• Analysts point to France's bid for digital interoperability as a possible gateway to further growth. This factoid sticks out: A European study found that consumers are prepared to pay twice as much for a song that can be moved freely between devices. (News.com)

• Sticking with the same topic, the NY Times quotes a London-based analyst as saying Apple could pull out of France altogether if the country passes legislation requiring the iPod to play music from competing services. "My gut feeling is that Apple will simply pull out of France if these amendments get through. Weighed against breaking their business model for all markets, it doesn't make sense for Apple to continue operating with the iPod and iTunes in France." (NY Times)

• The latest on Microsoft's iPod killer: it will combine video games, music and video, and it may not be out until 2007. (A&R Interactive)

• Hypebot lists a group of Web 2.0 companies that are putting together music software/applications, such as Bebop Mercora and Odeo. (Hypebot)

• ECast, a digital jukebox company, raised $5.2 million in funding. (paidContent

• Groove Mobile, a mobile music technology provider that powers Spring's over-the-air download service, ha raised $8.5 million in a second round of financing. (Digital Music News)

• Lifehacker readers suggest where to find new music online. eMusic was mentioned most often. (Lifehacker)

• Archos unveiled a new 4 B 104. It has a $149 price tag, works with Microsoft's battery-draining PlaysForSure and is a bit thicker than an iPod Nano. (Engadget)