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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- February 28, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com 

o Amazon Provides Free Music Downloads, Lets Bands Upload Own Songs
o Random House Sues E-Publisher RosettaBooks Over Copyrights
o Philips Invests in E-Publishing Firm E Ink
o Streaming Media Developer Vividon Adds $5 Million to Second Round
o Echo Networks Gets Investment from Former BMG CEO Zelnick
o Briefly Noted: Nutella - Gnutella, Mars Music - Audioworks, "House Ads,"
Hollywood Stock Exchange, EMusic.com - Ubiquity Records, Ch.1 - Sylvania,
PBS - Triveni Digital, Nick.com - Yahooligans
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Dir./Mgr. of Public Relations, Biz Dev/Sales, Project
Mgr./E-Commerce

> Events/Services: "Cannes Interactive Forum," "Legal & Financial Foundations
of Venture Success," WebMessenger

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 Amazon Provides Free Music Downloads, Lets Bands Upload Own Songs

Seattle -- Amazon.com announced on Wednesday that it will provide free
music downloads of exclusive tracks from artists like the Beastie Boys,
Pearl Jam and Radiohead in a new section on its site. The company has
offered free downloads before, but has now expanded its offerings and
integrated them more fully into its online store, enabling users to
purchase the CD from the same page they download a free song. The company
has also created a section where bands can upload their songs for
downloading by Amazon.com visitors, much like MP3.com. Visitors can offer
compensation to artists that offer free songs by contributing money to
"virtual tip jars," of which Amazon.com will take 30 percent. In a press
release, the company said that in the 22 months it has offered free
downloads on its site, artists who have chosen to offer downloads have
seen CD sales increase an average of 40 percent. Also being offered as
free downloads are tracks from the latest "Red Hot +" AIDS-benefit album,
"Red Hot + Indigo." All of Amazon's free tracks will be available in both
MP3 and Liquid Audio formats.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010228/0174.html
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/468646/ref=gw_hp_ct_1_2/105-7018216-1387116 
_____________________________________________

o Random House Sues E-Publisher RosettaBooks Over Copyrights

New York -- Publisher Random House has filed suit against e-book publisher
RosettaBooks, claiming the company is illegally selling e-books for which
it owns the copyrights, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. New
York-based RosettaBooks said it has contracts with the authors in question
-- Kurt Vonnegut, William Styron and Robert B. Parker -- to publish
electronic versions of their works, and that Random House's contracts do
not specifically grant e-book publishing rights. Random House argues that
its exclusive rights to publish the works "in book format" include
e-books, because the print and electronic texts of the works are
identical. CNET reported that RosettaBooks has retained the law firm of
Boies Schiller & Flexner for the case. The firm is headed by David Boies,
who has recently represented Napster, the Justice Department in its
antitrust case against Microsoft, and then-Vice President Al Gore during
the post-election litigation.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4976631.html?tag=mn_hd 
http://www.rosettabooks.com 
http://www.randomhouse.com 
_____________________________________________

o Philips Invests in E-Publishing Firm E Ink

Cambridge, Mass. -- E Ink, a developer of electronic ink technology, said
that it has received an undisclosed investment from Philips Components, a
division of Royal Philips Electronics. The companies will also jointly
develop high-resolution electronic ink displays for use in handheld
devices. In return for its investment, Philips will receive the global
rights to manufacture and sell handheld displays using E Ink sheets, and
exclusivity on displays for personal digital assistants (PDAs) and
e-books, for a select period. Massachusetts-based E Ink's technology is a
liquid ink -- actually consisting of millions of microcapsules manipulated
by an electric field -- that can be printed on paper and other surfaces.
For displays, the ink is printed onto a sheet of plastic film that is then
laminated to a layer of circuitry that controls the pixel arrangement on
the sheet. E Ink claims that its electronic ink is easier to read than
newsprint and more energy efficient than traditional LCD displays.
http://www.eink.com/company/hotnews.shtml 
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Media Developer Vividon Adds $5 Million to Second Round

