Sony unveils video Walkman

Although Sony has long been in the portable video space with its PSP game-playing device, it has lagged far behind Apple in developing MP3 players that play video. Eighteen months after Apple raised the bar in the music-player market with its video iPod, Sony has unveiled its first digital video Walkman. The NW-A800 series Walkman will initially go on sale in Europe in April and will then roll out in other markets, although Sony hasn't specified which. The players, dubbed the NW-A805, A806, and A808, come with flash memory capacities of 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB, respectively. The screen is a 2-inch LCD. Sony uses its own proprietary ATRAC file format, although it supplies software for converting Windows Media Audio, MP3, and WAV files to ATRAC. The devices will cost between $230 and $300, depending on memory.

Barenaked Ladies contest song now on eMusic

Barenaked Ladies have written and recorded a song about a 48-year-old visual artist from Moorestown, New Jersey. If that's not enough to pique your interest, the track is available as a free download on eMusic, which commissioned the Canadian rockers to make the song about Brennan to commemorate its 100 millionth download, which Brennan purchased. The catchy "Michael Brennan" describes the independent-minded and curious eMusic user. The song will also be bundled with the new album Barenaked Ladies Are Men as an exclusive paid bonus track for five months. Listen to the song here.

EA to sell songs on iTunes

Video game publisher Electronic Arts (EA) has stepped up its music game in recent years, developing its own unique soundtracks and licensing its music to digital download services. Now EA is putting its music on the big stage, licensing its catalog to iTunes. EA said last week that it is teaming up with Apple to sell its catalog of soundtracks on iTunes, including music from franchises such as Madden NFL, Need for Speed, and SSX. The catalog will include some exclusive tracks, including Snoop Dogg's remix of the Doors' "Riders on the Storm," which was featured in Need for Speed Underground.

AOL to stream rock hall ceremony

Those of you dying to catch the awkwardness of Van Halen's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next week are in luck. The ceremony, which takes place March 12 in NYC, has typically been broadcast a week later on VH1, but AOL Music has stepped up to stream the event live, without commercial interruptions. The ceremonies also will appear live on VH1 Classic and MHD (MTV's hi-def channel). The inductees this year are Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, R.E.M., The Ronettes, Patti Smith, and the aforementioned Van Halen.

Last.fm, EMI ink deal

Social networking music site Last.fm has inked another deal with a major label, this time landing the entire catalog of UK giant EMI. The deal allows Last.fm, which boasts more than 15 million active users per month, to include EMI songs in its system, which recommends songs by tracking a listener's music-playing habits and automatically linking them to fans with similar tastes. Last.fm was launched in 2002 but exploded in popularity in 2005 when it developed a new method for connecting people with music and artists with listeners. EMI's catalog includes the likes of Coldplay, Lily Allen, and Gorillaz.