when the company failed to include PlaysForSure support in the Zune line.
  
  According to PC Pro News,"Microsoft will concentrate exclusively on its Zune platform, which is not...
  



• Jupiter predicts digital sales through 2011
  

  Filed under: News, RIAA, IFPI, BPI, Napster, eMusic, iTunes, Rhapsody, Zune Marketplace, Yahoo! Music

  Jupiter Research has done some prognosticatin' and come to the conclusion that digital sales are going to keep on growing. In fact, if predictions hold true, digital sales will grow at a compounded rate of 16% per year, to a total of 2.5 billion dollars, or just over 22% of total US consumer spending on music....
  



• Rumors of Microsoft buying EMI, "odd and unlikely"
  

  Filed under: News, Microsoft, RIAA, Napster, Rhapsody, Zune Marketplace, Yahoo! Music

  Rumors of Microsoft potentially making a play at becoming a part of the major label system though an aquisition of EMI are "odd and unlikely" one analyist says. This comes after some media speculation that the software giant was interested in a takeover of the music giant.
  
  Microsoft has had a tough time with the labels lately. As the Zune nears retail, details...