MUSIC CHOICE - Where Music Happens
* Programs 45 non-stop music channels, reaching over 30 million digital cable and satellite TV households
* Distributes exclusive televised concerts for 42 million cable and satellite TV homes
More information

Main Stories
o Antitrust Talks Between Microsoft and European Commission Fail
o Report: 75% of Americans Have Home Internet Access
o Romanian Microsoft Programmer Claims Kazaa Ownership; Sues Sharman
o Sony to Launch Personalized Streaming Radio Service for Cell Phones
o Microsoft Portable Media Center Devices to Debut in Europe in Late 2004
o Broadband Media Delivery Firm Maven Networks Raises $10 Million

o Briefly Noted: Xingtone - Artemis Records, Recordstore.co.uk, Comcast - DVR - D.C. region, MTV Networks Europe - Motorola, The Orchard - digital distribution, Beatnik Audio - Panasonic Mobile Communications, DISH Network - "BingoTV," Atari - "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone," Namco - Flagship Studios, Gathering - "Kohan II: Kings of War," Satellite radio services - FCC local content rules

Brussels -- Negotiations between Microsoft and the European Commission came to a halt on Thursday after EC Competition Commissioner Mario Monti confirmed that a settlement on the U.S. software giant's allegedly anti-competitive behaviour has "not been possible". In a statement, Monti said that Microsoft and the Commission had made "substantial progress towards resolving the problems which have arisen in the past," but admitted that they were "unable to agree on commitments for future conduct". "In the end, I had to decide what was best for competition and consumers in Europe," Monti said. "I believe they will be better served with a decision that creates a strong precedent." The news means that Microsoft now faces hundreds of millions of dollars in fines when the Commission publishes its final ruling on March 24. Microsoft is expected to appeal the decision and appears to be planning for a protracted legal battle. "Today is just another step in what could be a long process," said chief lawyer Brad Smith in a statement. "Perhaps the courts will provide the clarity that is necessary to resolve these issues."
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J6E1224C7
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/mar04/03-18EC_NPR.asp
_____________________________________________

o Report: 75% of Americans Have Home Internet Access

New York -- Nearly 75%, or 204.3 million Americans now have home Internet access, a 9% increase over the 66% who were online in February 2003, according to data released on Thursday by New York-based Internet audience measurement firm Nielsen/NetRatings. Women represented a higher portion of Web surfers, as 82% of those aged 35-54 are now online, as opposed to 80% of men in the same age group; among those aged 25-34, 77% of women are online while 75.6% of men have home Internet access. "In just a handful of years, online access has managed to gain the type of traction that took other mediums decades to achieve," said Kenneth Cassar, director of strategic analysis for Nielsen//NetRatings.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040318/sfth060_1.html 
http://www.nielsen-netratings.com
_____________________________________________

o Romanian Microsoft Programmer Claims Kazaa Ownership; Sues Sharman

Los Angeles -- A Romanian programmer who now lives in Redmond and works for Microsoft has sued Sharman Networks, claiming he wrote the code for the Kazaa file-sharing software, and is seeking $25 million in compensation and rights to Kazaa, the Associated Press reported. Fabian Toader says he wrote the code behind Kazaa in 2000 under a freelance agreement with Kazaa B.V., which sold the rights to the software to Sharman Networks in 2002. "Sharman has made millions using my software," Toader said in a statement. "I just want to be fairly compensated for my contribution." Although Toader never signed a contract with Kazaa B.V., he now claims that under U.S. and Romanian copyright laws, he is the rightful owner of Kazaa. "The work done by Fabian Toader on early versions of the Kazaa Media Desktop software was done under a work-for-hire agreement that expressly states that Kazaa B.V. owned all rights to any work related to the development of the software," Sharman spokesman Rich Chernela told AP.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040316/na_fin_us_kazaa_lawsuit_2.html
http://www.sharmannetworks.com
____________________________________________

o Sony to Launch Personalized Streaming Radio Service for Cell Phones

Los Angeles -- Sony has announced plans to launch a personalized streaming radio service for mobile phones, which will offer pre-programmed channels as well as a customization feature that will gradually learn a user's preferences and adapt the playlist over time. Sony will first launch the service in Finland in April with TeliaSonera, but said it is talking to most European wireless network operators. The mobile streaming radio service will work with phones running the Symbian operating system on GPRS networks, offering sub-CD sound quality at 16 kbps. Robert Ashcroft, Sony Europe's head of network applications and content services, told Reuters that network operators are expected to charge between $12 and $18 per month for the service.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040317/sony_mobile_radio_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1041-5174084.html
____________________________________________

o Microsoft Portable Media Center Devices to Debut in Europe in Late 2004

London -- Microsoft announced on Thursday that the first portable audio and video playback devices to use its new Portable Media Center software will be released in Europe in the second half of 2004. Microsoft has said that the devices are aimed at the portable market currently dominated by Apple's iPod, but will also play video and be able to store and display digital photos. Consumer electronics firms Creative Technology and iRiver will introduce 20GB and 40GB models of the Microsoft-powered devices. Creative's device will retail for between $700 and $800, weigh 11.5 ounces, and be roughly three times as thick and twice as long as an iPod, Reuters reported.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040317/sfw090_1.html
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T392625C7
____________________________________________

o Broadband Media Delivery Firm Maven Networks Raises $10 Million

Cambridge, Mass. -- Maven Networks, a provider of broadband media delivery technology, announced on Thursday that it has raised $10 million in its second round of venture capital financing. Accel Partners led the investment round, in which General Catalyst Partners also participated. The company's software, which allows businesses to transmit full-screen video with contextual interaction, is used by customers including Virgin Records, Twentieth Century Fox, National Geographic and AtomFilms. Massachusetts-based Maven will use the funds for product development and to expand its sales organization and marketing programs, establishing new offices in Silicon Valley and New York City.
http://www.maven.net/pr_maven_accel_financing.html

