Less than three months after formally bursting onto the scene in the United States, streaming music service Spotify has established an impressive foothold.

Reuters reports the company has signed up more than 250,000 paying customers here since its launch. The company revealed last month that its worldwide paying customer base has topped 2 million.

Spotify has not commented on the numbers.

The growth can partially be attributed to the pend up demand for Spotify in recent years. The company built a sterling reputation in Europe, which had US audiences craving it, so an initial burst of registrations wasn't surprising.

Things went into overdrive, though, when Facebook brought the company on stage at its f8 conference this year to showcase its new app structure that will allow users to share content. That put Spotify front and center among the social network's 800 million users. Today, the service is being used by almost 7 million Facebook users.

Launched in 2006, Spotify offers both a free as-supported service as well as the ad-free premium service, which can also be used on mobile devices. The service has a catalog of roughly 13 million songs, adding as many as 10,000 per day.

The holiday season has kicked off for the video game industry – and not a moment too soon.

Retail sales of video game software were up 3 percent in September to $630.2 million, a welcome change from the record setting lows of the past three months. The increase was welcome news, though not as strong as some industry observers were hoping for.

Overall, brick and mortar sales were off 4 percent, dragged down by a decline in hardware sales (which fell 9 percent) and accessory sales (which slid 14 percent).

The latest installment in EA's Madden series was the month's top selling game. Usually an early August release, the company pushed the game back this year to more closely align with the start of the NFL regular season. That meant tentpole franchises from Microsoft and Sony both suffered. Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 3 came in second, while Sony's Resistance 3 only managed to come in seventh.

Dead Island's zombie shooter Dead Island was a surprising third. Despite so-so reviews, the game's incredibly cinematic and emotional trailer convinced many to give it a shot. That trailer was integral to Lionsgate's decision to option the film rights to the game last month.

You can find the month's top selling games after the break. 

Steve Jobs never had a lot of interest in the video game world, but that didn't stop Apple from accidentally becoming one of the most influential companies in the industry.

Now, the founder of Valve Software, makers of the acclaimed "Half-Life" series and Steam digital distribution system, says he believes Apple could make Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo's consoles irrelevant at some point in the future.

"I suspect Apple will launch a living room product that redefines people's expectations really strongly and the notion of a separate console platform will disappear," said Gabe Newell at the WTIA TechNW conference Tuesday.

It's a bold prediction – and Newell noted he has no advance knowledge of Apple's plans - but Newell's track record makes him worth listening to. Valve's bet on Steam, long before digital distribution had come of age, has made the company the industry leader in PC game sales.

Apple, of course, has severely disrupted the handheld gaming business with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Sales of the Nintendo 3DS have been weak for a number of reasons, but one of those was consumers opting to spend their money on a multi-function device, rather than a dedicated handheld game system.

The living room is the battleground of consoles – and many have been adjusting their strategies to expand their audience. Sony has added original programming to the PlayStation 3 in recent years and Microsoft last week announced 40 content providers it was partnering with to stream live and on-demand programming through its Xbox 360.

Apple, too, has an interest in the living room. The company's Apple TV hasn't been an overwhelming hit to date, but has a respectable user base. If Apple were to blend that system with a gaming device that does redefine expectations, as Newell, predicts, it could represent a paradigm shift in the industry.

Few, if any, in the Hollywood community have embraced the Web as passionately as Felicia Day.

Now, with the fifth season of her comedic web-series "The Guild" in her pocket, Day has weighed anchor on a new project, a six-part Web series tying in with Electronic Arts hit video game franchise "Dragon Age" – and it looks like she may have another hit on her hands.

"Dragon Age: Redemption" (embedded below) was written and conceived by Day, who's a big fan of the series (which is made by EA division BioWare, one of the most respected studios in the industry). EA owns the intellectual property, but gave the actress free reign on where the story goes.

Day also stars in the nine-minute episode as Tallis, an Elvish assassin. She recreated the role for a downloadable add-on for the game that also releases today.

"I believe this is the first time a project has taken a character from a web series into a video game as a playable character," she wrote on her blog. "As a big Dragon Age fan I am thrilled to be able to use their epic fantasy universe to tell a story I created, and then live IN their universe as the character. "

Part of what makes Day unique is her active online marketing of her work. Beyond discussing Redemption via her always active Twitter feed, Day is also utilizing a feature on Google+ known as Hangouts – group video chats about various topics. Day spent Tuesday visiting as many Hangouts as she could in a three-hour window, answering questions about the show and posing for pictures for fans.

