archives

o Implementing Song Blocking a Difficult Process for Napster
o Sen. Hatch Calls for Hearing on Online Entertainment, Copyright Law
o Entertainment Site UGO Networks Raises $13M, Lays Off 30% of Staff
o Canal Plus Technologies Gets Investment from Sun Microsystems for iTV
o Former Sega.com Executives Launch High-Speed ISP for Gamers
> Digital Media Wire Networkin' Hoedown, Mar. 12 - SXSW, Austin, Texas
o Briefly Noted: SDMI, MP3.com - Maverick Records, Macrovision - Artisan
Entertainment, CantaMetrix - Wippit, Matt Goyer, McAfee "Virus Attack,"
Artistpro.com - Alan Parsons, Fandango - Tellme Networks, ACTV - Game Show
Network, Sprint PCS - Alloy Online, Musicbank, Loudeye Technologies, Tonos
Entertainment
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> Job Postings: Account Executive, Asst. Marketing Mgr./Internet, Music Titler

> Events/Services: "Artesia Digital Asset Management Seminar,"
"Cannes Interactive Forum"

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 Implementing Song Blocking a Difficult Process for Napster

Redwood City, Calif. -- This past weekend, Napster said it would begin
implementing new technology into its music file-sharing service that would
block access to copyrighted songs. By Monday morning, some of the most
noteworthy acts that had asked to be removed from the service, such as
Metallica and Dr. Dre, were still readily available. A search for
Metallica's song "Unforgiven" on the service Monday did return the reply,
"No matching files found!" but a broader search not including song titles
returned a number of filenames. Many of these were misspelled, such as
"Inter Sandman" (instead of "Enter Sandman") and "Master of Puppet"
(rather than "Master of Puppets"). An explanation of this phenomenon on
the company's website reads, "Napster has proposed to cooperate with the
plaintiffs in developing variations of song names and artists' names that
might refer to the copyrighted work that is on the Napster service and
exclude the names of those files as well. Napster has asked for the
appointment of a Special Master to facilitate that process." Currently,
Napster and the recording industry are debating the method through which
record labels must inform Napster of infringing files. Napster has asked
that labels include documented proof that the labels indeed own the
copyrights of songs they wish to have removed from the service, which has
spawned some controversy over the diligence of record-keeping at the
labels, and the revelation that many of their records have not yet been
digitized. Napster also said that implementing the song-blocking
technology will impair the efficiency of its service and also exclude
songs that have been authorized by copyright holders for trading. "It is a
complex technological solution that is very taxing to the system and will
degrade the operation of the service. In addition, it will result in the
exclusion of a great many files that are authorized as opposed to
unauthorized." In its coverage of the story, CNET mentioned software
released by Napster-rival Aimster that changes song titles into "Pig
Latin" ("nforgivenU"), potentially fooling the song-blocking technology.
http://www.napster.com/pressroom/pr/010302-qanda.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5028511.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.aimster.com/pigencoder.phtml
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o Sen. Hatch Calls for Hearing on Online Entertainment, Copyright Law

Washington -- Sen. Orrin Hatch told Senate Judiciary Committee members on
Monday that the Committee will hold a hearing entitled, "Online
Entertainment and Copyright Law: Coming Soon to a Digital Device Near You"
on April 3. Witnesses who will testify at the hearing have not yet been
selected. Following the Appeals Court ruling announcement that essentially
upheld an injunction against Napster, Hatch issued a statement in which he
voiced a "a gnawing concern that this legal victory for the record labels
may prove pyrrhic or short-sighted from a policy perspective." The
statement also said that he would soon schedule an additional Committee
hearing that has now been confirmed for April 3. At the Committee's two
previous hearings, Hatch and Sen. Leahy urged a "marketplace solution" to
existing controversies in digital music such as compulsory licensing,
which would circumvent any changes in policy. Hatch is one of the main
authors of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, the main piece of
legislation governing what rights copyright holders, artists and music
fans have with regard to digital music.
http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/ogh021401nap.htm
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o Entertainment Site UGO Networks Raises $13M, Lays Off 30% of Staff

New York -- UGO Networks, a network of entertainment websites targeted at
18- to 34-year-old males, announced on Monday that it has raised an
additional $13 million in new funding to close its fifth round of venture
capital financing at $23 million. GRP and Gryphon Holdings led the
investment round. The company also announced that it will lay off 30
percent of its staff, or 40 employees, across all areas of the company in
an effort to conserve cash until its expected breakeven point -- which it
expects to come before the end of 2001. UGO currently reports annual
revenues of $15 million. New York-based UGO Networks is comprised of 350
websites that feature a range of animation, music, games, wrestling and
entertainment coverage. The company also provides Web hosting and other
professional services to its partners and third parties.
http://www.ugo.com
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o Canal Plus Technologies Gets Investment from Sun Microsystems for iTV

