Tuesday's Billboard Bulletin had news that is that is bookended nicely by some recent articles. One bookend is Kelefa Sanneh's "So Light, So Sugary, So Downloadable," an article in the NY Times about D4L's "Laffy Taffy" in the NY Times that explained how the song is an a la carte smash but the album is barely moving off shelves. And there were many reports of the 200% increase in digital downloads in 2005 and the big expected increase for 2006. So what's the next ogical lstep?

On Tuesday Universal Music unveiled Apollo, a new multi-territory label that was created to specialize in one-off hits. Former Mercury Records U.K. VP Matt Jagger will be the new label's managing director. Apollo will encompass territories across Europe and will have separate divisions for dance, urban and Europop.

Let's face it, not all music is purchased for its longevity. Some pop music is about right here, right now. Ringtones especially -- those are seasonal, too. Or didn't you notice a Perry Como Christmas ringtone nearly topping the ringtone chart last month?

Not only was it inevitable that a major music group build an infrastructure of this kind, it was mandatory. The on-demand nature of mobile music, the novelty of ringtones and the short-lived nature of many pop hits demands that labels are able to take advantage of the very short window of opportuntiy they're given. Taking such hits and freeing them from the expectations of album sales is an important shift in strategy and outlook.