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I’ll take famously misidentified song lyrics for $2,000 please Alex. … um…what is Purple Haze?

It’s sometimes hard to believe but Internet searches for song lyrics are a popular activity. The unenunciated, the misheard, the garbled – they stoke our curiosity. And the mistaken ones, Mondegreen’s as they’re called, they make for good trivia and occasional laughs. There have even been books written to collect them.

Music being the soundtracks of our lives, I guess it’s only natural that we want to know what they’re saying. And apparently, we want to know enough that it’s become big business. Lyric websites have provoked copyright lawsuits and cease and desist orders time and time again.

Last April, Gracenote signed a first of kind deal with Yahoo to provide authorized lyrics (licensed from the music publishers) across Yahoo’s music sites. This week, in their second major deal, Gracenote added MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, CMT) to their client roster.

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When Apple issued earnings guidance at the end of the third quarter they attempted to reset analyst (and investor) expectations.   An ambiguous new product launch (which turned out to be both new macs and the new iPod line) would decrease margins and profits, they cautioned.  They advised a conservative view.  They forecast meager revenue of $5.7 billion and earnings of only 65 cents a share. That seemed way too low. Call it conservative finance, call it sandbagging, or overly cautious analysis, call it what you want, but whatever the name – there seemed little reason for it.  Now there’s proof. was , in fact, no reason for caution at all.

After the close of markets Monday, Apple announced their results for the 4th quarter.  For football fans, the numbers were like yesterday’s first half score between the Patriots and the Dolphins: a blowout.   For Q4 Apple reported the highest September earnings in their history.

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Apple’s called it confusing to customers.  Other retailers have reportedly looked at it but balked.  But variable pricing remains a feature music labels want.  They want to bundle songs and albums, price relative to changing demand.  They want to discount an old title, push a new one.   They want the freedom to use pricing as a sales tool.  They’ve demanded it, and maneuvered for it.  They’ve threatened. They’ve nearly begged for it.   But so far, fixed pricing on digital music remains the norm.

Tennessee based Passalong Networks, a provider of white label MP3 stores, is going to give it a try.   White Label to the label’s white knight?  That’s not likely, but it won’t keep them from testing the concept.

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First it was iPhone pricing.  Tuesday,  iTunes pricing.  Wednesday, it’s third party applications for the iPhone.  For the third time in less than as many months, Apple is reversing course.  For a company as sure footed as Apple, that’s borderline bizarre.   Even with a stock price through the roof and products selling like hot cakes, it’s something to stop and scratch your head about.   Makes you wonder what’s going on in Cupertino. One of those things that makes you go “hmm?”

The first adjustment came last month when Apple cut the pricing on the iPhone.  They then waffled over whether to compensate early adopters who paid a substantially higher price. Click to Read More

With music licensing partner Snocap on its deathbed, MySpace is wasting no time lining up new music partners. Today, the social network announced they’d signed a significant licensing agreement with Big 4 music label Sony BMG.

Under the terms of the deal, which was likely in the works for some time, Sony will use the MySpace site and platform to promote its artists with individual artist pages.  They will also license a selection of music, music videos and other content for distribution around the MySpace site.  MySpace, in turn, will share revenue from advertising and sponsorships.

In many ways the deal is merely formalization of a relationship that’s already been in place.  Click to Read More

When Snocap was founded in 2002 it was supposed to become Shawn Fanning’s coming of age; the original Napster founder’s arrival into legitimate music distribution success.  If peer to peer Napster was to be his fame, Snocap’s music licensing service was to be his cash cow.   Over four years, dealing with the complexities of selling music online,  that dream become less and less realistic.   Over the past few months, it began to look like it could finally be possible.  With DRM Restrictions waning, iPod owners which represent the majority of the digital music buying public, were starting to become potential customers.  They no longer have buy all big label music on iTunes.  EMI, and to a limited extent, Universal Music, are selling music without encryption.  Through deals with big players like MySpace (September 2006) and start ups likes Imeem (June 2007) were giving Snocap distribution.

Now it looks like those little successes were too little too late. The market isn’t maturing fast enough.  Like Virgin, Sony, Anywhere CD and other’s who have recently shut down online music ventures, competing with Apple’s iTunes in a world where much of the music sold is restricted is proving a costly business; one not worth being a part of.

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The music industry is suffering.  Failures and mistakes ascending into the digital age have led to seven straight years of declining sales.  But when music industry luminaries talk about the need for new business models, it’s hard to believe they imagined one option would be setting out a tip jar. That, however, is more or less, exactly what one of the most critically lauded and influential bands of the past decade has decided to do.

Radiohead,  the British band that gained global fame in the late 90’s, announced today that they will offer a full digital cut of their 7th studio album on their website for whatever price listeners feel like paying.  They’ll become the Priceline of the music industry.

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