MTV's Urge boasts new "Digital Decks" DJ mixes

Looking to lure fans of electronic music to its fledgling digital download service, Urge, MTV today unveiled a series of streaming DJ mixes, complete with playlists from which users can buy music. Dubbed "Digital Decks," the DJ mix series is being kicked off by famed Chicago house and techno producer DJ Green Velvet, also known as Cajmere. Urge has also confirmed forthcoming Digital Decks mixes from Grammy-winning UK duo Basement Jaxx, Philly's King Britt, Germany's MANDY, Michigan's Matthew Dear, Montreal's Tiga, and French duo Motor.

Urge debuted in May to much fanfare, hoping to make a dent in the dominant market share advantage of Apple's iTunes. The service, a joint venture between Microsoft and MTV, faces a future in which Microsoft is preparing to launch its own line of portable digital media players and a stand-alone digital download service.

Logitech unveils two iPod speaker systems

Hoping to take some steam out of the iPod Hi-Fi and the Bose SoundDock, Logitech unveiled its latest line of iPod speaker systems, the AudioStation and AudioStation Express. The AudioStation, which comes in black and has a wireless remote control, features an integrated AM/FM radio tuner and works with all third, fourth, and fifth-generation iPods, iPod Minis, and iPod Nanos.

The LCD display includes a digital clock, and users can connect other devices like a portable CD player to the system through an input jack. Video iPod users can also output video signals to a television or home theater system using the integrated composite and S-Video jacks. The AudioStation Express is simply a lighter, more portable version of the AudioStation. It runs on six AA batteries for about 10 hours or from an AC plug. The speaker system hits stores in October. The AudioStation costs $300, while the Express costs $130.

Apple to meet with Scandinavian consumer groups about iTunes

Facing skeptical consumer agencies in Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, Apple is set to meet with those groups to discuss their complaints about Apple's iTunes Music Store and its proprietary digital rights management (DRM) technology. Agencies from those countries jointly wrote Apple a letter in June stating that iTunes may be in violation of their respective consumer laws. Apple responded in writing but has also requested a face-to-face meeting to explain its position, according to Reuters.

"We will call such a meeting, to be held in Oslo, as soon as possible," Marianne Abyhammar, Sweden's acting consumer ombudsman, told Reuters. The agencies' concerns stem largely from the incompatibility of Apple's FairPlay DRM with that of all non-iPod portable audio players, and a similar incompatibility between iPods and other legal download services Napster, Rhapsody, and Yahoo Music Unlimited. In June, the French parliament passed legislation that required Apple to open up its DRM, but added an amendment that effectively diluted the law by allowing Apple to keep its DRM closed if it could obtain permission to do so from the record labels from whom it licenses the music it sells.

Ringtone firm Jamster preps mobile download service

Ringtone firm Jamster is preparing to step up its game and move into downloads of full tracks for mobile phones, according to a report in Digital Music News. The German-based company is beta-testing a service called Jamba Music with 1,000 users of Nokia music phones. Testing will conclude in September. The new service will offer both a la carte, individual song downloads for $1.66 each, and like most other major mobile download services, users would get a version on their phone and a separate, higher-fidelity version on their PC. Jamba Music will also offer a subscription-based, all-you-can-eat service for $19.20. Jamster has already received support from major labels Universal Music and Sony BMG.