Obama: I will be the Democratic Nominee

In what he called a "defining moment for our nation," Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday became the first African-American to head the ticket of a major political party.

Obama's steady stream of superdelegate endorsements, combined with the delegates he received from Tuesday's primaries, put him past the 2,118 threshold, CNN projects.

"Tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another -- a journey that will bring a new and better day to America," he said.

"Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for president of the United States."

Obama's rally was at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota -- the same arena which will house the 2008 Republican National Convention in September.

Speaking in New York, Sen. Hillary Clinton, congratulated Obama for his campaign, but she did not concede the race nor discuss the possibility of running as vice president.

"This has been a long campaign, and I will be making no decisions tonight," she said.

There were reports earlier in the day that she would concede, but her campaign said she was "absolutely not" prepared to do so.

Two New York lawmakers also told CNN on Tuesday that during a conference call Clinton expressed willingness to serve as Obama's running mate in November.


One source told CNN that Clinton told those on the call that if asked by Obama, she would be interested in serving as his running mate.

One of the lawmakers said Clinton's husband, former President Bill Clinton, has been pushing the idea privately for several weeks.

The Clinton campaign maintains the New York senator merely said she would do whatever is in the party's best interest, and that her comments Tuesday are no different than what she has been saying for weeks.

Clinton said she would meet with supporters and party leaders in the *coming days to determine her next steps. She also asked people to go to her Web site to "share your thoughts with me and help in any way that you can."
CNN has projected that Clinton will win the primary in South Dakota and Obama will take Montana. Those states marked the final contests in the primary season.

Obama praised Clinton's campaign. He has been speaking favorably of the New York senator as his focus has turned toward the general election and his battle against John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee.

"Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight," he said.

Diving into general election mode, Obama turned his attacks to McCain, saying it's "time to turn the page on the policies of the past."

"While John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign," he said.

"It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush 95 percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year."

Earlier Tuesday night, McCain portrayed himself as the candidate of "right change."

"No matter who wins this election, the direction of this country is going to change dramatically. But the choice is between the right change and the wrong change, between going forward and going backward," he said in Kenner, Louisiana.

Obama Wins "majority delegates"

Clinton won Kentucky by more than 30 points, but Obama's share of the state's 51 delegates was enough put him over the threshold, according to CNN estimates.

Obama is expected to pick up at least 14 delegates in Kentucky, and by CNN estimates, that will give him 1,627 of the 3,253 pledged delegates at stake in all of primaries and caucuses.

Obama's top strategist, David Axelrod, said this was an "important milestone," but not the end of the trail.

Neither candidate is expected to reach the 2,026 delegates needed to win the Democratic nomination.

That means the race is likely to be settled by "superdelegates" -- party leaders and officials who will cast votes at the Democratic convention in August.

Obama has 1,932 total delegates, while Clinton has 1,753.

Speaking in Iowa, where he won the first-in-the-nation caucuses, Obama told supporters, "it was in this great state where we took the first steps of an unlikely journey to change America."

"The skeptics predicted we wouldn't get very far. The cynics dismissed us as a lot of hype and a little too much hope. And by the fall, the pundits in Washington had all but counted us out. But the people of Iowa had a different idea," he said.

Obama continued to look to the general election, focusing his attacks as he has for the past week on Sen. John McCain, while commending Clinton for "her courage, her commitment and her perseverance."

After Kentucky's results came in, Clinton thanked her supporters for handing her a win "even in the face of some pretty tough odds."

"Tonight we have achieved an important victory," she said in Louisville.

"It's not just Kentucky bluegrass that's music to my ears. It's the sound of your overwhelming vote of confidence even in the face of some pretty tough odds." Watch Clinton vow to keep going »

Clinton beat Obama across all age groups, income groups and education levels in Kentucky.

Eighty-nine percent of Tuesday's voters in Kentucky were white, according to the exit polls. Among them, Clinton won 72-22 percent. Nine percent of the voters were African-American and they overwhelmingly broke for Obama, 87-7 percent.

