Tetris Battle started out in 2010 as a quiet attempt to bring a classic video game brand to Facebook. Now, just over a year later, the game is on track to compete with the very biggest Facebook games from giants like Zynga and EA.Already ranked among the top ten most popular games on Facebook as recorded by our AppData traffic tracking service, Tetris Battle currently enjoys about 3.1 million daily active users with 2 million of them arriving in the game within the last two months alone. Honolulu-based developer Tetris Online Inc. has set the sky as the limit for the game’s growth in 2012, hoping to grow the total player base of Tetris Battle to between 5 and 10 million DAU this year. If successful, this would place Tetris Battles in serious competition for the top spot of most popular Facebook game overall.
Via www.insidesocialgames.com

Global revenue from digital sales and services grew by 8 percent in 2011 – up from 5 percent the previous year – while the overall recorded music market shrank by approximately 3 percent in total trade value (both physical and digital), according to IFPI’s annual Digital Music Report.The report, which was unveiled today at IFPI’s London offices, placed the total trade value of the global digital music market in 2011 at $5.2 billion, up from $4.8 billion the previous year, and accounted 32 percent of record companies’ total income, up from 29 percent in 2010.The growth in revenue derived from digital services contributed to a slowing decline in the overall music market, says IFPI. The international music organization said that the total trade value of the recorded music market was $16.2 billion dollars, down from $16.7 billion in 2010. That amounts to a 3 percent fall in total trade value, compared to an 8-9 percent slip in 2010.
Via www.billboard.biz

Coldplay, the Black Keys and Adele may strongly disagree, but making your repertoire available on streaming services does not cannibalize record sales. At least that’s the verdict of Rob Wells, president of Universal Music Group’s global digital business sector, who reiterated his support for services like Spotify and Rdio at the launch of IFPI’s Digital Music Report 2012, held in London yesterday.Citing analysis that Universal Music Group had carried out during the last six months regarding four “key” Universal artists – “a heritage rock act, front-line pop, an urban R&B act and [one] in the MOR field” – Wells dismissed the argument that streaming services have a negative impact on download and brick-and-mortar sales as “absolutely bogus.”IFPI Digital Music Report 2012: Global Digital Revenue Climbs 8%, Overall Market Decline SlowsAs previously reported, Coldplay and the Black Keys are among a number of high-profile acts to spurn streaming services in 2011, with the bands’ latest albums, “Mylo Xyloto” (Parlophone/EMI) and “El Camino”(Nonesuch/Warner), respectively, bypassing services such as Spotify or Rdio. Earlier this year, Coldplay’s manager Dave Holmes told Business Week that the decision to omit “Mylo Xyloto” from streaming services – at least for the present time – was because he was “very concerned” that “Spotify competes with download stores” such as iTunes.
Via www.billboard.biz