archives

o Napster Appellate Court Ruling Scheduled for Monday
o Prince to Launch Paid Online Music Club for Fans
o Spoken Word Audio Provider Audible Receives $10 Million from Microsoft
o Set-Top Box Maker Pace Micro Acquires Xcom for $26 Million
o Briefly Noted: alt.SHO.com Alternative Media Festival, Net4Music,
BigChampagne, Gnutella, iClips - Evian, Bertelsmann - RTL Group
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> 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; Mark
Kapczynski, Principal Consultant, Microsoft Media & Entertainment Group.

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/panel1.html
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> Job Postings: VP Biz Dev/Sales, Senior Web Designer, Tech Writer, Account
Exec./Sr. Account Exec.

> Events: "The DIY Convention"

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
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o Napster Appellate Court Ruling Scheduled for Monday

San Francisco -- After just over four months of deliberation, the U.S.
9th Circuit Court of Appeals will issue a ruling as to whether or not a
lower court's injunction -- which could result in Napster's music
file-sharing network being shut down -- should be upheld, Webnoize
reported on Friday. Redwood City-based Napster was sued by labels
represented by the Recording Industry Association of America for allegedly
infringing on copyrights held by the labels by allowing users to freely
disseminate music. If the court upholds the injunction, Napster would be
forced to remove all copyrighted music from its list of available files --
which the company has said would effectively shut down the file-sharing
service. If the court overturns the ruling, Napster can continue
operating, and the case will go back to trial in the District Court in San
Francisco that originally issued the injunction. Since the injunction was
stayed in October, an estimated 1.76 billion songs have been downloaded
from Napster, according to Webnoize. The hearing is scheduled for 11 A.M.
PDT on Monday.
http://www.ce9.uscourts.gov/
http://news.webnoize.com/item.rs?ID=11565
http://www.napster.com
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o Prince to Launch Paid Online Music Club for Fans

New York -- Musical artist Prince announced on Friday that he will launch
an online club for fans of his music, asking users to pay a monthly fee of
$7.77 to access basic content, and an annual fee of $100 to access premium
content. The online club is part of a promotion for the artist's new album
and NPG Music Club, a physical venue that Prince will open in New York
City on February 13, located at the renovated Upstairs at Studio 54.
Subscribers to the basic monthly membership will receive a minimum of
three new songs from the artist each month accompanied by corresponding
music videos and a free one-hour radio show hosted by Prince and members
of his band New Power Generation (NPG) featuring music, commentary and
original skits. Basic monthly members will also be able to create their
own mixes using music posted on the site. Premium annual membership
entitles members to: preferred seating at all Prince concerts as well as
VIP passes to all after shows/parties; a special remixed version of
Prince's new album; and online access to unreleased rehearsal tapes and
live webcasts of rehearsal jams at Prince's Paisley Park Studios in
Minneapolis. The site will launch at midnight on February 14.
http://www.npgmusicclub.com
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o Spoken Word Audio Provider Audible Receives $10 Million from Microsoft

Wayne, N.J. -- Audible, Inc., a provider of Internet-delivered spoken word
audio content, announced on Friday that Microsoft has increased its stake
in the company with a new investment of $10 million. The investment will
go towards developing wireless distribution of New Jersey-based Audible's
spoken word content. Microsoft will also help Audible market its audio
books, news and other content to consumers and businesses. "Spoken-word
content is a key growth area for the development of digital media
commerce," said Dick Brass, vice president of technology development at
Microsoft, "and we share Audible's vision of a future in which the
information and entertainment economy is fundamentally based on digital
delivery." Microsoft led Audible's March 1999 $11 million round of
funding; the company had an initial public offering on the Nasdaq Market
in July of that year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010209/nj_audible.html
http://www.audible.com
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o Set-Top Box Maker Pace Micro Acquires Xcom for $26 Million

Saltaire, U.K. -- Pace Micro Technology, a developer of set-top boxes for
interactive television, announced that it has acquired set-top retailer
Xcom Multimedia Communications. The cash and stock transaction is valued
at about $26 million. Francis Brochon will remain president of
France-based Xcom, and the company will maintain its current operations.
U.K.-based Pace Micro announced last week that it will include the
platform from Sega's now-defunct Dreamcast console in its set-top boxes.
http://www.pace.co.uk/content.asp?id=444&template=0
http://www.xcom-mc.fr
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o Briefly Noted:

(New York) Showtime Networks' website alt.SHO.com on Friday announced the
winners of its first annual Alternative Media Festival, which awarded nine
participants with $10,000 to develop their new media projects. The winner
of the $20,000 Grand Prize was "Hardly Workin'," by Paul Marino and The
ILL Clan. The festival encouraged use of new media by only allowing
entries to be submitted in multimedia formats such as Macromedia's Flash
and Shockwave, and HTML.
http://alt.sho.com/content/winners_2000_pr.cfm

(New York) Online sheet music provider Net4Music announced on Friday the
appointment of current COO Sean LaFleur to the position of CEO. Former CEO
Francois Duliege will remain Chairman of the Board. New York-based
Net4Music provides copy-protected downloads of sheet music from providers
including EMI Music Publishing and Schott Musik International.
http://www.net4music.com

(New York) Inside.com on Friday featured an article on BigChampagne, an
online marketing company using instant messaging technology on the Napster
file-sharing service to market bands. The company launched a campaign for
artist Aimee Mann, in which it searched the company's servers to find
users whose hard drives contained songs by the artist, and then sent
personal instant messages directing them to an unreleased track on Mann's
site. Salon.com also ran a feature about instant messaging marketing that
describes the massive spam threat that exists as marketers begin to use
this method, inundating users with instant messages promoting various
things.
http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=23081&pod_id=9
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/02/09/napster_parasites/index.html

(San Francisco) Gnutella users face possible security problems if they
aren't careful when designating which files to share on the peer-to-peer
network, CNET reported on Friday. If a user designates their entire hard
drive, "cookies" located there may be accessed by anyone who searches the
user's computer. Cookies are pieces of information sent from a user's
computer to websites that personalize content, or save passwords so that a
user need not remember them. They can also contain credit card numbers and
other personal information.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4762138.html

(San Francisco) iClips, a provider of personal video file-sharing, has
announced the launch of a streaming media advertising campaign with
bottled water retailer Evian, according to Streamingmedia.com. During the
month of February, iClips will insert a ten-second Flash animation
advertisement for Evian prior to all of the user videos streamed from its
site, as well as partner sites such as Homestead and iNBC.
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=6804
http://www.iclips.com
http://www.evian.com

(New York) BusinessWeek Online is currently running a feature that
speculates on Bertelsmann's attempt to build a video file-sharing service
similar to Napster, which it also has invested in. The German media
company recently acquired a majority stake in RTL Group, the largest
television company in Europe. The move gives the company the potential to
allow a large network of paid subscribers to "trade their favorite
episodes of Benny Hill as easily as Napsterites now swap tracks by
Eminem," the article said.
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/feb2001/nf2001025_932.htm/?c=bwinsiderfeb09&n=link27&t=email

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Job Postings:
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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
emerging technology. Send resumes to hr@sonatainc.com
http://www.sonata.com
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> 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
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> 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
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> 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

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

> The DIY Convention - Do It Yourself in Film, Music & Books - Los Angeles

A one-day showcase examining the DIY Digital Revolution. The Convention
will educate attendees -- entertainment professionals, indie labels and
production companies, musicians and content creators -- on the steps
necessary to bring their vision to the worldwide audience. Panels will
address all the legal, business and creative steps needed to produce,
exploit and distribute books, music and film.
Registration: http://www.diyconvention.com
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