The exit polls from Kentucky also suggest a deep division among Democrats. Watch how Clinton's win could affect the race »

Two-thirds of Clinton's supporters there said they would vote Republican or not vote at all rather than for Obama, according to the polls.


Kentucky shows Obama's trouble with some Dems
Obama looking to November
Obama focuses on McCain; Clinton keeps fighting
Forty-one percent of Clinton supporters said they'd cast their vote for McCain, and 23 percent said they would not vote at all.

Just 33 percent said they would back Obama in the general election, according to the polls.

Those numbers are even worse for Obama than in West Virginia one week ago, where 36 percent of Clinton voters said they would back him in the fall.

Obama on Tuesday downplayed the idea that his party will have trouble unifying once there is a nominee.

"Some may see the millions upon millions of votes cast for each of us as evidence that our party is divided, but I see it as proof that we have never been more energized and united in our desire to take this country in a new direction," he said.

"More than anything, we need this unity and this energy in the months to come, because while our primary has been long and hard-fought, the hardest and most important part of our journey still lies ahead."

Obama is favored in Oregon, where a CNN poll of polls indicates that he has a lead of 10 percentage points. Oregon's primary is a mail-in only contest, which means voters must mail in or hand in their ballots in person by 8 p.m. PT. I-Reporters: Send us your voting experiences

Obama also leads Clinton in the number of states won and in the popular vote in the primary and caucus contests this campaign season.

Obama has been careful not to declare victory in the Democratic contest, but he has focused much of his attention in recent weeks on McCain. Watch an analysis of the Obama-McCain dispute on Iran »

Obama doesn't have enough delegates to capture the nomination outright; Clinton still has a chance, if a slight one, to win the nomination if enough of the roughly 800 superdelegates were to back her.

"I'm going to make [my case] until we have a nominee, but we're not going to have one today, and we're not going to have one tomorrow, and we're not going to have one the next day," Clinton said Monday in Kentucky.

She argues that she leads in the popular vote, but her argument is debatable.

For Clinton to claim such a lead, primary states but not caucus states -- which Obama mostly won -- would only be counted, plus the popular vote totals in Florida and Michigan.

Florida and Michigan were stripped of their delegates for scheduling their primaries too early, in violation of Democratic Party rules. Obama's name wasn't on the Michigan ballot, and he received no votes in that state's contest.


Clinton also argues that she's won the states that she contends would stack up stronger against McCain in the general election.

"The states I've won total 300 electoral votes. If we had the same rules as the Republicans, I would be nominee right now," she said. "We have different rules, so what we've got to figure out is who can win 270 electoral votes. My opponent has won states totaling 217 electoral

Record Holders, LLC

Want to learn about the recording industry? Are you an Artist who is looking for recording, mastering, marketing, etc.? Then, check out a company that can provide you all needs to get to the next level, where we are able to shop your work to major labels and the biggest A&R's in the game.

"All you can music" on Nokia

The concept behind Nokia's new music service "Comes with Music" is starting to catch on with the major music labels.

Sony BMG, one of the four top recording companies, announced Tuesday that it has partnered with Nokia to make its music catalog available on select Nokia devices. After buying one of the devices, users will get unlimited free access to the music of Alicia Keys, the Foo Fighters or any Sony BMG artist for a full year.

During the 12 months of the offer, users will be able to transfer their Comes With Music library to a PC as well as to a new Nokia handheld, but they won't be able to transfer it to iPods or other non-compatible devices. At the end of the year, Nokia users will have the choice of acquiring new music by either purchasing downloads from the Nokia Music store or joining its subscription service.

Nokia is expected to launch the Comes With Music service in the second half of the year.

What is groundbreaking about these deals--Universal Music Group was first among the labels to join the service--is that Nokia users can download any song from Sony BMG and keep the music for the rest of their lives. There is no ceiling on the number of songs and the music doesn't disappear at the end of the year.

This is believed to be the labels' deepest foray into free music, and is reflective of the industry's attempt to find new business models that can compete with piracy, shrinking CD sales, and iTunes.