Sudbury, Mass. -- Vividon, a developer of streaming media infrastructure
technology, announced on Wednesday that it has raised an additional $5
million for its second round of venture funding, bringing the total for
the round to $20 million. Previous investors Venrock Associates, Atlas
Venture, Carlyle Venture Partners and private investor James Dow
participated in the additional funding. Massachusetts-based Vividon's
technology improves the cost-effectiveness of streaming media content
delivery by eliminating network bottlenecks while providing high-quality
streams to thousands of concurrent users. The company said it will not
need to use the funds during 2001. Vividon closed on the previous $15
million of its second round in October.
http://www.vividon.com/news/pr.php?pressReleaseID=18 
_____________________________________________

o Echo Networks Gets Investment from Former BMG CEO Zelnick

San Francisco -- Echo Networks, developer of a streaming media-based
community for music sharing, said on Wednesday that it has received an
undisclosed cash investment from former BMG Entertainment CEO Strauss
Zelnick's zelnickmedia LLC. "I admire Echo's commitment to developing a
community-based music experience for the listener while maintaining strong
relationships with all five of the major record labels," said Zelnick.
Zelnick will also take a seat on San Francisco-based Echo Networks's
board. The company introduced a beta version of its software in June 2000,
which creates streaming radio communities based on listening preferences
and song ratings provided by each community's users. It also plans to
introduce on-demand services such as digital lockers and subscriptions.
http://www.echo.com/pressroom_release_022701.jsp 
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Berlin) Hazelnut-flavored spread-maker Nutella has forced owners of
Gnutella file-sharing domains in Germany to shut down, saying that the
peer-to-peer technology is damaging the company's image, Reuters reported.
Owners of Gnutella.de and Newtella.de have taken down their websites at
the request of Ferrero, Nutella's parent company, while owners of other
websites like Knewtella.de have yet to comply.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,22499,00.html?mail 
http://www.nutellausa.com/ 

(Fort Lauderdale, Fl.) Musical instrument retailer Mars Music announced on
Wednesday that it will begin offering online music lessons to its website
visitors. The company is using London-based Audioworks' Learn2Play
software, which can listen to a student's playing through a microphone,
compare the performance to a "perfect" performance and provide feedback to
the student. The lessons cost $11.95 and will be available for guitar,
piano, flute and a number of other instruments.
http://www.marsmusic.com 

(New York) Web entertainment and media companies stock 30 percent of their
online ads with "house ads," or promotions for their own companies,
according to statistics published Wednesday by Jupiter Media Metrix. The
Internet measurement and research firm said that an abundance of "house
ads" may not be wise, as they dilute paying advertisers' messages at a
time when they badly need to prove a return on investment.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010228/nyw013.html 
http://www.jupiterresearch.com 

(Los Angeles) Hollywood Stock Exchange, a virtual stock exchange where
users buy and sell stock in celebrities, movies and music, announced on
Wednesday the launch of a market research division. HSX Research will
offer studios data culled from its users including long-lead estimates of
audience awareness, intention and box office projecting for all film
projects. The company said it will soon add advertising and product
placement effectiveness analyses to its data offerings.
http://www.hsx.com 

(Redwood City, Calif.) EMusic.com said on Wednesday that San
Francisco-based Ubiquity Records has licensed its catalog to the company's
paid downloadable music service. The deal includes Latin jazz and funk
recordings from the Ubiquity, Luv n' Haight and Cubop Records catalogs.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010228/sfw053.html 
http://www.emusic.com 
http://www.ubiquityrecords.com 

