The CEO of Warner Music Group said on Monday the major label plans to create an "e-label," which instead of CD albums will release batches of three songs from artists every few months as digital downloads, CNET News.com reported. The e-label will provide artists with a "supportive, lower-risk environment," commented Warner Music CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr., and not focus on the million-selling hit records sought after by major record labels. In addition, artists on Warner's e-label will retain ownership of the master recordings of their songs and copyrights. "We're trying to experiment with a new business model," said Bronfman. "We're going to try to see where this goes."
The global smartphone market closed 2025 with a story less about recovery and more about transformation. Premium product, ecosystem lock-in, and manufacturing scale are now the forces shaping competition. For business and technology leaders, the latest IDC market study data confirms that smartphones remain a critical indicator of consumer demand, supply chain health, and AI commercialization at the edge. Smartphone Market Development Global smartphone shipments grew 2.3 percent year-over-year in Q4 2025, reaching 336.3 million units and bringing full-year volumes to 1.26 billion units — a modest 1.9 percent annual increase, according to IDC. This smartphone growth emerged despite a memory shortage crisis, tariff volatility, supply chain disruption, and macroeconomic headwinds. What stabilized demand? Two factors: sustained growth in premium devices and strong foldable momentum, combined with accelerated purchases as consumers bought ahead of anticipated price increases. Buyers weren...