Wal-Mart is planning to launch an online music store. “It is unclear what Wal-Mart’s pricing strategy will be for music downloads. Prices on existing services range from 79 cents to 99 cents per song. But Wal-Mart, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of U.S. music sales, typically sells music at a loss to attract customers to its stores.”
Tag: 11.17.03
Canadian True Crime Writer Faces Charges For Publishing
Canadian true crime writer Stephen Williams is facing 94 charges and has had his computer confiscated by Ontario police after defying a publishing ban with his two books analyzing the case of the brutal sex killings of Canadian teenagers. The Writer’s Union of Canada has called for a public inquiry into the police treatment of Williams and his wife, award-winning humor author Marsha Boulton, saying that the actions of the authorities are an unwarranted attack on freedom of expression.”
Franchise – Curator Plans French Museum Chain
A French curator plans to build a chain of private museums across France. “Privately owned museums may be commonplace in the United States, but in France the government owns, subsidizes and operates all but the smallest museums. So Mr. Restellini’s initiative is at the very least unusual. But he runs up against still more entrenched attitudes when he argues that it is also possible to make money out of private museums and glitzy exhibitions.”
Potter Past 250 Million
Sales of the Harry Potter books have passed the 250 million mark worldwide. “The series has been sold in more than 200 countries and translated into 60 languages from Hindi to Ancient Greek. The fifth book, The Order of the Phoenix, sold 1.78 million copies on its first day in the UK alone.”
Rattle Takes Carnegie
Anthony Tommasini reports that Simon Rattle’s first appearance with the Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall was a big success. “Judging by the smiles on the faces of the cellists as they plucked some pizzicato bass line in the slow movement, the way the violinists kept rising off their chairs as they dug into the rustic theme of the scherzo and the overall energy of the playing, it’s clear that the Berlin Philharmonic musicians are excited by their new conductor. So were the audiences at Carnegie Hall.”
The FCC’s Big Media Misstep
The Federal Communications Commission isn’t used to being a magnet for controversy. Although the FCC and its 5-member board has near-complete control over the nation’s broadcast spectrum, its rulings have frequently gone unnoticed by the vast majority of the American public. But this year, “the FCC broke its traditional lockstep and experienced a very public 3-to-2 split in June votes that narrowly endorsed six media-ownership rule changes, including one that would allow a single network to control television stations reaching 45 percent of all American households.” The reaction from the public was dramatic and negative, and the resulting fallout has put FCC chairman Michael Powell on the defensive.