MTV Video Music Nominations 2011

This year's nominations bring three main names: Katy Perry, Adele and Kanye West. US pop star Katy Perry is in the lead with nine MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) nominations. She received nominations for different songs. "Firework" is competing in video of the year, best pop video and best special effects categories. Most nominations (five) Katy Perry achieved for Kanye West-assisted song "E.T." And some nominations she also gets for "Last Friday Night" and "Teenage Dream". Hope she will turn some nominations into awards (13-nominated Lady Gaga turned only 3 into awards in 2009). Stream music from Katy Perry via TouchDiva application for smartphones.

Adele scored just with one song "Rolling in the Deep" which was the only clip the Brit released like a support for her album "21". The single gained seven nominations. Rapper Kanye West garnered seven nominations too.

MTV Nominations also surprise with small representation of videos from Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Beyoncé and Lady Gaga have topped nominations and awards in years past. Both scored just three nominations this year and both have nomination in the female video category as Adele, Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj. Britney Spears has only two nominations.

The main category contains these nominations: Adele "Rolling in the Deep", Beastie Boys "Make Some Noise", Bruno Mars "Grenade", Katy Perry "Fireworks" and Tyler, The Creator "Yonkers".

Digital albums sales in the UK reach 10 million in this year

Ten million digital albums (three million more than in same period in 2010) have been already sold in the UK this year. This numbers show that market with digital albums rapidly grows and digital music get new opportunity because people have become more interested not just in digital singles. But still nearly 80% of UK album sales are on physical CDs.

The most sold digital album was Adele's "21". Adele is UK singer and songwriter and also her first album “19” stayed very popular. On the second and third position in UK sales were albums of American artists: Rihanna's "Loud" and "Doo-Wops & Hooligans" from pop singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. Number four took "Who You Are" from British singer Jessie J. The best five closed Chase & Status with their album called "No More Idols".

Analysis predict more than 20 million digital albums sold in the UK this year. Another way how legally listen to music is streaming music. TouchDiva offers application for your iPhone or PC and soon also for Blackberry and MAC. For numbers from USA click here.

Internet use via smartphones or mobile rises

With every new report about smartphones and ordinary mobile phones we can observe tendency to get rid of ordinary phones and replace them with smartphones. iPhone, Blackberry and Android are the most common ones. You can stream music on them via TouchDiva application.

The latest report published by the Pew Research Center as a part of Internet Project confirm trend to use smartphones. Study interviewed 2,277 adult Americans and showed that 83% own a mobile phone and 42% of those Americans have a smartphone. Last year it was just 21% of mobile phone users.

Smartphone provides comfortable way how to go online by wireless small device. Most of people use them on the way to work or somewhere else without regular computer or laptop.

Almost 90 percent of the smartphone owners use their phone to access e-mail or the Internet at least once a day and one quarter prefer be online on their smartphone than on a regular PC.

US Media companies and Internet providers made an agreement

The main objective of the new deal between movie and music companies and biggest US Internet providers is slowing piracy. There are many especially young people who illegally download tracks and movies but they may soon be surprised by warning to stop illegal activities. If they continue downloading their Internet access would be slowed.

Many Internet users said that illegal downloading is out-dated but this first step of media companies and Internet carriers together could be followed by many others.

The system for restriction of illegal Internet users comprises six warnings. User receives the first warning via email but fifth means reducing speed of connection and sixth blocking on Web browsing.

Touchdiva offers solution - streaming music. It is legal way how to listen your favourite songs via iPhone, PC or Mac.

Touchdiva Streaming music in your home or mobile

Touchdiva Streaming music in your home or mobile

US album sales rise for the first time since 2004

Music sales in the US are rising for the first time since 2004. Totally 221.5 million albums (track equivalent albums) were sold in the first six months of 2011, up 3.6 percent from 213.6m in the same time last year.

It could seem like an insignificant grown but in this industry are any good news very refreshing. There was a downward spiral in this industry. Last year, two factors (collapse of CD sales and online piracy) forced music industry revenues down to $1.5bn.

People tend to prefer listening to a digital music and CDs become obsolete. And there is also another trend: people rather buy just tracks not all albums.

SoundScan's report also shows rapid growth of digital music. Sales for digital tracks increased by 11 percent this year and for digital albums even raised by 19 percent.

There are four artists who mainly caused this turnabout. Beyoncé's album "4" is holding No.1 on the Billboard album chart with 310,000 sales. The UK singer Adele (prize winner of two Grammy Awards in 2009) is No.2 with her album called 21. Other successful artists are Eminem with his album "Recovery" and Lady Gaga's "Born This Way".

BlackBerry PlayBook

PlayBook is a tablet PC that was developed by BlackBerry for two purposes. Users can use it for working and doing business but also for relaxing and enjoying their free time.

You can surf the web, send emails, stream music, play games, watch movies, take snaps, make home movies and make a video chat. TouchDiva expects that music streaming application will be soon available for BlackBerry PlayBook and SmartPhone too.

All services are provided in very high quality (a crystal clear 7-inch 1080p HD display, stereo sound, HD video camera). PlayBook should become a competitor of iPad and take a bite out of its market.

BlackBerry started develop its own tablet in September 2010 and PlayBook was launched to US market in April 2011. UK users had to wait till June but now they can choice from three models: 16 GB, 32 GB and 64 GB and many accessories. BlackBerry's target audience are primarily BlackBerry Smartphone users. They want to expand to Western Europe and many other countries too.

Glastonbury Festival 2011

Wednesday 22nd - Sunday 26th June 2011

Somerset valley six miles from Glastonbury (south west England)

Headliners: U2, Coldplay, Beyoncé

The Glastonbury Festival is the traditional multi-stage British performing arts festival (started 1970). The festival is well-known for its contemporary music, dance, comedy, theatre, circus and other arts at beginning inspired by hippie ethnics.

The festival started at 1970 and a ticket price was £1. In 2011 a ticket price reached £195. The tickets for the Glastonbury Festival 2011 were sold out within 4 hours of going on sale. This occasion has won award for best festival ten times.

It is now attended by around 150,000 people and the majority of staff are volunteers especially from Oxfam who help the festival to grow money for good causes (Glastonbury Festivals Ltd donates most of their profits to charities). Most people who stay at the festival camp in their own tents. There are many camping areas some are quitter or for families.

Although it was rainy weather and grass changed into muddy ground more than 2,000 performances at 50 stages or other places made the Glastonbury Festival 2011 amazing. U2 performed on Friday, London’s group Coldplay was headliner on Saturday and Beyoncé ended the festival on Sunday. But this festival wasn’t just about these artists. There were many other popular artists, newcomers and others.

You can stream music played on Glastonbury Festival via TouchDiva mobile application for iPhone and Android.

There will be no Glastonbury Festival in 2012 because of 2012 Summer Olympics hold in London. You can look forward to the Glastonbury Festival 2013.

Videos from the Glastonbury Festival 2011: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/2011/videos/