Sound Recordings

Apple aims to show critics it hasn't lost its innovative edge

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple Inc. unveiled a daring overhaul of its mobile operating system to kick off its annual developers conference, where it hopes to show critics that it has lost none of its innovative swagger. In addition to unveiling iOS 7,...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Entertainment, Computer Hardware, Forrester Research Incorporated, Apple Inc.

Amazon extends AutoRip perk to vinyl records

Amazon.com's AutoRip, which gives customers free digital copies of CDs they purchase, is now available for vinyl records -- including those purchased in the past. Starting Wednesday, when customers buy AutoRip-eligible vinyl records, MP3 versions of the...

Tags: Bruno Mars, Amazon Kindle, Services and Shopping, Music, Entertainment

FTC survey: Theater owners better at enforcing movie ratings

An undercover government survey credits movie theaters for making a "marked improvement" in keeping underage audiences away from R-rated movies. The Federal Trade Commission arranged for 13- to 16-year-olds, unaccompanied by a parent, to attempt to...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Entertainment, Consumers, Video Games, Arts and Culture

Top seven must-have smartphone music apps

Since the beginning of time, or at least until Sony rolled out the Walkman, listening to music has been a stationary experience -- you went to the source of the sound, whether it was a bunch of tribesmen beating their drums or the stereo system in the...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Music, Entertainment, Beyonce, Sony Corp.

Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, Frank Ocean get early Grammy sales boosts

At the Grammys  on Sunday, Rihanna’s “We Found Love” won an award for short form video during the pre-telecast. But her label is likely more excited about the resulting sales bump. By the end of Sunday night, her ballad “Stay,&...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Rihanna, Kelly Clarkson, Adele (music artist), Awards and Prizes

Marvel and DC apps: Disappointing digital endeavors from comics giants

Google under fire for sending users' information to developers

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sebastian Holst makes yoga mobile apps with his wife, a yoga instructor. The Mobile Yogi is sold in all the major mobile app stores. But when someone buys his app in the Google Play store, Holst automatically gets something he says he...

Tags: Email, Services and Shopping, Consumers, Physical Fitness and Exercise, Sociology

Grammys 2013: Will there be a breakout sales act?

The Grammys gave out awards in 81 categories Sunday, but it may be a full week or two until we know who some of the real winners were. The performance-heavy telecast is largely just one  3½-hour concert, and if past Grammy Awards are any indication, it...

Tags: Music, Services and Shopping, Entertainment, Rihanna, Amazon.com Inc.

German buys one song, wins $13,525 iTunes gift card

Phillip Lüpke likes to jam to and buy electronic music. Now he won't have to pay for it -- at least for a few years. Lüpke won an iTunes gift card worth $13,525 for downloading the 25 billionth song from Apple Inc.'s digital store Wednesday. The 22-...

Tags: Science and Technology, Music, Services and Shopping, Entertainment, Germany

German gets $13,525 gift card for buying 25 billionth iTunes song

Apple has sold its 25 billionth song through its iTunes digital store, and to celebrate the occasion, the company said it is giving the man who purchased the song an iTunes gift card worth about $13,525. To be precise, the gift card is worth 10,000...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Music, Entertainment, YouTube, Apple iTunes

Amazon launches MP3 store for iPhone, doesn't owe Apple a cent

Amazon.com has launched a mobile version of its MP3 store for the iPhone and iPod Touch, giving users a way to buy songs from the online retailer with their devices. The new store is a Web app, meaning Apple device users can access it using the Safari...

Tags: MP3s, Apple iPod, Services and Shopping, Music, Entertainment

Digital retailers now account for the majority of album purchases

With CDs suffering double-digit declines in sales and digital albums seeing double-digit increases in 2012, the inevitable has happened. Downloads for the first time accounted for the majority of albums sold, according to year-end data released by Nielsen...

Tags: Services and Shopping, Music, Taylor Swift, Entertainment, Walmart