The Weekend: More Post-Mega Fallout, iiNet, Hulu, RSD, eMusic, Echo Nest, LMFAO, UMG, Rick James…

on Apr23

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The Weekend: More Post-Mega Fallout, iiNet, Hulu, RSD, eMusic, Echo Nest, LMFAO, UMG, Rick James...

These are the stories we're tracking this weekend; check back for late-Sunday and early Monday morning developments...

The MegaUpload trial may never happen; the FBI's raid could have been procedurally unauthorized! Maybe so, but those are just academic details if your entire business has already been obliterated, and no one wants to be the next Kim Dotcom. Which is why Rapidshare is scrambling to embrace locker legitimacy, while others simply scrambled to shut down. And now, there's this: leading locker MediaFire is now blocking traffic from meta-media search engine FilesTube, according to Torrentfreak. The move shifts the locker towards a private, non-sharing existence, and a broader case for legitimacy.

Separately, Australian ISP iiNet will not be held liable for repeated copyright infringement on its network, based on a unanimous High Court decision. The Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT) pursued the case, however justices found that iiNet was not liable under Australian copyright law and had little technical ability to block protocols like BitTorrent.

Hulu how has 2 million premium Plus subscribers, according to CEO Jason Kilar. That's a modest chunk of roughly 31 million subscribers, according to comScore. Plus launched in late 2010.

Creative Allies has now opened up BandArt, a Facebook app for holding design contests and then selling those designs. Artists can tap a substantial Creative Allies network that includes 25,000 designers.

Record Store Day is developing into quite the jolt for deeply-disrupted physical retailers. The latest iteration was Saturday, with Arizona-based Zia Records even bringing the action to Coachella II. The continued surge in vinyl nostalgia is also helping, and several exclusive-loaded shops experienced large crowds.

And, this was fun: eMusic had an interactive RSD map, which could be an ongoing thing. And also on the interactive front, this Echo Nest-powered Map of Music Styles is also worth a visit.

LMFAO has now been served with a scarily-expensive, $7 million lawsuit for basically ditching their original management team. We'll have more comments and paperwork from attorneys ahead.

And, there's more bubbling on the 'license v. sale' dispute between major labels and legacy artists. In the latest episode, the US District Court for the Northern District of California has denied a motion by Universal Music Group to dismiss a challenge by the Estate of Rick James.