"We think this business model will encourage users to sample a wide range of material, expand their musical tastes, and listen to more music than ever before," said Thomas Hesse, Sony BMG's President of Global Digital Business.

Sources told CNET News.com last month that Apple has discussed a similar offer with the music labels, adding that the concept behind Comes With Music is not exclusive to Nokia.

Should the concept of supplying year-long all-you-can-eat music catch on, other device makers wishing to gain access to music may be forced to adopt similar services.

U.S. recommends 3-year sentence for Wesley Snipes

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal prosecutors have recommended that actor Wesley Snipes serve a three-year prison sentence and pay a $5 million fine for his conviction in February of failing to file tax returns.

Snipes should be given the maximum penalty, after years of "brazen defiance" of U.S. tax laws, to serve as a deterrent, U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill of Florida wrote in a court document. The recommendation was filed on Monday, and released Tuesday on the annual deadline for filing U.S. income taxes.

"This case cries out for the statutory maximum term of imprisonment, as well as a substantial fine, because of the seriousness of defendant Snipes' crimes and because of the singular opportunity this case presents to deter tax crime nationwide," O'Neill wrote.

Cosby prepares "unflinching" hip-hop album

By Gail Mitchell

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Comedian Bill Cosby's hip-hop album, described as an "unflinching look at life in the 21st century, but without the profanity, misogyny, violence and braggadocio" is expected to reach stores within the next several weeks, a spokesman said.

"Cosby Narratives Vol. 1: State of Emergency" is designed as a companion to Cosby's provocative book "Come on People: On the Path From Victims to Victors," which he co-wrote with Dr. Alvin Poussaint last year.

The album weaves hip-hop, jazz, pop, funk and other genres around frank, positive messages drawn from Cosby's lyrics, stories and musical ideas.

Cosby does not rap or sing on the album. He is on board as executive producer and co-writer. His collaborators include longtime musical colleague Bill "Spaceman" Patterson and Patterson's partner, Ced-Gee, co-founder of the hip-hop group Ultramagnetic MCs.

Guests include such newcomer MCs as SupaNova Slom, Jace the Great and Brother Hahz. Selections include the New Orleans-jazzed "Where's the Parade" (a celebration of womanhood), the funky-soul "Dads Behind the Glass" and R&B-vibed "Get on Your Job."

Record labels hit by demise of music magazines

By Cortney Harding

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Harp magazine, which folded last month, is at least the third music magazine to cease publishing in 2008, joining alt-country title No Depression and indie rock mag Resonance in the dead pool.

For a certain section of the indie world focused on a more mature, college-educated demographic, the loss of Harp and No Depression hit especially hard.

"Those two outlets really spoke to our consumer," says John Biondolillo, general manager at Dave Matthews' ATO Records, which handles such critical darlings as singer/songwriters Patty Griffin and David Gray.

Josh Wittman, group marketing director at Redeye Distribution and Yep Roc Records, home of Dave Alvin and Billy Bragg, calls them "core publications for us, and it's very disappointing to see them go."

The closures of the two magazines might also reflect larger trends for indie labels promoting triple A and alt-country acts. "In the last 18 months, our focus has begun to shift away from print ads and towards online and TV advertising," Biondolillo says. Other labels have sought alternative print publications for advertising: Wittman says that Redeye and Yep Roc's full page ads will now appear in Filter magazine.

Still, some are taking this opportunity to question the value of print ads in general. Sean Hoess, co-founder of Velour Recordings, home of such artists as Kaki King and Sonya Kitchell, says, "When you look at the cost of print ads versus the cost of online ads, it's doubtful whether buying print ads will continue to make sense for indies. And with these two magazines folding, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one coming to this conclusion."

Many labels are taking their ad dollars to the Web. New West Records co-founder/president Cameron Strang says that in the past five years, "the Internet has become much more important for us. We now have staff members dedicated to growing our online presence, and the social networking sites and blogs are a big part of our outreach strategy." New West's acts include John Hiatt and Steve Earle.

