Quick Hits: MIDiA Research; Deezer’s “Get Ready”; Peter Lynch skewers congress

Brief news items and worthwhile reads from around the web:

Deezer closes Canadian office but splashes “Coming Soon” to U.S. users: Deezer is reportedly closing its Canadian office, but that cost-saving exercise does not affect the service to Canadian users. As to the U.S., where Deezer has publicly set its sights for many months, the web page delivered to U.S. visitors displays a “Coming Soon” notice — more hopeful than the basic Not Available message we’ve seen before.

Launch of MIDiA Research: Digital media consultant and analyst Mark Mulligan has launched MIDiA Research, and is structuring it as a subscription service with multiple levels of access. Individuals can choose from a few annual plans with varying levels of content. Organizations can purchase groups of five seats at the research table at a discount. Prices range from 1,000 to 6,000 British pounds. Mark Mulligan is a guest contributor to RAIN News.

Radio group CEO torches U.S. legislators: Peter Smyth, CEO of Greater Media, posted an opinion about U.S. lawmakers, and it’s not friendly. “Grandstanding,” “unproductive,” and “do-nothing” were a few of the sharp sticks he jabbed at Congress. The rhetoric was in response to the second Judiciary Committee hearing on music copyright issues, which, as we reported, laid into the radio industry for its exemption from paying performance royalties. Smyth took up the defense: “Radio in the U.S. has been, and continues to be, the most effective medium for a musician’s success.”