(Santa Ana, Calif.) Interactive television technology developer Ch.1 said
that it has partnered with Sylvania to develop an HDTV-ready interactive
television set. Santa Ana-based Ch.1's Internet appliance module will be
built into Sylvania's digital TVs and will operate without the need of an
external PC. Users will be charged a monthly subscription fee of $8.95 to
access the device's Internet functions. The first Sylvania-Ch.1 27" TV
will cost $899.00 and will be available in May 2001.
http://www.ch1.com 

(Washington) PBS said on Wednesday that it will conduct trials of an
enhanced television program that sends additional content over normal
broadcast signals rather than the Internet. PBS partnered with New
Jersey-based Triveni Digital to provide seven local PBS stations the
ability to add localized content to the broadcast signals of four episodes
of "Scientific American Frontiers." Zenith will provide the set-top boxes
necessary for viewers participating in the trials to accesss the enhanced
content.
http://www.trivenidigital.com/news_feb28.htm 
http://www.pbs.org 

(New York) Children's cable network Nickelodeon's Nick.com said on
Wednesday that it will provide content to Web portal Yahoo's Yahooligans
-- a site focused on kids aged 7-12. New York-based Nick.com will offer
sports news, "weird" news and information relating to Nickelodeon
characters such as the Rugrats and Jimmy Neutron.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010228/nyw058.html 
http://www.nick.com 
http://www.yahooligans.com 

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

> Load Media Network, Director/Manager of Public Relations - Los Angeles

Develop and execute Load Media's PR strategy. Manage relationship
with external PR agency. Implement standard public relations and
communications practices including but not limited to: media tours, events
and trade shows, desk side briefings, media pitching, press release
development, approvals and distribution, and message documents. 4-8 years
marketing/advertising experience. Send resumes to danderson@loadmedia.com 
http://www.loadmedia.com 
______________________

> everse, Business Development / Sales - Los Angeles

Internet professional services firm seeks star sales person to identify
and drive strategic business to closure. Assist clients in defining
business objectives, goals and budgets. Position requires establishing and
maintaining long-term relationships with client base. Bachelor's degree,
MBA preferred. History of closing web service business or agency-related.
Ability to generate leads through cold-calling.
Send resumes to stevey@everse.com 
http://www.everse.com 
______________________

> RichFX, Project Manager / E-commerce - New York City

Change the face of on-line shopping by helping to create the world's first
ONE PAGE storefront. This is an opportunity to work on truly breakthrough,
cutting-edge technology. Very competitive salary and equity in a
well-funded mature startup. Professional, but business casual environment.
Comprehensive benefits package.
Send resumes to nyrecruiter@richfx.com 
http://www.richfx.com 

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

> Cannes Interactive Forum, Mar. 9-19, 2001 - Cannes, France

MITIC 2001, an official part of the Cannes Film Festival, introduces THE
CANNES INTERACTIVE FORUM, a high-profile cost-effective way to demonstrate
computer-based technologies such as web content, production software,
streaming systems and more to entertainment industry elite.
Deadline to register is April 1.
rweiner@ddapr.com
/ 323.692.2330.
http://www.mediatek.com
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> Legal & Financial Foundations of Venture Success, Mar. 3 - Pasadena, CA

In association with the Caltech/MIT Enterprise Forum, this two-part
program looks at the high-tech venture from a legal & financial
perspective, providing both aspiring and experienced entrepreneurs with a
working knowledge of critical issues that can have a major impact on
venture success.
For more information and to register:
http://event3.inetevents.com/event/public/event.cfm?event_id=108
______________________

> WebMessenger: Wireless and Streaming Media Software

WebMessenger does Premium Software Development for Wireless,
Medical, Online Media, and Internet Industries. Competitive Contractor:
California based development and management with oversees support.
Excellent client relationships with perfect referrals. Top-Notch staff:
PhDs and Masters in Computer Science with many years of experience.
Quality Assurance dept. that ensures the highest standards are met.
High-Speed product development cycle: 24-hour global operations. Cost
effective development.
Contact: Aaron Hirsch aaron@webmessenger.com 202-483-5999
______________________

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