It's an interactive and intimate promotional plan that could easily help the Redemption series go even more viral – and is part of the reason the actress has become a darling among the online community.

(Photo courtesy of feliciaday.com)

Four months after Warner Bros. announced that it would delay the release of its films in Hungary due to rampant piracy in that country, officials have raided a substantial piracy operation.

Police have confiscated a number of computers and allegedly pirated content that belonged to the CiNEDUB ring. Included among the haul was a 70 TB hard drive housing 5,000 movies, 4,000 songs, 6,000 games and computer software.

TorrentFreak notes CiNEDUB was one of the higher profile distributors of pirated content. The group had over 10 servers at its base. Two men are currently under arrest with the rest of the outfit still at large.

The MPAA, in a report on the price of movie piracy, noted that Hungary, along with China and Russia, has one of the highest piracy rates in the world. Warner's forced delay window was meant to cut down on people using camcorders to film new releases and release them online or on city streets. The company also issued a ban on midnight screenings.

Just days after announcing a slew of alliances with cable channels and services, Microsoft is adding Ultimate Fighting Championship events to its growing roster of non-gaming programming.

Starting Dec. 1, Xbox 360 users will be able to order pay-per-view events as well as access a library of live and on-demand content. The first pay-per-view will be the company's UFC 140 event on Dec. 10.

Users will be able to watch weigh-ins, interviews, event previews and press conferences before the event. Additionally, though the 360's social elements they'll be able to share predictions with each other on interactive fight cards, which size up the competitors and their previous results.

There's no indication if this Dec. 1 date is when Microsoft plans to roll out its complete slate of live programming, including the ability to watch live television content. The company has shied away from giving an exact date for that, only saying it will occur later this year.

With so many achievements to his credit, Steve Jobs impact on the advertising industry is often forgotten.

The fact is that with Jobs influence, the modern Super Bowl commercial might never have happened. The "1984" spot that is so well known was conceived by Chiat/Day and directed by Ridley Scott, but it was the Macintosh that was the inspiration.

Jobs himself tended to shy away from being the marketing face of the company, but in 1997 he almost stepped into the role. It was during the "Think Different" campaign – which was ultimately voiced by Richard Dreyfuss. But an early version of the first installment of the ads was voiced by Jobs.

It never aired, but hearing it now - after his untimely death Wednesday – adds a certain gravity to the spot. 

The death of Apple co-founder and tech visionary Steve Jobs was something we all suspected was coming, but still were shocked to hear had occurred. His impact on the entertainment and tech industries is something that will be measured for years to come.

As news of his passing spread Wednesday night, impressions and condolences came flowing from all corners of the entertainment and technology worlds. Here is a collection of some of those tributes:

Steve Jobs' Family - Steve died peacefully today surrounded by his family.

In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family. We are thankful to the many people who have shared their wishes and prayers during the last year of Steve's illness; a website will be provided for those who wish to offer tributes and memories.

We are grateful for the support and kindness of those who share our feelings for Steve. We know many of you will mourn with us, and we ask that you respect our privacy during our time of grief.

Disney CEO Bob Iger - Steve Jobs was a great friend as well as a trusted advisor. His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built. It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed and the culture he defined. Steve was such an 'original,' with a thoroughly creative, imaginative mind that defined an era. Despite all he accomplished, it feels like he was just getting started. With his passing the world has lost a rare original, Disney has lost a member of our family, and I have lost a great friend.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates - I'm truly saddened to learn of Steve Jobs' death. Melinda and I extend our sincere condolences to his family and friends, and to everyone Steve has touched through his work.

Steve and I first met nearly 30 years ago, and have been colleagues, competitors and friends over the course of more than half our lives. The world rarely sees someone who has had the profound impact Steve has had, the effects of which will be felt for many generations to come.

For those of us lucky enough to get to work with him, it's been an insanely great honor. I will miss Steve immensely.

