Hypebot: SXSW Lineup, Variety Offers Freebies, EMI Goes MP3?, Rick Rubin at Columbia, Indies Associate, Industry Sales/Profit Drops, Concert Industry Consortium

Weekly music industry news from Hypebot:

The official SXSW showcase lineup has been announced...finally.

Entertainment industry trade publication Variety has opened free access to its web site and launches a digital edition.

EMI is floating a proposal that would have it selling downloads of its catalog as DRM free mp3's.

Rick Rubin to co-chair Columbia Records.

Indie music is being re-centralized as labels band together in associations and fans flock to MySpace and other aggregators.

Quarterly earnings reports show distributor Navarre's sales dropping 2.3%, Warner Music Group profits dropping 70% causing a drop in stock prices and Napster's revenues rose but profits were cut by half.

News, new strategies, and trends in touring were all part of The Concert Industry Consortium in LA this week (news round-up).  Ozzie used the occasion to announce that tickets to this year's Ozzfest would be free.

See ProHipHop's Hypebot Industry News category for past roundups.