Paris -- Canal Plus Technologies announced on Monday that it has received
an undisclosed investment from Sun Microsystems, and that the two
companies will work together to accelerate the development of Java-based
open standards for interactive digital television. Sun joins previous
Canal Plus investors Sony, Thomson multimedia/RCA and Sogecable.
Paris-based Canal Plus Technologies has also licensed Sun software for use
in its interactive television technology. Companies including AT&T
Broadband and U.K.-based ONdigital currently use Canal Plus Technologies'
interactive television platform.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010305/2702.html
http://www.canalplus-technologies.com
http://www.sun.com
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o Former Sega.com Executives Launch High-Speed ISP for Gamers

San Francisco -- Former executives of Sega.com announced on Monday the
formation of New Millennium Entertainment, a broadband Internet service
provider for the U.S. and Canada that will provide high-speed, low-latency
connections for all gaming platforms. The company was founded by Brad
Huang, former CEO, and Lynn MacConnell, former chief technology officer of
Sega.com. "New Millennium is the antidote to generic Internet connections
plagued with network lags that make online gaming nearly impossible," said
Huang. The network is expected to be able to accommodate over 1 million
simultaneous game players, and will support all gaming platforms that ship
with an online capability, including personal computers, Sony's
Playstation 2, Microsoft's X-Box, Nintendo's Gamecube and Sega's
Dreamcast. The company said it will begin network testing in March and
will formally launch its services this spring.
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> Digital Media Wire Networkin' Hoedown, Mar. 12 - SXSW, Austin, Texas

If you're a South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival badgeholder, stop by the
landmark Stubb's BBQ to network and hear live music from The Damnations
TX. Free pint glass (with beer inside!) for the first lucky 500 thru the
door.
Sponsored by: Microsoft Technology Center/Austin.
For more information: michael@digitalmediawire.com
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/dmw_event1.html
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o Briefly Noted:

(Tokyo) The SDMI (Secure Digital Music Initiative), a consortium of 200
companies working to develop security technology for digital music,
announced on Monday that it is on track to release its specification for a
security technology by June. The consortium -- which was launched over two
years ago and consists of music content, consumer electronics, information
technology and wireless telecommunication companies -- has been criticized
for its slow movement in determining a security technology while
unprotected services such as Napster flourished. "The steps we have taken
at this meeting will ensure that the final technology selection meets both
consumer demands for ease of use and simplicity, as well as content
owners' needs for protection," said Leonardo Chiariglione, executive
director of SDMI.
http://www.sdmi.org

(San Diego) MP3.com announced on Monday that Maverick Records has licensed
its recordings for use on the company's My.MP3.com on-demand streaming
service. Maverick will also promote its artists -- which include the
Deftones and The Rentals -- with artist sections on MP3.com. San
Diego-based MP3.com's My.MP3.com service lets users who have already
purchased music on CD stream those songs from an online locker to any
Internet-enabled device.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010305/lam036.html
http://www.maverickrecords.com
http://my.mp3.com

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Digital rights management provider Macrovision
announced on Monday that Artisan Entertainment has signed a three-year
agreement to add the company's copy-protection technology to all of its
DVD releases. Sunnyvale-based Macrovision's copy protection is designed to
prevent unauthorized copying of VHS, DVD and pay-per-view programming to
VCRs.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010305/0043.html
http://www.macrovision.com
http://www.artisanent.com

(Bellevue, Wash.) CantaMetrix, a provider of digital copyright
identification and reporting technology, announced on Monday that the
London-based Wippit peer-to-peer file-sharing service will use its
MusicDNA technology to identify files on its service. Washington-based
CantaMetrix's technology identifies songs based on "digital signal
processing and psycho-acoustic modeling" for the purpose of providing
accurate song filenames to both users and copyright holders for the
purpose of royalty collections.
http://www.cantametrix.com
http://www.wippit.com

(Toronto) Fairtunes.com founder Matt Goyer is seeking funds to start an
offshore Napster server that would be immune to U.S. copyright law,
according to a report in Britain's The Globe and Mail. Goyer started
Fairtunes.com as a way for music fans to offer monetary "tips" to their
favorite artists, as a means of compensating them for music downloaded for
free off of Napster and other services. The site is now also taking
donations for the offshore server.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5025950.html?tag=cd_mh
http://www.fairtunes.com

(Santa Clara, Calif.) Virus-protection software developer McAfee released
an online game on Monday called "Virus Attack," that the company said is
targeted at resellers of its software. The game gives sales personnel
history or information about viruses and McAfee products that must be
remembered in order to continue to subsequent levels. The company is
offering a $500,000 prize to the reseller with the top score at the end of
the year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010305/sfm078.html
http://www.naitsp.com
http://www.mcafee.com

