In an ambitious music campaign to raise money for Darfur, Amnesty International is relying on a new widget to promote viral sales of re-recorded John Lennon songs on sites like MySpace.com and across the blogosphere. The campaign, called Instant Karma, will promote an album of the same name with Lennon song tracks recorded by U2, …

Digital kids Software for kindergarten Beethovens By Stefanie Olsen Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: May 14, 2007 4:00 AM PDT Child prodigies are rare in any artistic pursuit, but new music composition software is making it easier for parents and teachers to raise a little Beethoven. Sibelius, a well-known maker of software that’s used by musicians as well as composers …

SAN FRANCISCO–Tim Westergren could be thought of as a modern-day Santa Claus with a bag full of compact discs you’ve probably never heard of. The founder of Pandora, a 7-month-old, so-called music-discovery engine, Westergren travels from town to town, sharing his time and story with fans who, because of his service, say they’ve rediscovered a love of newfound music. From …

Sprint cell phones can now double as digital music players for select podcasts or radio programs, thanks to a deal expected Monday between RealNetworks and the mobile company. The two companies plan to introduce Rhapsody Radio, an offshoot of RealNetworks’ online music subscription service for Sprint phones. For $6.95 a month, people nationwide with a Sprint phone (specifically, with Sprint …

The Recording Industry Association of America is pressing a federal court to ignore cable Internet provider Charter Communications’ attempt to keep private the names of 93 subscribers who allegedly traded songs online illegally. On Friday, the trade organization filed a court memorandum opposing Charter’s “motion to quash” a subpoena request for the names. The RIAA charges that Charter is unlawfully …

Charter Communications has filed a lawsuit in an effort to bar the Recording Industry Association of America from obtaining the identities of its cable customers that have allegedly traded songs illegally online. The cable company on Friday filed a “motion to quash” the RIAA’s requests for the names of 150 Charter customers who the trade group claims violated copyright law …

If attitudes on college campuses nationwide are any indicator, then software piracy in Kazaa and other file-swapping communities could get out of control, according to a new study. Nearly two-thirds of college students surveyed said they would download pirated software, according to a study released Tuesday by the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Only a third of those students who have …

A day after the Recording Industry Association of America filed a slew of lawsuits against alleged illegal song swappers, it became the target of legal action over its own “amnesty” program. California resident Eric Parke, on behalf of the general public of the state, filed a suit Tuesday against the trade association because of its amnesty, or “Clean Slate,” program, …