Media Roundup: Google and Newspaper Battle Heats Up, iTunes Releases New Pricing Structure and More

(MoneyWatch)  Google and newspaper battle heats up -- The Associated Press announced that it will pursue legal action against online news aggregators, leading many to suspect that Google is a target. The AP has filed legal action against bloggers and news aggregators in the past, and has promised to aggressively defend what it believes is an infringement of fair use violations. Sites like Digg and Google News republish parts of the AP's content, often with a link to the source. Coincidentally, Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the keynote at the Newspaper Association of America convention yesterday where he urged newspapers to build a new business model. Google currently pays the AP to feature content on Google News, although some of the AP's member newspapers have expressed dismay with the arrangement referring to Google as a "parasite." [Source: CNET, Business Insider]

iTunes releases new pricing structure -- Single songs on the iTunes music store can now be priced at $0.69, $0.99 or $1.29. Previously every song, regardless of popularity, could be purchased for $0.99. The new structure is a concession Apple made to record labels in January in order to make iTunes DRM-free. DRM, or digital rights management, is used to prevent song files from being used on non-Apple devices and makes iTunes downloads harder to place on file sharing networks. Other music stores, such as Amazon, have been selling DRM-free songs for months. [Source: Mashable]

Blockbuster teeters on bankruptcy -- The movie rental chain admitted yesterday that it will not be able to meet the conditions of its refinancing agreement with debtors. Blockbuster had negotiated for a $250 million loan, but the company revealed in an SEC filing that it may not be able to meet the loan's requirements. Competition with the mail-based rental company Netflix has left the formerly dominant movie rental store in dire straights, and many suspect that a bankruptcy filing is on the horizon. Blockbuster denies the speculation, and claims it is growing its business. Last month, the company had to postpone a redesign of its stores to save capital. [Source: Reuters]

Twitter audience gets older -- Twitter's 55 to 64 audience is nearly equal to its 18 to 24 audience according to comScore reports. Most social media tools often are heavy in the "early adopter" crowd that typically skews young. However, Twitter's explosion in popularity, with 1000 percent year-over-year growth in Feburary, has resulted in the site becoming older much more rapidly than Facebook or MySpace. Twitter's close association with business and marketing make it an appealing tool for older users, says comScore. [Source: Reuters]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel lays off staffers -- The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has laid off 26 full-time employees and five part-time employees across all departments. The layoffs come after an announcement by the paper's parent company calling for a six percent wage reduction for the rest of 2009. The newspaper also offered several employees buyout options, the third time the paper has done so. [Source: Editor & Publisher]