Online spending reached $1.8 billion in 2004, up 14 percent from a year ago, as music downloads hit a high note with consumers. About 19 million U.S. consumers shelled out money for online content in the fourth quarter of 2004, up 2.6 million from the same period a year ago, according to a study released Thursday by the Online Publishers …

Legislators in Wisconsin are mobilizing against a proposal they call the “iPod tax,” in a battle over online music and movies that could soon spread across the United States. At issue is whether consumers need to pay tax on digital downloads such as movies or songs purchased from Apple Computer’s iTunes store. In a few states, those who don’t voluntarily …

Napster will offer free digital music at select cafes in four U.S. cities this month to promote its new portable subscription service, Napster To Go. Napster To Go allows customers to move an unlimited number of tracks from Napster’s catalog of 1 million songs to any compatible MP3 player, though the songs are playable only as long as the user …