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The Universal Music Group could rewrite U.S. music pricing when it tests a new frontline pricing structure, which is designed to get single CDs in stores at $10, or below. Beginning in the second quarter and continuing through most of the year, the company's Velocity program will test lower CD prices. Single CDs will have the suggested list prices of $10, $9, $8, $7 and $6.

"Although Apple won plaudits from the book publishing industry for offering it more control over pricing and a richer split of sales - publishers retain 70 per cent of sales and have control over the customer pricing of books - the revenue sharing plan makes less sense for recurring charges such as subscriptions, publishers said. The concept of giving away close to a third of subscription sales over an indefinite period was difficult to accept, publishers said. "Thirty per cent forever changes the economics," one media executive in discussions with Apple said. "You can imagine we feel less good about it. Should (subscriptions) be treated differently than single item sales?""

Price cuts by the two biggest U.S. wireless providers, AT&T and Verizon, could put beleaguered Sprint Nextel Corp., the country's No. 3 wireless carrier, in an even tighter bind as it fights to turn around its fortunes.

While you will get to see Tim Tebow during the Super Bowl commercials, you'll be missing out on several studios' blockbuster ads.Commercials were cheaper this year, but the $3 million price tag did not attract many movie studios.

"FCC officials commissioned a study from Yochai Benkler at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. They wanted to know more about how people in other countries connect to the Internet. Benkler says broadband in other developed countries is generally faster and cheaper than it is in the U.S. "You're looking at prices in the leading countries that are a third or a fifth of the prices that we're paying - and they're getting better speeds for it. So the differences are not subtle based on what we found," Benkler says."

Op Ed Exploring the rates and speeds available in other countries, and the fact that the United States has among the slowest speeds and the highest prices of advanced economies. Also discusses the proposed FCC National Broadband Plan.

Senator Feingold raises the issue of bundling and a lack of a la carte pricing. The issue continues to be raised despite past industry opposition.

Apple wants to ignite TV show sales, especially as it prepares to introduce the iPad tablet computer next month. But its proposals to lower prices across the board are being met by skepticism from the major networks.

With the impending arrival of digital books on the Apple iPad and feverish negotiations with Amazon.com over e-book prices, publishers have managed to take some control - at least temporarily - of how much consumers pay for their content.

"It looks like 99 cents could become the new $1.99 for TV shows on iTunes. A new report puts Apple in talks with CBS about discounting at least a portion of the network's TV shows sold on iTunes to 99 cents, down from the standard $1.99 price point. If true, the move would confirm a previous Financial Times report which asserted that Apple's content partners are considering cutting iTunes TV shows in half when the iPad is officially released come this March."

Amazon is conceding to Macmillan's price hikes on e-books rather than pull Macmillian from its digital and physical catalog.

Wedbush Morgan analyst says he'd be "very surprised" if it was over $79.

Epicenter The Business of Tech Google Poaches Social Search Service Aardvark * By Ryan Singel Email Author * February 11, 2010 | * 3:49 pm | * Categories: Search * aardvark-answer1The coolest search engine you've never used got snapped up by Google Thursday for a reported $50 million. Aardvark, a company that lets you use IM, Twitter and e-mail to ask full-text questions and then get answers from people in or close to your social network, confirmed it signed a deal with Google. TechCrunch, which first reported the news, put the figure at $50 million, but Wired.com could not confirm the purchase price.

Disney is looking to sell off what remain of Miramax and its film library, with a price in the range of over $700 million. There is somewhere around seven to ten interested buyers, including Summit Entertainment

Discussion of whether Google will leave China with comments from Chinese bloggers and media analysts.

The San Francisco Bay Guardian is entitled to half the advertising revenue of the rival SF Weekly to help collect $21 million in damages after a jury verdict of illegal price-cutting, a Superior Court commissioner ruled Tuesday.

This blog post situates the ambitious Google Fiber project against recently announced FCC plans to spur faster broadband development. The article also discusses issues of media regulation, specifically pricing and competition.

"Chinese society will not only benefit from increased connectivity, but from increased competition resulting in higher quality, more robust offerings at lower prices."

The FCC conducted a survey identifying several barriers to broadband access amongst those who are unwired, with prices being the biggest factor. The FCC will submit a national broadband plan to congress next month

For many Americans, having high-speed access to the Internet at home is as vital as electricity, heat and water. And yet about one-third of the population, 93 million people, have elected not to connect.

NBC's current online coverage of the Olympics is discussed in light of the online technology and the use of "cable verification" to establish new online models limiting free content.