(UPDATED) This week in the music industry started out with Apple trying to make friends with Facebook. YouTube's Partner Program for musicians, aka Musicians Wanted, has gone global. CMJ went on most of the week, but thus far, not many big announcements have happened. Google is planning to launch amusic service in India. Apple also announced that 7 billion apps have been downloaded. Lastly, SoundCloud appears close to closing a major new funding round.

• Berklee and MIDEM launch Rethink Music conference in April, in Boston.
• Interview with Todd Hansen, of Better Than The Van. ( Part 1 & 2)
• Are fans begging to spend money at Buy Buy and other retail stores?
• Jeff Price of TuneCore explains more musicians are making money now.
• Video shows the music industry should've died back in 1980, but didn't.
• ReverbNation acquired the music application developer SoundAround.
• Coverage on the Terra Firma & EMI vs. Citigroup Trial. (Part1, 2, & 3)
• Dalton Cadwell's speech on why most music startups are going fail.
• Writer argues that making music cheaper than coffee won't devalue it.
• Singing Japanese robots are performing almost like real people.
• The winners of Music Hack Day in Boston have been announced.
• Elliot Van Buskirt started a music blog based around music apps.
• What the music industry should do about copyright.
• Apple is slowly killing off the CD, one piece of tech at a time.
• Bobby Owsinski on artist revenue opportunities without playing live.
• Gene Simmons plans to sue the pants off Anonymous.
• Hypebot readers argue why new albums shouldn't cost $1.50.
• Andrew Dubber is recording an album with kids in India.
• Can the holiday season cure music's YTD sales slump?
• Major investor has zero interest in financing music startups.