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Artist will.i.am – aka Intel’s director of creative innovation – is gearing up for world tour as part of the Intel Ultrabook Project, writes Mark Terry. The 12-city, 12-month tour, which will kick off in Mexico City at the end of the month, will deliver a dozen original pieces of music inspired by the cities will.i.am visits, and 10,000 downloads of each piece of music will be available exclusively on the Intel.com website.

Google Music has launched Magnified Artists to showcase unsigned artists in the Android music store and to perform at live events, writes Maria Stadtmueller. The search giant uses sales performance, buzz monitoring and editorial nous to select Magnified acts from its recently launched Artist Hub, a digital destination which allows bands to upload and sell music.

Thanks to rapid expansion into new markets by services such as iTunes, Spotify and Deezer, major international digital music services are now present in 58 countries worldwide, compared to just 23 at the start of 2011, says the IFPI’s Digital Music Report 2012.

Digital music revenues to record companies grew by 8% globally in 2011 to a round $5.2 billion, compared to growth of 5% in 2010.

MTV UK & Ireland worked with social media buzz outfit Musicmetric to take the pulse of fans’ responses to unsigned acts in its Brand New For 2012 contest. Dubstep and artist hip-hop Context has just been crowned the winner of the unsigned slot on the list.

Time to limber up for Grateful Dead: The Epic Tour. What is it? It’s a social game playable online and on mobile handsets, with players taken on a trip through Dead time as Grateful Dead Productions re-imagines 10 of the band’s most epic shows, writes Mark Terry.

Brands just can’t get enough of musicians when it comes to hiring creative talent. Polaroid boasts Lady Gaga as its creative director, car maker Lotus has appointed rapper and DJ Swizz Beatz vp of creative design and global marketing – the artist also holds the same position over at Reebok – and last year, Puma recruited Professor Green as its Puma Social Ambassador, says Maria Stadtmuller.

UK broadcaster Channel 4 has allied with Red Bull Studios to produce Launched At Red Bull Studios. The 10-part series is showcasing performances from artists expected to make it in 2012.

The top 10 artists – as championed by established DJs, artists and tastemakers – include Delilah, Beth Jeans Houghton, 2:54, Dot Rotten, Niki & the Dove, Charli XCX, Theme Park, Jessie Ware, King Charles and Spector.

Hertz and Live Nation have rolled out the Hertz Ticket To Ride contest, the first promotion of the two brands’ Hertz Movin’ With Music recently launched marketing campaign.

Music fans wishing to meet and interview soul band Fitz And The Tantrums need to head to Facebook, upload a holiday or road trip photo, select a version of the Hertz mascot, Horatio to add to the photo, then submit the image for consumer voting.

Japanese break beat duo Hifana took to the streets of Tokyo with the Fresh Push Play iPhone app, which enables users to sample urban ambient sounds and add them to the music mix. The result? Remix Your City.

Developed by W+K Tokyo Lab, the app apes the equipment used by the duo in their performances, offering a Hifana mode and also an interactive game function based on a simulation of a live performance.