Forrester Research on Tuesday predicted a steep fall in CD sales, as audio and video file sharing over the Internet continues to emerge as a preferred option among consumers. The firm said 20 percent of Americans engage in music downloading, and half of the downloaders said they are buying fewer CDs. By 2008, 33 percent …

Developers of Kazaa, the popular peer-to-peer file-sharing software, on Thursday launched its updated, paid version, Kazaa Plus. The new version of Kazaa Media Desktop is being published by Avalon Online Distribution, a Luxembourg-based subsidiary of software publishing company Titus Interactive Group. The advertising-free version is available globally for $29.95. Sharman Networks, which developed Kazaa, launched a free version of the …

Digital music service MusicNow and music label BMG on Tuesday announced a digital music channel showcasing more than 2,000 Elvis Presley songs. Dubbed “Elvis 2nd to None,” the channel features such songs as “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” “My Way” and “Suspicious Minds,” as well as albums ranging from “Elvis is Back!” to the gospel collection “How Great Thou Art.” …