“A troubled EMI Group plans to unveil what it is calling ‘an exciting new digital offering’ Monday with Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs,” Louis Hau reports for Forbes.
“If EMI isn’t planning to discuss the Beatles Monday, why else would Jobs be participating in the briefing? Another possibility is that EMI will discuss a new initiative regarding the easing of usage restrictions on music downloads,” Hau reports.
Hau reports, “EMI, the most deeply troubled of the major labels, is in bad need of a new game plan. It has scaled back its sales forecasts twice so far this year and undergone a painful restructuring that included the January departures of EMI Music Chairman and Chief Executive Alain Levy and Vice Chairman David Munns.”
“Representatives for EMI declined to comment. Apple representatives couldn’t immediately be reached for comment,” Hau reports. “A live audio Webcast of Monday’s EMI-Apple media briefing will be available at 8 a.m. Eastern time at http://www.emigroup.com/
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Note: The Wall Street Journal is reporting that “EMI Group PLC is set to announce Monday that it plans to sell significant amounts of its catalog without anticopying software [DRM]… through Apple’s iTunes Store and possibly through other online outlets.” The Wall Street Journal has a stellar record of correctly reporting day-before Apple-related announcements, correctly calling the addition of movies from Paramount Pictures to Apple’s iTunes Store and Apple’s teaming with Cingular [AT&T Wireless] on iPhone, for two recent examples.
Related articles:
WSJ: EMI to sell much of its music without DRM via Apple’s iTunes Store – April 01, 2007
Beatles + iTunes? EMI to hold media event on Monday with special guest, Apple CEO Steve Jobs – April 01, 2007
Is DRM doomed? – March 09, 2007
EMI rejects Warner Music buyout bid – March 04, 2007
EMI halts talks about selling DRM-free music – February 26, 2007
Warner Music approaches EMI in possible takeover bid – February 20, 2007
62% of music industry execs think eliminating DRM would increase music download sales – February 14, 2007
Warner’s DRM-loving Middlebronfman warns wireless industry it may lose music market to Apple iPhone – February 14, 2007
Monster Cable announces full support of Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ call for DRM-free music – February 13, 2007
EMI may sell entire music catalog DRM-free – February 09, 2007
Recording Industry Association of America wants their DRM, calls for Apple to license FairPlay – February 08, 2007
Warner’s Middlebronfman: Jobs’ DRM-free music call ‘without logic and merit, we’ll not abandon DRM’ – February 08, 2007
Dvorak: Apple CEO Steve Jobs is dead right about DRM – February 07, 2007
Apple’s Jobs jolts music industry; Zune exec calls Jobs’ call for DRM-free music ‘irresponsible’ – February 07, 2007
Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ posts rare open letter: ‘Thoughts on Music’ – calls for DRM-free music – February 06, 2007
woah!
why not just raise the price for the DRM-free and see if the geeks really will pay.
My guess is 99 cent DRM laden songs will continue to sell through the roof, and the geeks will just pay 99 cents and put it on their iPods. And complain.
APRIL FOOL’S YOU BIG DUMMIES!!
This is the Wall Street Journal we’re talking about here.
I don’t think the WSJ does April Fool’s jokes….. especially of this caliber. I could be wrong.
I hope that its more than just the Beatles catalog announcement. I’m tired of hearing about that (aboot that for our Candadian readers)
Andrew Hamilton
Videographers Las Vegas
http://www.hiproductions.com
mike:
The geeks rip their own music, from their own CDs, at high bit rates.
Re ed:
yeah and WSJ and Forbes is in on it too..
now whose the dummy?
If EMI does bring its catalog to iTunes DRM-free, I will support their efforts by favoring them in a manner that matters most; with my wallet.
Hopefully, DRM-free music on the iTS will also lead to higher bit-rates.
Wall Street Journal? Bah!!
Apple to buy EMI
Now that the Apple Records vs Apple Computer thing is over with…
Hau about that.
Mr. Reeee;
The geeks rip their own music, from their own CDs, at high bit rates, and complain about what everyone else chooses to do.
Might be ‘friendly’ to put the time it’s showning in the actual country it’s in.
1 p.m. local time in London (8 a.m. EDT). (1200 GMT).
That way I don’t have to work out on my fingers the time it’s on in my own country : )
Thanks, Stuart! I was just thinking the same thing.
Stuart, 99% of Americans think the world ends at their borders.
Arrogant doesn’t even begin to describe the United States of America.
Hey Not A Yank, that isn’t true. We Americans don’t think that the world ends at our borders – just the parts worth living in end at our borders!
USA gu bragh!
I am only mildly annoyed that this webcast seems to be in Real Player and Windows Media only!!!
No quicktime!
MW = “White” as in the album?
ID Argyll is correct: What does the average American need with art and culture – Florence, Paris, Madrid, London; these are backward places that don’t understand the immense gift of civilisation delivered by having Wal-Mart’s aircraft hangars dropped on their communities or McDonalds on every second street corner and the sooner we have metal-detectors on the way into all of our schools, the better.
Just a note, I wasn’t bashing the US etc. Just thought the time thing is nothing more than being polite and kinda sensible.