(Vallejo, Calif.) Artistpro.com, a website that provides free online
training in recording and music production, said on Monday that producer,
engineer and recording artists Alan Parsons will begin hosting an Advisor
Forum on its site. Vallejo-based Artistpro.com's industry advisors also
include Grammy-winning engineer and producer Al Schmitt and former
Fleetwood Mac vocalist/guitarist Bob Welch.
http://www.artistpro.com/Content.cfm?q_PageID=113

(Los Angeles) Fandango, an online retailer of movie tickets, said on
Monday that it has partnered with Mountain View-based Tellme Networks to
make its movie information and ticket sales available over the phone. The
service -- which will compete against AOL's Moviefone -- is scheduled to
launch in the second quarter of 2001 with 200 theater partners in the U.S.
http://www.fandango.com/
http://www.tellme.com/
http://www.moviefone.com/

(New York) Interactive television developer ACTV said on Monday that it
has partnered with Culver City-based Game Show Network to produce
interactive versions of "Mall Masters" and "$100,000 Pyramid" for
Microsoft WebTV and other interactive television platforms. The games will
be developed by New York-based ACTV subsidiary Bottle Rocket.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010305/0119.html
http://www.bottlerocket.com/
http://www.actv.com
http://www.gameshownetwork.com

(Kansas City, Mo.) Sprint PCS said on Monday that it will offer content
from teen site Alloy.com to its subscribers with Web-enabled cell phones.
New York-based Alloy Online offers music, movies, fashion, current events
and news on its site.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010305/cgm014.html
http://www.alloy.com
http://www.sprintpcs.com

(San Francisco) Musicbank, developer of an on-demand music streaming
service, said on Monday that president and CEO Michael Downing will step
down from his positions, and take a different role focusing on securing
partnerships for the company. No replacement has been named. San
Francisco-based Musicbank is still beta-testing its proposed service, for
which it has obtained licenses from all major labels and music publishers.
The company laid off almost a third of its staff in February.
http://www.musicbank.com

(Seattle) Loudeye Technologies, a provider of encoding services to
traditional media companies, announced on Monday the appointment of John
T. Baker as president and CEO of the company. He replaces David Bullis,
who resigned to pursue family and personal interests. Baker previously
served as president and COO of GT Interactive Software, an interactive
entertainment software provider.
http://www.loudeye.com/news-events/releases/ceo_3_5_2001.html

(Culver City, Calif.) Tonos Entertainment, a provider of industry
information for songwriters and musicians, announced that president and
CEO Matt Farber has resigned to pursue other opportunities. Farber will
remain with the company until a replacement can be found.
http://www.tonos.com

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

> World Wrestling Federation, Account Executive - New York City

Internet advertising sales candidates will possess strong entrepreneurial
work habits, at least two plus years media sales experience (including at
least one year selling ".com" advertising), and have established
advertising contacts at both the advertiser direct and agency level. Send
resumes to:
resume@wwfent.com
http://www.wwf.com 
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> Forbes Magazine, Asst. Marketing Mgr./Internet - New York City

Opportunity to work on Forbes Magazine¹s Internet subscription programs.
You'll have reporting & analysis responsibilities and assist in creating
internet promotions. Proficiency in Excel required. Strong analytical,
organizational and planning skills, plus 6+ months consumer marketing
preferred. Send resumes to:
jobs@forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com
______________________

> BuzzHits, Inc., Music Titler - San Francisco

BuzzHits is a technology & services provider that delivers mobile impulse
response solutions for advertising purposes. Quickly & accurately identify
title and artist of songs played on Country or R&B/Oldies format. Ability
to "Name the Tune" in 5 notes or less - 100% accuracy. 2 years radio, DJ
and/or music background preferred. Send resumes to jobs@buzzhits.com
http://www.buzzhits.com

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

> Artesia, Digital Asset Management Seminar -- SF, LA, Atlanta, NY, DC

Did you know that the average ROI for an enterprise Digital Asset
Management solution is between 9 and 18 months? Artesia Technologies
invites you to a free seminar on digital asset management. Our discussion
will include up-to-the-minute analysis presented for the first time and
speakers from The GartnerGroup, analyst Frank Gilbane and PwC. San Fran
on 3/8, LA on 3/9, Atlanta on 3/13, New York City on 3/14, and DC on 3/16.
Send inquiries to personalseminar@artesia.com
To register go to http://www.artesia.com/seminar/index1.html
______________________

> Cannes Interactive Forum, May 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.mediatekla.com
______________________

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