News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch - Today, we lost one of the most influential thinkers, creators and entrepreneurs of all time. Steve Jobs was simply the greatest CEO of his generation. While I am deeply saddened by his passing, I'm reminded of the stunning impact he had in revolutionizing the way people consume media and entertainment. My heart goes out to his family and to everyone who had the opportunity to work beside him in bringing his many visions to life.

Cary Sherman, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Assn. of America - Like all music fans, we are saddened to hear of the passing of Steve Jobs. Steve was a larger-than-life personality -- passionate about music and one of its biggest fans and advocates. He was a true visionary who forever transformed how fans access and enjoy music. With the introduction of the iTunes software and other platforms, Steve and Apple made it once again easy and accepted to pay for music. His legacy will live on, long past his all-too-short time on earth.

Microsoft, which tried unsuccessfully to acquire Yahoo in 2008, is thinking about making another run at the company. This time, though, a merger of the two companies could impact the entertainment landscape.

To be clear: There's no offer at this point and there's apparently a lot of internal debate about whether to make one at Microsoft headquarters these days. And, technically, Yahoo hasn't announced it's for sale – though it has been talking quietly with potential bidders.

Reuters, which initially reported Microsoft's renewed interest in Yahoo!, notes other bidders for the company include Providence Equity Partners, Hellman & Friedman and Silver Lake Partners, as well as Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and Russian technology investment firm DST Global.

Were Microsoft and Yahoo to come together, though, things are notably different than they were three years ago. Yahoo has invested heavily in original content in that time. Just this week, in fact, the company unveiled plans for eight new Web-based shows targeted at women. That will bring the count up to 26.

Microsoft, meanwhile, has been focusing on distributing content, especially through its Xbox 360 console. (Earlier today, the company announced its lineup of 40 programming partners to stream live TV and VOD programs through the system.)

Yahoo's original content might help the Xbox broaden its appeal to women and give it a leg up in original content for the Xbox, an area Sony has been exploring on the PlayStation 3 with reality fare such as The Tester.

Those of you hoping to hear news about the iPhone 5 may have been a bit disappointed by today's Apple press event, but the iPhone 4S seems to have plenty of solid improvements on the way.

The new phones will be available for pre-order on Oct. 7 and will launch Oct. 14. Pricing will range from $199 for a 16GB version to $399 for a 64GB version.

Apple had lots of ground to cover in its event. Here's a look at all the news, broken down by platform.

iPhone 4S

* Will use the A5 chip (the same found in the iPad 2, doubling its processing power and increasing its graphical power by up to 7 times

* Despite the new processor, the phone's battery life is now placed at 8 hours. (You'll get 6 hours of browsing time on 3G, 9 hours of WiFi browsing, 10 hours of video playback and 40 hours of music playback.)

* For the first time, the iPhone will shoot 1080p video (with real-time stabilization and real-time temporal noise reduction)

* The 4S' camera will have an 8MP sensor which Apple says will get 73% more light than the iPhone 4 sensor

* The Siri voice controlled "intelligent assistant" offers promising voice interaction with the phone, letting you simply ask questions, rather than Googling information or manually sending a meeting request.

* The iPhone 4's price is dropping to $99

* The iPhone 8GB 3GS will now be offered for free by carriers

* Add Sprint to the networks who now carry the iPhone. T-Mobile is now the only major U.S. carrier lacking the device.

iOS 5

* The new operating system for iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches will ship Oct. 12

* It will be a free download

* New features include iMessage (a messaging service between iOS users that's pushed to all of their devices, upgrades to GameCenter and easier access to the camera (i.e. you can now get to it from the lock screen and can pinch to zoom)

* iCloud, which will ship simultaneous with the new OS will allow auto-syncing of iTunes, photos and documents, along with contacts, calendars and mail.

Hard numbers

(Apple tends to use these events to give updates on sales, etc. It's a drag on the presentation, but the numbers are often eye-popping – though keep in mind they're often skewed in Apple's favor. That said, according to Apple:)

* The iPod now controls 78 percent of the portable music player market

* Since 2001, they've sold 300 million iPods worldwide.

* 45 million iPods were sold in the last year (half to first time iPod buyers)

* iPhone has seen 125 percent year-over-year growth

* Apple has sold more than 250 million iPads

* The App store has roughly 500,000 apps, currently – with over 18 billion downloaded so far.

* Users are now downloading more than 1 billion apps per month