YouTube Soars in Popularity: YouTube accounted for 1 Out of Every 3 U.S. online videos viewed in January. Video Metrix service, revealed that YouTube accounted for one-third of the 9.8 billion videos viewed online in the U.S. during the month. The total number of videos viewed in January was down slightly from the more than 10.1 billion viewed during a record-breaking December 2007.

American Idol Reveals Sexism? Idol fans are up in arms since the show kicked Frenchie Davis off the show for posing topless but allowed David Hernandez to remain in the competition who was recently revealed as a former male stripper in a gay bar. Other critics claim Idol is guilty of political correctness. Of course this is a double standard, regardless, Idol loves the scandals brought on by the press. (more reading here)

SXSW Attendees Doubled In Size: For established recording companies, the instantaneous and often unpaid distribution of music online is business hell; CD album sales are on an accelerating slide, and sales of downloads aren’t making up for the losses. But for listeners, as well as for musicians who mostly want a chance to be heard, the digital era is fan heaven. As major labels have shrunk in the 21st century, South by Southwest has nearly doubled in size, up to 12,500 people registered for this year’s convention, from 7,000 registered attendees in 2001, not including the band members performing. In an era of plummeting CD sales and short shelf lives even for current hit makers, the festival is full of people seeking ways to route their careers around what’s left of the major recording companies. (NY Times article here)

SXSW Draw Deep-Pocket Corporate Sponsors: Citigroup, Miller Lite, and Dell pay between $100,000 and 200,000 each in exchange for having their logos plastered around town. (wsj)

The Beatles Dethroned? Move over, Beatles. Mariah Carey is on the verge of tie with the legendary British band for having the most chart-topping hits says the Daily News. Mariah’s newest single “Touch My Body” will give her 18 No. 1 singles, setting her neck in neck with the Beatles.

Backpeddling: We hear Shadows fall we be leaving Atlantic Records only to return to their former label Century Media. Atlantic gave the band a hefty sum of money during a bidding war, but the latest record only sold 90k.

Japan Gets Wise and Fights Piracy: The nation’s four Internet provider organizations have agreed to forcibly cut the Internet connection of users found to repeatedly use Winny and other file-sharing programs to illegally copy gaming software and music. (full article here)

Guy Hands Officially Becoming Hands On: EMI boss Guy Hands has sent a letter to every employee in the group’s UK recorded-music division telling them that their jobs are officially under scrutiny. Those in marketing, sales and distribution will be worst hit while the A&R (artists and repertoire) division, which is responsible for finding new artists for the label, should be relatively unscathed says the Times Online.

Recommended Listening: Emo act Blameshift just finished performing 4 shows at SXSW. The band released their debut May 1st, 2007 which was produced by Michael Birnbaum and Chris Bittner (Coheed and Cambria, The Sleeping). Check out the track Fake.

New Music: Indie pop act The Hush Sound will be releasing a new record titled ‘Goodbye Blues’ on March 18th through Decaydance / Fueled By Ramen. The full stream is available here. This CD requires a couple of listens.

New Music: Indie act Alive in Wild Paint will release their debut album ‘Ceilings’ in March through indie label, Equal Vision Records. We have tons of ambient and atmospheric bands in the big jungle and I can’t say this band will rise above what’s already out there. Regardless, it’s a decent first effort. Check out the track ‘Children of Divorce‘.