Top

Top

Top

(Los Angeles) Mobile entertainment publisher Xingtone on Thursday announced an agreement with New York-based independent record label Artemis Records, which will allow purchasers of a CD from Sugarcult to create their own real music ringtones for their cell phones from the album's tracks. Los Angeles-based Xingtone's software will be embedded on the album, allowing owners of 50 different handsets on T-Mobile, Sprint PCS, Cingular and AT&T networks to create their own ringtones. The software, which can also turn any CD track or audio file into a real music ringtone, is also available on its own for $14.95.
http://www.artemisrecords.com 
http://www.xingtone.com

(London) Recordstore.co.uk, a provider of online stores for artists including Robbie Williams, The Darkness, Moby and Travis, announced on Thursday that it can now offer sales of digital singles from the sites that will be reported to the U.K.'s Official Charts Company for inclusion in the weekly downloads sale chart. The company is using London-based DX3's distribution technology for the download sales, which may be offered by artists in either Windows Media or unprotected MP3.
http://www.dx3.net 
http://www.theofficialcharts.com 
http://www.recordstore.co.uk

(Washington, D.C.) Cable TV operator Comcast on Thursday announced the launch of digital video recorder services for customers in the Washington Metro/Virginia region. The set-tops deployed by Comcast for the service will allow users to store 30-50 hours of standard TV, or up to 7 hours of high-definition programming. The $9.95 per month service will be offered to subscribers in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland; Alexandria, Arlington, Prince William County and Reston in Northern Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia.
http://www.comcast.com

(London) MTV Networks Europe on Thursday announced a new wireless content distribution initiative with Motorola, part of the companies' three year, multi-million dollar global marketing alliance. The deal includes the release of "MTV Gimps" -- downloadable characters with their own personalized ringtones who also figure into a mobile game called "Pain on the Train." The characters will be advertised on MTV and will come pre-loaded on some Motorola handsets. The companies will also jointly distribute an email game called "MTV Midnight Mash," designed to promote MTV's "Motomash" live music events in Europe.
http://www.hellomoto.com 
http://www.mtvgimps.com 
http://www.mtv.co.uk/motomash

(New York) The Orchard, a large distributor of independent label music, announced on Thursday that it has now sold a combined one million downloads and streams of songs from its artists, on services including iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, Pressplay, MusicNet/AOL, Musicmatch and BuyMusic. The company said that it generated as much revenue through digital distribution in the first month of 2004 as it did during all of 2003. The Orchard has digitized and offers a total of over 130,000 tracks from 2,500 labels.
http://www.theorchard.com

(Hanover, Germany) Beatnik Audio, a developer of digital audio technology for mobile devices, said on Thursday that Panasonic Mobile Communications has licensed the Beatnik Audio Engine (BAE) for inclusion in its new X700 Smartphone. The technology supports MIDI, SP-MIDI, XMF, RMF, and WAV file formats for polyphonic ringtones, games and multimedia messaging applications.
http://www.mci.panasonic.co.jp/english 
http://www.beatnik.com

(Englewood, Colo.) EchoStar Communications, operator of the DISH Network satellite TV service, on Thursday announced the launch of BingoTV, a free interactive TV game for its subscribers. Viewers watch the program on Wednesday evenings and play on bingo cards mailed along with DISH Entertainment Magazine; potential winners then must call a toll-free number within two minutes of getting bingo to claim their prizes.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040318/185457_1.html 
http://www.dishnetwork.com 
http://www.bingotv.com

(Los Angeles) Video game publisher Atari announced on Thursday that it has partnered with San Rafael, Calif.-based developer Stormfront Studios to create "Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone" for PlayStation 2. Based on the "Dungeons & Dragons" franchise from Wizards of the Coast, the game is slated for release in the fall of 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040318/185134_1.html 
http://www.atari.com 
http://www.stormfront.com 
http://www.wizards.com/dnd

(San Jose, Calif.) Video game developer Namco said on Thursday that it has signed an agreement to publish San Francisco-based Flagship Studios' first PC game. Flagship was formed in 2003 by former executives and developers from Blizzard North, creators of the "Diablo" multiplayer game franchise.
http://www.namco.com/usa 
http://www.flagshipstudios.com

(New York) Gathering, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive, said on Thursday that it will publish Houston, Texas-based developer TimeGate Studios' PC game "Kohan II: Kings of War" this summer.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/040318/185179_1.html 
http://www.take2games.com 
http://www.timegate.com

(Redmond, Wash.) Slate.com on Thursday featured an opinion piece on the ongoing dispute between the FCC, satellite radio broadcasters and terrestrial radio firms over the broadcast of localized programming via satellite. When the FCC granted licenses to XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, they came with the mandate that XM and Sirus not broadcast local news, weather or traffic information that would compete with local broadcasters for both listeners and advertiser dollars. Now, both XM and Sirius have begun to offer localized content, although they claim it is not truly localized because the streams will be available to all of their listeners nationwide.
http://slate.msn.com/id/2097247

Top

Top

Copyright 2004 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.