The hugely popular Spotify and other services being used to tempt file-sharers away from “the dark side” have been dealt a blow.

Warner Music, one of the Big Four labels, says that it will stop licensing its music for use on all streaming services.

“Free streaming services are clearly not net positive for the industry and as far as Warner Music is concerned will not be licensed,” said chief executive Edgar Bronfman Jr.

“The get all your music you want for free, and then maybe with a few bells and whistles we can move you to a premium price strategy, is not the kind of approach to business that we will be supporting in the future,” he added.

Yet again a big label shoots itself in the foot. The question is, when will the rest follow?

Want to know which artists you won’t be able to hear streaming legally anymore? Click here.

Article from: FreakBits

Backup devices for cartridge-based games consoles are nothing new, but traditionally have been bulky and slow – such as the original ‘Wildcard’ device for SNES/Super Famicom.

In recent years the whole process has become much more streamlined, culminating in the R4 storage device available for Nintendo DS.

While they can be used to store ‘homebrew’ code, R4 devices are usually used to play commercial games which have been downloaded from the Internet.

Nintendo has been waging war against manufacturers and distributors of R4-like devices and has just enabled its latest weapon -  a new recruit.

Neil Boyd, who worked previously as head of Warner Music’s director of anti-piracy activities in Europe, has this week joined Nintendo UK. He is warning stores in the UK that if they continue to stock R4 devices, they risk permanently damaging their relationship with Nintendo.

According to a mcvuk report, Boyd has also called on ISPs to put more pressure on subscribers “they know” are illegally downloading games.

Article from: FreakBits