labels

How to star and label Gmail messages before sending them

Gmail labels and stars are a great way to organize your e-mail, especially if you keep all your messages, the way Google recommends. Now, you can add those labels and stars to your messages, before you send them.

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When you compose a new Gmail message now, you'll notice the new Labels drop-down menu, next to the Discard button. Before you send your e-mail, select your label or star it, then when you're done composing your message, just hit Send.

When you go to your sent mail now, you'll see that your sent message has been … Read more

Google's entertainment strategy is in disarray

Google can't seem to get the hang of selling music and movies over the Internet--a goal that has similarly befuddled Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo, and others.

Google TV was dead on arrival. YouTube's video-rental service is at best an also-ran, and that service also faces a possible exodus of major record labels to rival Facebook sometime next year. Google Music no longer exists as a standalone service. Last week, the search company folded the three-month-old music store into the newly revamped Android Market.

Google's misfires illustrate just how hard it is to become a major media player. In … Read more

Music service Turntable.fm signing major labels

Turntable.fm, the service that allows users share music within virtual "rooms," is closing in on becoming a fully licensed service, CNET has learned.

A cross between Napster and radio, Turntable has already signed EMI to a recorded-music deal and is close to penning agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the talks.

The music service is also still in talks with Warner Music Group. A spokesman for EMI declined to comment. Representatives from Turntable.fm and the other labels did not respond to interview requests.

A legal Turntable will potentially … Read more

Microsoft mulls plan for new music service (exclusive)

Microsoft is in talks with some of the major record companies about creating a new music service, CNET has learned.

The software maker, which has a spotty record in digital music, has discussed creating a delivery service that would supply tunes to the Xbox as well as an upcoming Windows-based phone, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

It was unclear exactly how this will differ from Microsoft's Zune Music Pass, which is the music service currently available to Xbox subscribers.

Negotiations are still in a preliminary stage and the two sides have yet to drill down into … Read more

Kenny Rogers knows when to hold 'em...and sue EMI

Pirates to the left, disgruntled artists to the right...the record labels are again besieged.

The most recent challenge came yesterday when Kenny Rogers, the silver-haired country singer and actor, filed suit against EMI's Capitol Records. Rogers alleges that he was beat out of at least $400,000 and claims he's owed 50 percent of the digital-music royalties generated by his songs. He also says that EMI has dragged its feet on handing over an audit.

EMI declined to comment.

Rogers is the latest in a growing list of artists who have filed similar suits against their labels … Read more

E-mailing for the minimalist

Sparrow is an attempt to get away from supercomplex, feature-packed e-mail clients in favor of a simpler e-mail experience. The interface is elegant while remaining very straightforward: the left side of the interface shows where e-mails are from, and the right side displays the message and any photos or other media commonly sent through e-mail. Setup only requires that you add accounts; then you can get started right away.

Though the interface is sparse compared with many big-name e-mail clients, you still get plenty of the common actions and options you'd expect from a basic e-mail app in Sparrow. … Read more

Payback: Did SOPA cost Obama Hollywood donors?

Depending on where you stand, President Obama either showed tremendous courage when he distanced himself from SOPA and PIPA--or a complete lack of it.

Last Saturday, the White House announced it would not support important provisions of the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act, the anti-piracy bills being debated in the House and Senate. The legislation would make it easier for the federal government to block access to overseas sites accused of piracy. Much of the tech sector opposes the bills.

Where Hollywood is concerned, though, the president's stand is nothing short of a betrayal. And … Read more

House to take up SOPA debate again next month

Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Judiciary committee, today said he expects the debate over the Stop Online Piracy Act to resume sometime next month.

"To enact legislation that protects consumers, businesses, and jobs from foreign thieves who steal America's intellectual property," Smith said in a statement, "we will continue to bring together industry representatives and [members of Congress] to find ways to combat online piracy."

Smith suggested that further debate in the U.S. House of Representatives over the bill, which is designed to speed up the legal process involved with getting an … Read more

Musical chairs: YouTube, labels close to renewing licenses

YouTube is in talks with at least three of the four top record companies about renewing the video service's music licenses, sources close to the discussion told CNET.

YouTube, acquired by Google in 2006, is one of the most popular music services on the Web. Visitors can watch music videos at no charge, and YouTube has also acquired licenses that let video makers insert music into their clips.

According to the sources, negotiations with Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and EMI Music, appear to be going smoothly--and one of the labels, in fact, may have already wrapped up … Read more