archives

o European Commission Investigates Price Fixing By Record Labels
o Webcaster How to Web TV Raises $1.5 Million
o Adobe, Barnes & Noble Partner on E-Books
o EMI Settles Lawsuit Against Cell Phone Software Maker
o Briefly Noted: Liquid Audio - BMG Entertainment, EMI Recorded
Music - VirtueBroadcasting.com, Interplay.com, MusicGenome, Gnutella, The
New Yorker - Microsoft, Macrovision - Enron Broadband, AP Entertainment
Online, Fandom Inc.
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Panel: "Interactive Gaming on the Internet"

Interactive gaming is a $6.5 billion market with sales rivaling those of
the motion picture box offices. Forrester Research forecasts that
interactive gaming will be a $26 billion market by 2005. Which
technologies and business models will drive this expanding market? Will
entertainment companies profit from gaming on the Internet? Digital Media
Wire will hold a dinner and panel discussion: "Interactive Gaming on the
Internet: Recent Developments and New Opportunities" on Thursday, February
15, 2001 at the Argyle Hotel in Los Angeles. Moderator: Victor Hwang, COO,
larta. Confirmed panelists: George Alexander, VP Media & Entertainment,
CAP Gemini Ernst & Young; Jim Charne, Attorney and former President,
Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences; Brian Dearth, CEO, Hollywood
Stock Exchange; Chris Kantrowitz, CEO, The Groove Alliance.

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/panel1.html
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: VP Biz Dev/Sales, Senior Web Designer, Tech Writer, Account
Exec./Sr. Account Exec.

> Events: "Digital Media Outlook"

Full Job/Event descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section or at
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o European Commission Investigates Price Fixing By Record Labels

Brussels -- The European Commission is investigating possible collusion
among major record labels and retailers in Europe with regard to price
fixing of CDs, Bloomberg News reported. EMI Group, AOL Time Warner, Sony,
Bertelsmann and Vivendi Universal are under investigation as part of the
probe, along with five online and 13 traditional retailers -- none of
which were named in the report. If found guilty of colluding to maintain
artificially high prices for CDs, the companies could under European law
face fines of up to ten percent of their annual revenue. A similar
investigation in the U.S. resulted in a settlement between the FTC and the
major labels.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4618684.html
_____________________________________________

o Webcaster How to Web TV Raises $1.5 Million

Toronto -- How to Web TV Inc., a webcasting company that produces how-to
videos on a number of topics, announced on Tuesday that it has raised $1.5
million in a private placement. Toronto-based How to Web TV offers over
10,000 three-minute streaming instructional videos over the Internet. The
company plans to use the funds to develop content and for sales and
marketing efforts in Singapore, Germany, the U.K. and Sweden.
http://www.howtowebtv.com
_____________________________________________

o Adobe, Barnes & Noble Partner on E-Books

San Jose, Calif. -- Adobe Systems Incorporated, a developer of software
for web and print publishing, announced that it has partnered with
bookseller Barnes & Noble to offer e-books in Adobe's newly released
Acrobat eBook Reader 2.0 software. The software lets users download titles
and read them on their computers, and offers features such as a web
browser and interactive elements. Barnes & Noble and Adobe will offer some
titles -- including "Survivor II: The Field Guide," published by TV Books
-- exclusively on their own sites before they are available elsewhere. In
addition to its popular PDF software that prints documents as they appear
on computer screens, San Jose-based Adobe also makes the Photoshop and
Illustrator software programs for graphic design and publishing.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010129/ca_adobe_b.html
http://www.adobe.com
http://www.bn.com
_____________________________________________

o EMI Settles Lawsuit Against Cell Phone Software Maker

Cambridge, Mass. -- EMI Music Publishing has settled its $45 million
copyright infringement lawsuit against Global Music One -- incubator of
YourMobile.com -- a company that let users download free song melodies to
use as distinct rings on their cell phones, according to a Webnoize
report. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Santa Monica-based
YourMobile.com allegedly offered users over 300 melodies from EMI songs
without authorization.
http://news.webnoize.com
http://www.yourmobile.com
http://www.emigroup.com
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Redwood City, Calif.) Liquid Audio, a provider of encoding and
distribution for digital music, announced on Tuesday that major record
label BMG Entertainment will make 500 selected albums available for
on-demand CD creation through its network of in-store kiosks. "This
agreement with Liquid Audio will enable BMG to promote and sell a larger
variety of our artists' music in the traditional retail environment and
enable our retailers to benefit from the opportunities presented by
virtual inventory," said Pete Jones, CEO of BMG Distribution. The kiosks
will also let users print out album art and liner notes for the albums.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010130/ca_liquid_.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com

(London) EMI Recorded Music announced on Tuesday that it has formed a
strategic partnership with VirtueBroadcasting.com, a provider of streaming
services. Under the agreement, London-based VirtueBroadcasting.com will
provide encoding, hosting and streaming services to U.K.-based EMI labels.
The company currently provides streaming services for the Beatles' first
official website, as well as for Madonna's site.
http://www.virtuebroadcasting.com/main/default.asp?thispage=6&item=8
http://www.emigroup.com

(Irvine, Calif.) Interactive entertainment company Interplay, Inc.
announced on Tuesday the formation of an online gaming network --
Interplay.com. Cal Morrell, former vice president of marketing for
Interplay, will serve as president of Interplay.com. The site will be
focused on the company's massively multiplayer games (MMPGs), and also
offer streaming game samples from Moffett Field, Calif.-based
StreamTheory.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010130/ca_interpl.html
http://www.interplay.com

