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Outrage! Michael Arrington has branded Britons as ‘..having all the crazy-stupid ideas about how to screw up the music industry’. Surely not sir? You are a cad of the first order sir and I challenge you to a duel. Pistols at dawn. Outside right now, the honor of the British nation is at stake.

So what has caused this great champion of capitalism to insult the very soul of Britishness? Apparently Billy Bragg (you remember him, the socialist musician with a face like a bloodhound at a funeral whose extensive back catalogue includes such musical classics as ‘Tank Park Salute’, ‘Sulk’ and ‘There Is Power In A Union’) has said that Bebo should share some of its buy-out windfall with the musicians who have posted their music to the site.

“The musicians who posted their work on Bebo.com are no different from investors in a start-up enterprise…Now that the business has reaped huge benefits, surely they deserve a dividend.”

photo credit: p_c_w

He also argues that the social networking sites are adding to the declining sales in the music industry by encouraging free streaming and downloading.

Predictably, MA has come down on the side of the capitalists, leveling that Billy is talking a load of old bollocks (I paraphrased a little here). MA’s counters Social networks have absolutely nothing to do with the decline in music sales. The fact that recorded music can be reproduced at a zero marginal cost is why music sales are declining.

He goes on to say that Recorded music is nothing but marketing material to drive awareness of an artist.

Gentlemen, sometimes it is better to keep ones’ mouth shut and have everyone suspect that you are a fool rather than open it and show everyone you are. Certainly damning the entire British nation on the strength of the words from a single demi-musician seems a tad harsh.
Until dawn then Michael.

Tags: Bebo

ITV has joined the Open Media platform, giving free and open access to premium ITV content to the Bebo community of 40 million users worldwide. According to a release on the Bebo site, ITV will have a member profile on Bebo, and the ITV profile will host numerous media channels, each promoting individual programmes. Bebo users will be given the opportunity to become Fans of programmes meaning they will be notified when new content is uploaded to the profiles.

The broadcasters first channel launch will be US acquisition Gossip Girl, ITV2, available at http://www.bebo.com/gossipgirl from today, with other channels planned for rollout later to include, amongst others, ITV2 Comedy shows.

Each channel will be branded with programme-specific skins designed by itv.com. Users may adopt or use the programme skins from ITVs Bebo profiles on their own - potentially creating thousands of mini show posters in the online space. Users will also be able to integrate skins and video content into their own profiles potentially creating thousands of brand champions for ITVs programmes and channels.

The programme channels will draw on the itv.comsBrightcove video player with video content to include teaser clips and interviews. Blogs, galleries, a wall for fans to post comments, polls, forums and links back to the official channel home (itv.com) may also accompany the profiles. Users are able to select clips and embed the ITV Brightcove video player into their profiles, helping to promote clips among their peer groups.

Full Release

Tags: Bebo, ITV

More than 24 million Britons access Social Networks like Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

Bebo has the largest share with 11.2 million in the UK (out of 18million overall).

MySpace has 10million British users (out of 110million overall).

Facebook has 7million British users (out of 62million overall).

The British spend approximately 5.3 hours a month each on Social Networks.

Tags: Bebo, Facebook, MySpace

A London-based rival to Apple’s iTunes music store has unveiled plans to expand into the US and Europe after securing £4.25m in funding.

7Digital, one of the first digital music stores on the market when it launched four years ago, has attracted investment from Sutton Place Managers, the venture capital fund in which Mark Getty is a partner, and existing investor Balderton Capital.

While many competitors to Apple’s market leading iTunes music store have faded away, 7Digital has endured by working closely with labels and unsigned acts.

In contrast to Apple, it has experimented with a range of formats, pricing models and delivery systems and notched up high-profile deals with the likes of Radiohead and partnership agreements with ITV, the Independent, Bebo, Last.fm and others.

7Digital Founder Ben Drury said the company was now well placed to expand as the record industry moved to remove digital rights management software from downloads, meaning it could more easily sell music that would work on any device.

Full story 

Tags: 7Digital, Apple, Bebo, ITV, Last.fm, Sutton Place Managers, The Independent

Bebo is attracting at least £250,000 from each advertising partner eager to have their brand integrated into 45 webisodes commissioned by the social networking site. Each webisiode costs £6000 to produce and lasts four minutes.

Tags: Bebo