Wednesday Morning Business Notes, Links
Virgin France was fined for offering illegal Madonna downloads. The download site had ignored an exclusive given to a competitor by downloading Madonna's "Hung Up" single and re-selling it on its own site. Virginmega is to pay a fine of 600,000 euros. (BBC News)
A profile on Downtown Records, which has the press-adored Gnarls Barkley on its roster. (BusinessWeek Online)
Hispanics listen to the radio more than the average American -- 22 hours and 15 minutes per week versus an average of 19 hours per week -- but time spent listening is dropping. In the last 12 months, Hispanics' weekly time spent listening has dropped 15 minutes, reflecting changes seen in other listeners. That drop is due to men's listening habits only as women's time spent listening has remained constant at 24 hours and 30 minutes. (Billboard Radio Monitor)
Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige, Chris Brown and T.I. were winners at last night's BET Awards in Los Angeles. (AP)
Three men were arrested for allegedly writing a computer virus that used Sony BMG's infamous rootkit as an entry point into victims' computers. (Technology Review)
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