Velour's Hoess says that his label also has an intensive online strategy, but that there are limits to the power of the Web for labels of his ilk. "We have the viral tools, the blog ads, all the online stuff," he says, "but there is no magic bullet. We have a very literate audience and they are not as zeroed in on the blog buzz as other crowds are."

"It's hard to see publications for the non-teen and twentysomething demographic go because they are the group that still buys physical CDs and keeps the record stores open," Wittman says. "They are not the people that are reading (music Web site) Stereogum all the time."

Labels are also ruing the demise of Harp's and No Depression's lengthy review sections, and seemed unsure about where to take their artists for coverage. "We're probably going to look at specialty folk magazines," Burnside Distribution VP Bill McNally says. Wittman says that he will still pursue pitching Rolling Stone and Spin, but, "it seems like everyone is cutting their CD review sections. It seems like a better strategy to target Amazon and All Music Guide because they have almost unlimited review space."

Rates can range based on a myriad of factors, but generally, "hip" indie sites charge between $1,200 and $3,300, while print publications like Harp and No Depression charged between $1,825 and $2,295 for a full-page color ad.

Triple A radio advertising is also not really a viable replacement for the magazines, according to McNally. "We haven't done much with radio advertising, as it's a big cost for a small spot. We possibly will do that more in the future with the absence of our favorite print mags. I haven't seen that it's increased sales dramatically, but probably increases awareness locally," he says.

With the online and radio world presenting a somewhat limited set of opportunities, some of the triple A and alt-country labels have turned to a more old-school avenue: cable TV. "We started doing it in the winter of 2006, around the time of the Patty Griffin release, and found that, per impression, it was cheaper than other outlets," ATO's Biondolillo says. "We run ads during 'The Daily Show,' 'The Colbert Report' and on Bravo and VH1 -- all shows and channels we think our core audience is watching.

"There are more and more TV outlets and fewer and fewer magazines," he continues. "If you have a good media buyer, it can work really well."

But even cable is not without its drawbacks. "We do TV ad buys in certain markets based on radio play and touring, and we've found that it is cheaper than print," Wittman says. "But the targeting is also less than focused, we're not in a place where we can afford prime-time slots, and there is a lot of saturation. TV is great, but you can't do it in a vacuum."

"All of this is really a symptom of a larger problem," Hoess says. "It's a lean time for everyone. Labels' revenues are drying up, and record sales are down, which leads to smaller ad budgets. For us, losing Harp and No Depression is the print equivalent of Tower Records closing -- we are an eclectic label, and we are losing coverage outlets."

UK music industry demands an iPod tax

The UK music industry has rejected the Government's proposal to legalise the transfer of music from CDs to MP3 players without a levy. It has asked for a tax on devices like Apple iPods which it says should compensate artists for the transfer.

The Government has proposed legalising the format shifting of music to computers or MP3 players as long as the CD was paid for, the transfer happens just once and is for personal use only. Currently the practice, which is near ubiquitous amongst MP3 player owners, infringes copyright.

The Music Business Group (MBG) is an umbrella group of trade bodies representing music managers, songwriters, publishers and performers. It comprises organisations like BPI, AIM and MCPS-PRS. It has rejected plans contained in a consultation document issued by the UK Intellectual Property Office (UK-IPO) to allow the transfer without any extra charge being levied.

"Enormous value is derived from the transferability of music," it said in its submission. "Last year alone, over 20 million MP3-capable portable devices were sold in the UK, and over 90% of music on the average MP3 player is music that has been copied."

"UK creators and right holders are legally entitled to benefit from this value. At present, this value is enjoyed by both consumers and technology companies while creators and right holders are effectively excluded from any value. This constitutes market failure," it said.

Copyright law in the UK currently does not allow users to copy music to their MP3 players from previously bought CDs. The European Union's Copyright Directive gives countries two options on private copying. They can ban it or they can allow it on condition that they introduce a system that ensures "fair compensation" for rights holders. Many countries charge a levy on blank media and devices as a form of compensation.

