Geek News

There's not much reason to shop for CDs when you download or stream all your music, and big-box stores are reacting to that decline. Billboard sources have learned that Best Buy has told suppliers that it will remove music CDs from its stores as of July 1st. The chain was only making $40 million per year from the plastic discs -- a drop in the bucket for a retailer this size. Vinyl aficionados will still find records on sale for the next 2 years, according to the insiders, although they may have to be sold next to the turntables themselves. Target, meanwhile, appears on the cusp of backing out. It reportedly wants to switch from paying for all music CDs and DVDs it receives (and shipping back whatever it doesn't sell) to only paying for those discs that actually sell. Suppliers would have until April 1st or May 1st to make the switch, depending on the company. And they're not necessarily willing to cooperate -- at least one major music label is "leaning no,"...

If you grew up watching American TV, there's a good chance you've seen at least a little bit of the hospital drama ER . But if you've wanted to watch it online, your legal options have been limited unless you've been willing to buy it from services like iTunes. However, it just got considerably easier... for some people, at least. Hulu has announced that it's now the first and only place where you can stream all 15 seasons of ER . If you want to see what George Clooney was doing before he became an A-list movie star (or directing Hulu originals ), you just have to fire up a web browser. Hulu hasn't said whether or not its exclusive is just for the US or applies worldwide -- we've asked the company if it can elaborate. If it's international in scope, that rules out ER streaming in most countries given that Hulu is virtually non-existent outside of the US and Japan. Either way, it's a coup for Hulu as it fights for exclusives that could give it a...