The broadest survey yet on the burgeoning Web music industry found that people who sample music on the Internet via digital downloading and other new services are likely to follow up by purchasing compact discs in stores and online. The new poll, which will be released Thursday by the
Digital Media Association, adds to a growing pool of conflicting data about what effect Internet music services are having on the recording industry,
The Wall Street Journal said. Previous surveys found use of the controversial
Napster music-sharing program could hurt sales of traditional music recordings. The new survey, by market research firm
Yankelovich Partners, says 66% of all consumers said that listening to a song online has at least once prompted them to later buy a CD or cassette featuring the song. "Take that,
RIAA fascists," said one survey reader… Argentina's
Charly Alberti, the drummer for the now defunct rock band
Soda Stereo, said Wednesday his music Web site
Yeyeye.com had received $10 million from a group of investors led by
Chase Capital Partners. Alberti said the money would be used to expand and improve the site, which offers news, MP3s, videos and games related to Latin American and international music. "We're going to use the money to grow, be that with publicity or whatever, and to improve the product," said the chief executive, who was still bitter that his band broke up just before
Ricky Martin,
Marc Anthony and
Luis Miguel broke big…
TouchTunes Music Corp., which develops coin-operated digital jukeboxes that contain encrypted MP3 files, has received fourth-round funding of $20 million. The company plans to use the funds to develop new products for digitally distributing music. Investors include
CDP TelecomMedia with $15 million and
CDP Innovation-Sofinov, which contributed $5 million. "These days it doesn't matter if you even exist. Put a dot-com at the end of your name and you're bound to find someone to give you $20 million," an observer said…
CDNow Inc. said that its quest for an investment or merger could produce offers that are below its share price. The company said it was continuing to talk with several parties as it seeks additional cash for operations. CDNow has lost $212 million since starting business in 1994. "What we need is one of those $20 million guys to give us some cash," an insider said.