The exemption for format shifting for private use is one of the recommendations of the report into copyright reform produced in 2006 by former Financial Times editor Andrew Gowers.

The MBG has proposed a levy on the devices that might play transferred music, principally MP3 players. That levy, or licence, would be set not by the Government but by industry in negotiations.

"The licence fee would be determined by commercial negotiations between creators and right holders and manufacturers and distributors of devices substantially used or marketed for making copies of music," said the MBG's submission to the UK-IPO.

"We need to redress the balance which underpins copyright – one that allows consumers to enjoy their music, drives technological innovation, yet recognises music creators’ and right holders’ place in this market," said the MBG. "Our proposal creates an easily-implemented, flexible, future-proofed and transparent solution."

In producing his report and recommendation that format shifting be permitted, Andrew Gowers suggested that if rights holders wanted compensation for the practice they should raise their prices.

The Government in its proposal said that it does not believe that the levy-free exemption would break the EU's laws. It said that it was a "fair balance between the interests of consumers and those of right holders".

The Government pointed to the Copyright Directive's introductory wording, which said that "in certain situations, where the prejudice to the right holder would be minimal, no obligation for payment may arise".

The consultation said: "The exception proposed in this paper is very narrow in scope and, therefore, we consider that there would be no obligation for payment under the Copyright Directive for a limited format shifting exception, as there is no significant harm to the right holder which would need to be compensated."

You Can't Run

Federal regulators approved a plan on Wednesday to create a nationwide emergency alert system using text messages delivered to cellphones.

Text messages have exploded in popularity, particularly among young people. The trade group for the wireless industry, CTIA, estimates more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.

The plan stems from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires upgrades to the emergency alert system. The act requires the Federal Communications Commission to develop ways to alert the public about emergencies.

“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cellphones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families prior to, and during, disasters and other emergencies,” the commission chairman, Kevin J. Martin, said after the plan was approved.

Carriers’ participation in the system, which has strong support from the industry, is voluntary.

Cellphone customers would be able to opt out of the program. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.

There would be three types of messages, according to the rules.

The first would be a national alert from the president, probably involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

The second would involve “imminent threats” that could include natural disasters like hurricanes, tornadoes or university shootings.

The third would be reserved for child abductions, so-called Amber alerts.

The alerts would be delivered with a unique audio signature or ”vibration cadence.”

The service could be in place by 2010.


Text Alerts to Cellphones in Emergency Are Approved. I understand how this can be useful for Americans, but I look at all prespectives when reading about approvals Congress or the FCC makes without a public opinion or national attention for that matter.

I don't know about you, but I feel a type of way when decisions like these are being made without national discussion. Texting alerts is baby steps to issues more controversial. We all know the saying "You have to crawl before you walk". Now, certain government agencies has the approval to send mass texting in a market with an estimated 50 billion texts are made a month.

Some may say I skeptical about things, but this one....yes. What happens if the capability is misused? What happens in 10~20 years when things may become more threatening for Americans, as they say "Terrorist Attacks"? The intentions may be all good, however, I see it has another thing someone has authority/power over.

Right now its alerts for caution, than it will be alerts for prevention. This will lead to situations where people will believe everything that is sent from a certain person or group of people.

Blockbuster Plans Movie-Streaming Set-Top Box

Blockbuster is thought to be developing an Apple TV style set top box which will stream movies direct to your TV. The device will tie in with the Blockbuster owned Movielink service, which allows movie downloads that can be played on a PC.

It's hard not to see these emerging streaming services as the death throes of the optical disk as a delivery method. Netflix, always ahead of the game, has already teamed up with LG to offer streaming hardware and the AppleTV might eventually do for movies what the iTunes Store did for digital music.

The trouble is, whereas signing up for a bunch of neighborhood video stores meant nothing more than a few extra cards in your wallet, signing up with different streaming services means more boxes crowding the living room. What's needed is some kind of neutral device, or even just an IP enabled television set. That way the services can compete on service, price and catalog. That would be great for the consumer, which is why it will probably never happen.