DOT-DOT-DOT-COM: DIGSTER.FM-RDIO, THENEWRECORD.COM

UMGD has expanded Digster.fm, UMG’s fan-facing playlist service, to include Rdio—that’s the on-demand social music-discovery service from the creators of Skype, in case you hadn’t been paying attention. The announcement was made by UMGD President/CEO Jim Urie, SVP Marketing & Product Development Mitch Rotter and Rdio CEO Drew Larner. Digster.fm was launched in beta in July, in parallel with Spotify’s U.S. launch. In a novel twist, all of the content is chosen by UMGD employees, who pull tracks from all labels offered within the Rdio service, not just UMG. Digster’s playlists are curated exclusively by UMG, regularly updated and available to all Rdio's users. “Rdio’s innovation and recognition as a leader in social music makes it a perfect fit for Digster,” said Rotter. “As more consumers migrate towards subscription services for their online and mobile music experiences, one of the biggest challenges is what to listen to. Digster.fm surfaces numerous playlists curated by in-house editors, artists and tastemakers, which makes it easy for fans to listen to and discover content outside of their own music libraries. We plan to incorporate as many additional services and features as possible in order to provide fans an unparalleled playlisting service through Digster.fm.” Commented Larner: "We're thrilled that Rdio has been integrated into the Digster site. Now, with Digster's curated playlists, Rdio users have another way to listen to and discover new music, while Digster users have access to Rdio's catalog of over 12 million songs. This combination of Rdio, a service built from the ground up with social music discovery in mind, and Digster is a great example of how developers can utilize our API to bring popular Rdio features, such as playlists and sharing, to their users."… SideOneDummy Records co-founder Bill Armstrong has created TheNewRecord.com, a site for indie labels to give away free music, the L.A. Times reports. More than 30 indies are participating, including Sub Pop, Epitaph/Anti- and Rhymesayers. Armstrong calls it a "digital newsstand," and the site will offer new free tracks every day. Rather than stream full albums, Armstrong hopes TheNewRecord will ultimately become a place primarily dedicated to highlighting unreleased music from upcoming albums, with one or two free MP3s per release. The site is free to sign up, and there are no limits on how many songs a user can download. Fans can "follow" a specific label or artist and be notified when new music is posted and can also create and embed playlists. “We’re viewing this like we’re releasing a record,” Armstrong explained to the Times’ Todd Martens. “That’s what you do with bands. Flogging Molly was selling out Molly Malone's on Fairfax when we met them, and then they ended up selling out the Greek. I’m a music junkie, and I like to hear stuff early. So for me, being able to preview tracks for free—six months before they hit the street—is appealing. If other people feel that way, then hopefully it will take on a life of its own.” Armstrong made another interesting point in the Q&A. “Label identity has gotten washed away in the digital era,” he pointed out. “ There was a time when label loyalty meant a lot. But it’s been so diluted. In this world of filters, labels are great filters. I know if something comes with a Sub Pop logo on it, it’s going to be good. It may not be my taste, and it may not be what I’m into, but I know it will have a level of quality. The idea is that we can benefit from each other’s company.”… Rhapsody GM of Label Relations and Business Development David Krinsky is going to Google, says Digital Music News. Krinsky has been working with labels at RealNetworks in some capacity since 2003. But what will Krinsky be doing, exactly? "Unfortunately, I can't say exactly at the moment, but I will when I can," he told DMN. But it seems likely he’ll be talking to the labels about licensing content for Google Music, currently in beta.