Quick Hits: Slacker in the car; pre-1972 chaos predicted; Lefsetz rips Billboard

Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web:

Slacker Radio foresees in-car listening: GigaOM spoke with Slacker CEO Duncan Orrell-Jones about an ongoing integration with car models. slacker is now natively embedded in models from 15 automakers, and that will increase to 20. No speciffic in-car audience metrics, but an acknowledged importance of competing directly with FM and Sirius XM on the dashboard.

Attorney recommends federalizing pre-1972 copyrights: Weighing in on the confounding legal status of pre-1972 music recordings, attorney Thomas C. Carey notes that a patchwork solution that mixes federal and state regulations would be disruptive: “National broadcasters and internet service providers face a potentially chaotic situation if they are faced with a patchwork of royalty demands arising under numerous state laws.” He recommends the RESPECT Act, which is sitting dormant in Congress.

Bob Lefsetz on Billboard’s new album chart: Bob Lefsetz has rarely been so concise. With typical caustic attitude, and uncharacteristic economy, he laces into Billboard for its hybrid sales/streaming album chart. (RAIN News coverage of the chart here.)

Brad Hill