“Japanese musicians under contract with Sony and other labels that haven’t joined Apple’s iTunes Music Store are starting to defy their recording companies and trying to get their music on the popular download service launched last week in Japan,” The Associated Press reports. “At least one artist has already gone against his label to offer his songs on iTunes. And a major agency that manages Japanese musicians said Wednesday it was interested in a possible deal with Apple Computer Inc., regardless of the recording companies’ positions.”

“In just four days, customers downloaded 1 million songs — the fastest pace for the service’s launch in any of the 20 nations it’s become available… But Sony Corp.’s music division has not signed up to join Apple’s service. The two companies have emerged as major rivals in the portable music player business. Apple’s iPod music player, which stores music on a hard drive, has hurt Sony, which its own Network Walkman, some of which have hard drives,” AP reports.

“Sony Music Entertainment and Apple say they’re in talks but there’s been no agreement. But wayward artists could just start averting the issue and opt to offer their music to iTunes. Rock musician Motoharu Sano, who has a recording contract with Sony, is making some of his songs available on iTunes, according to his official Web page. ‘It is an individual’s freedom where that person chooses to listen to music. I want to deliver my music wherever my listeners are,’ Sano was quoted as saying by Japan’s top business daily Nihon Keizai Shimbun Wednesday,” AP reports. “Sony Music spokesman Yasushi Ide said Sano is no longer considered ‘a Sony artist,’ although negotiations will decide whether his recordings under the Sony label will be offered at iTunes or not. The outcome will depend on each contract, and talks are continuing, he said.”

Full article here.
Like we said on Monday here, “Sony will come around soon. They’ll have to suck it up and sign on the dotted line.”

Sony, with their iTunes Music Store stalling and bogus Microsoft Windows Media DRM-laden non-Compact Discs, have clearly lost and are now in the last throes of their lame, failed attempts to cheat their way into the portable digital music player game. Sony’s B.S. won’t work and, Sony, we won’t forget.

[CLARIFICATION: 12:38pm ET: With the phrase "iTunes Music Store stalling" above, we mean that Sony is stalling their signing of a contract with Apple's iTunes Music Store Japan. We apologize for the confusing wording.]

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