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3. The UK government will pass anti-piracy bill before the general election

Gordon Brown is listening © TIM BRAKEMEIER/epa/Corbis

Odds are very much on for PM Gordon Brown to call a general election as early as May this year but, despite the tight deadline, the BPI (the body representing UK labels) is convinced Britain's Digital Economy Bill will be passed in time.

What this means is that, while the original 'three strikes and your out' proposal was deemed too harsh, naughty file sharers can expect a slap on the wrist in the form of a warning letter.

The French government, on the other hand, has given the music industry one year to (voluntarily) adhere to its "controversial collective licensing scheme" that aims to unify, simplify and straighten out France's digital music market. The regimental approach has been rather fiercely opposed so far… (via Billboard)

4. Even more fan engagement

Pete Wentz speaks © BRENDAN MCDERMID/Reuters/Corbis

"I don't know if Led Zeppelin would have survived in this climate," bemoaned Ken Gullic, GM of US indie Rocket Science during the Searching for New Business Models: Indies Show the Way conference. "Or if John Lennon would have tweeted constantly. But now artists are expected to vomit up every thought."

"To me, the more the fan is interacting with you and feels part of the community, the more interested they will be in buying your music or coming out to your shows," said Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz during the Artists and Social Media - What's Next in Fan Engagement discussion.

The adoption of social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook by artists and record labels alike is set to continue in 2010. But, clearly, there's still a complete lack of unity between the two parties.

So, expect more Twittering nonsense, forward-thinking music sharing models and disastrous attempts at marketing and promotion to continue. And if you're still not tweeting, it's time to get the hell out of MySpace and… or is it?

Next: self marketing via Pharrell Williams and does MySpace still matter?

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