(Tel Aviv) Personalization software developer MusicGenome announced on
Tuesday the availability of its technology that learns and simulates an
individual's underlying musical taste in order to provide personalized
music recommendations. The results of the recommendations are then
utilized by the company's Music Recommendation Engine, a search engine
that it markets to traditional and online music retailers, online radio
stations, cellular service providers and portable audio player suppliers.
Tel Aviv-based MusicGenome's product will face competition from U.S.-based
companies like SavageBeast and MusicBuddha.
http://www.musicgenome.com

(San Francisco) CNET is currently running a feature story on Gnutella, the
open source file-sharing software similar to Napster. In light of
Bertelsmann's announcement that Napster will become a paid service this
summer, many will be looking to the free Gnutella as an alternative,
although the software is more difficult to use than Napster. "Gnutella is
not for mainstream users who don't understand what an IP address is," said
Webnoize analyst Ric Dube. "Lack of speed only discourages a person once
they figure out how to use it. But first they have to figure out how to
use it." The article also chronicles the progress of new versions of
Gnutella as they become more user-friendly.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-201-4619114-0.html

(San Francisco) The New Yorker will launch its upcoming e-book series
exclusively in Microsoft Reader format, Wired News reported on Tuesday.
The first three of the publication's $7.95-priced e-books will focus on
medicine, business and new fiction stories written by regular New Yorker
contributors including Jhumpa Lahiri, Junot Diaz, Matt Klam and Malcolm
Gladwell.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,41451,00.html
http://www.newyorker.com/

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Copy-protection software maker Macrovision announced
on Tuesday that it has licensed its product for Internet distribution to
Enron Broadband. Enron recently announced the launch of its consumer
video-on-demand service in conjunction with Blockbuster, Inc.
Sunnyvale-based Macrovision's software allows consumers to view, but not
record, programs that are copy-protected at the discretion of system
operators or program suppliers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010130/ca_macrovi.html
http://www.macrovision.com
http://www.enroncommunications.com/content_delivery/video_on_demand/

(New York) AP Digital, the online unit of the Associated Press, announced
on Tuesday the formation of AP Entertainment Online. The service will
offer breaking stories and insider views of the entertainment business,
reviews, celebrity interviews, listings, ratings, best sellers and
coverage of special events such as the Grammys and Academy Awards.
Websites can receive the AP content in text, photo, audio and video
formats.
http://www.apdigitalnews.com
http://www.ap.org

(Santa Monica, Calif.) Entertainment site Fandom Inc. announced on Tuesday
the appointment of Debra Streicker-Fine to the position of CEO.
Streicker-Fine replaces company founder and CEO Mark Young, who will
continue to work with the company as an adviser. Previously,
Streicker-Fine served as president of Digital Domain.
http://www.fandom.com

===================================================
Job Postings:
===================================================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> Sonata, Director/VP Biz. Dev./Sales - Wireless Internet - New York City

Venture-backed wireless company specializing in the next generation of
location-based applications and wireless advertising seeks executive to
initiate, negotiate and close deals. Cultivation of business contacts,
structuring deals, negotiation of contracts and being part of an effective
business development team will be essential. Familiarity with advertising,
high-tech software or Internet products. Must have a passion for
emergingtechnology. Send resumes to hr@sonatainc.com.
http://www.sonata.com
_____________________________________________

> Lucid Designs, Senior Web Designer - Los Angeles

This is an opportunity to join a young, growing company with established
high-profile clients. Should have a minimum of two years design
experience, and a thorough knowledge of web standard design software such
as Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. Experience with Dreamweaver, DHTML,
CD-ROM or print production are pluses, but not required. Position includes
benefits and generous salary. Send resumes and examples of on-line work to
jobs@luciddesigns.com
http://www.luciddesigns.com
_____________________________________________

> Static, Tech Writer - Los Angeles

Software company that transforms the desktop into a peer-to-peer
distributed network for businesses and consumers seeks writer to document
cool software. Needs to have moderate programming/coding skills
(especially C/C++), as well as clear, concise and creative writing skills.
Experience with some sort of document layout software is needed. Send
resumes and tech-writing samples to cooljobs@static.com
http://www.static.com
_____________________________________________

> Ruder Finn, TECHNOLOGY-Account Exec./Sr. Account Exec. - San Francisco

Global independent public relations agency seeks executives to help handle
explosive new business growth in dynamic and fast-moving office. Requires
excellent written/oral communication, organizational and problem-solving
skills, as well as a passion for client service. Sr. level positions
require strong program planning, client counseling and staff mentoring
skills. Great accounts, smart programs, competitive compensation and
benefits. Send resumes to careers@ruderfinn.com
http://www.ruderfinn.com

===================================================
Event Postings:
===================================================
To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Digital Media Outlook, April 2, 2001 -- New York City

Don't miss a beat. In a world of limited bandwidth, companies are
pushing technology and services that mesh data with formats like MP3
and MPEG while employing edge serving and IP multicasting to clear
a path to the audience. At Digital Media Outlook, learn where
the future lies for rich media services and infrastructure companies.
http://www.digitalmediaoutlook.com/home.html?e=DMO01Dwire
______________________

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com

Questions or comments? Send email to:
mark@digitalmediawire.com

News tips, press releases. Send email to:
editorial@digitalmediawire.com