Sony, UMG Tie For Q1 Market Share Lead

Sony, UMG Tie For Q1 Market Share Lead
Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group tied for the top spot of the first-quarter major label market share with each representing 28.7 percent, according to HITS Daily Double. Warner Music Group placed third with a 14.8 percent share, while EMI was last with an 11.8 percent share. The quarter's top-selling album was Lady Antebellum's Need You Now with sales of 1.5 million copies, followed by Sade's Soldier Of Love (990,000) and Lady Gaga's Fame (670,000). (3/29)

Karaoke Industry Plummets 80 Percent
Yearly sales of karaoke machines and software have dropped 80 percent from $200 million in 2002 to $40 million due to the poor U.S. economy, increasing license fees and piracy, according to the Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles-based Parao Karaoke Bar's business has declined 33 percent on weekends, while Charlotte, N.C.-based Sound Choice Studios, a facility specializing in karaoke, has seen sales drop from $12 million to less than $1 million. (3/29)