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FCC to decide standards for CD-quality sound from the radio: The Federal Communications Commission is to decide Thursday whether to allow radio stations to broadcast digital signals and how they should do it. Digital radio’s rollout could begin in a few months in some major cities, and consumers would start …

As discussed here, German media conglomerate Bertelsmann sold millions of anti-Semitic books during the Nazi era and used Jewish slave laborers according to its own commission. The Independent has more on the matter: In June 1998, Bertelsmann triumphantly took over the US publisher Random House, and its chairman at the …

Three old farts owned by Sony? Well, yes, but they also just sued MP3.com: Rock stars Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and James Taylor filed a lawsuit against Vivendi Universal’s MP3.com music Web site for allegedly distributing their songs without authorization, sources familiar with the suit said on Tuesday. A spokesman …

PW Daily reports that Borders is opening a new superstore near Ground Zero: Borders Books and Music has signed a lease to open a new store in the American Surety Building at 100 Broadway in lower Manhattan, replacing the flagship store that was destroyed last year in the collapse of …

Gene Healy reviewed Noam Chomsky’s 9/11 book here extremely well last month, and since I agree with virtually all of his judgments, I will not reinvent this particular wheel. But I ran across this article that tells us Mr. Chomsky’s book has sold well over 100,000 copies, is even now …

German media conglomerate Bertelsmann sold millions of anti-Semitic books during the Nazi era and used Jewish slave laborers according to its own commission: Bertelsmann tapped the rising Nazi tide to switch from publishing religious and school books to entertainment for the German army, selling 19 million books to soldiers in …

Pink Floyd reunion unlikely as Waters still fumes: Pink Floyd, which has not performed together since 1994, remains on hiatus while its members pursue various projects. Gilmour is preparing to release a concert video in November, and hopes to record a solo album next year. “Pink Floyd, to be honest, …

One license will be valid for all 18 member countries: This replaces the current system where broadcasters need to secure a license from each national copyright administration and collecting societies, it said. “The creation of a legitimate marketplace for so-called simulcasting will benefit both consumers and rights-holders,” said EU Competition …

As covered extensively here yesterday, HR 5469 provides for a new royalty schedule for “small” webcasters based upon a percentage of revenues rather than on a per song basis. As it now reads, this would not apply to college stations: Officials for college radio stations that play music online say …

President Bush to sign a bill that will “level the playing field” between online and classroom education usage: The legislation would amend the Copyright Act of 1976 so that online-education instructors could use excerpts from recordings of dramatic literary and musical works — such as plays, musicals, and operas — …