archives

o Legislator Doubts Congress will Address Napster Issue Before Courts Rule
o Microsoft, NTT to Create Broadband Service for Xbox in Japan
o Audiohighway.com to Merge with Electronics Firm Shannon Technologies
o Animation Studio Mondo Media Lays Off 25% of Staff
o Sports Cards Stock Market ThePit.com Raises $4 Million
o Multimedia Delivery Software Firm Burst.com Receives Delisting Notice
o Children's Entertainment Site Rumpus.com Acquires Zeeks.com
> Digital Media Wire: D.C. -- "Interactive Games on the Internet"
> Note to Readers: Technical Difficulties
o Briefly Noted: Napster Rally in D.C., Box Office, MP3.com - InterVideo, MP3 Player sales, World Xceed Group - CBS, Digital Club Network - Napster, "Oscar
Goes to… Duke Nukem?"
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> Job Postings: Acct. Executive, Content Writer, Acct. Executive,
Acct. Manager

> Events/Services: "Digital Coast Venture Capital Summit,"
"2-Day Digital Filmmaking Workshops"

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 Legislator Doubts Congress will Address Napster Issue Before Courts Rule

Washington -- At a Digital Media Association conference on Wednesday,
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. said
that he thinks it is unlikely Congress will intervene in Napster's
litigation with the recording industry before the case makes its way
through the courts, Wired News reported. "I don't think we should
intervene in that case," said Sensenbrenner. "Unless there is a Supreme
Court decision or if [the Supreme Court chooses not to hear an appeal
brought before it.]" The Supreme Court likely would not come up in the
appeals process until mid-2002, according to Wired News. Despite the
Chairman's statement, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing
next week on online entertainment and copyright law, and House Committee
on Energy and Commerce Chairman Rep. Billy Tauzin has said that he is
considering a hearing on similar issues as well.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,42702,00.html
http://www.senate.gov/~judiciary/hr040301f.htm
http://www.digmedia.org/news.cfm?id=32
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o Microsoft, NTT to Create Broadband Service for Xbox in Japan

Tokyo -- Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has partnered with
Japanese telecommunications provider NTT to create a high-speed online
game service in Japan for Microsoft's Xbox gaming console. A trial of the
service will launch when the Xbox is released in Japan this fall; the full
service is expected to launch in 2002. NTT will provide high-speed ADSL
connections to subscribers, which will connect with the Xbox's Ethernet
port and built-in hard drive for online gaming. The companies also said
that they are collaborating to explore the future use of enhanced
fiber-optic connections, which have the potential to offer speeds up to
100 megabits.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/sfth033.html
http://www.xbox.com
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o Audiohighway.com to Merge with Electronics Firm Shannon Technologies

Cupertino, Calif. -- Audiohighway.com, an online provider of free audio
content, announced on Thursday that it has agreed to merge with
Seattle-based Shannon Technologies, a provider of advanced electronics
manufacturing and distribution services. Under the terms of the all-stock
transaction, Shannon Technologies will own about 90 percent of
Audiohighway.com. The companies have also signed a letter of intent with
an investment banking firm to receive an undisclosed investment. The
combined company will service the outsourced electronic manufacturing and
distribution needs of telecommunications, consumer electronics and
computer industries. Cupertino-based Audiohighway.com filed for Chapter 11
in January, and was delisted from the Nasdaq on March 25.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/lath038.html
http://www.audiohighway.com
http://www.shannonelec.com
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o Animation Studio Mondo Media Lays Off 25% of Staff

San Francisco -- Mondo Media, a developer of animation for the Internet
and offline media, has laid off 25 percent of its staff, or 28 employees,
Inside.com reported on Thursday. The layoffs will affect all areas of the
San Francisco-based company, which raised $17 million in January. "This is
not in response to any kind of financial crisis here," Mondo Media senior
vice president of marketing Robin Harper told Inside. "It is simply to
help ensure the longevity of the company given the current financial
climate."
http://www.inside.com/jcs/InsideDope?pod_id=12
http://www.mondomedia.com
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o Sports Cards Stock Market ThePit.com Raises $4 Million

White Plains, N.Y. -- ThePit.com, an online sports trading card auction
site fashioned after a stock exchange, announced that it has raised $4
million in its first round of venture capital financing. The investment
came entirely from individual investors including MIT Media Lab founder
Nicholas Negroponte and Garnett Keith, former CIO of Prudential Insurance.
New York-based ThePit.com says it provides many advantages over
traditional auction sites, including eliminating fraud and the necessity
for buyers and sellers to constantly monitor their bids and auction items.
http://www.thepit.com
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o Multimedia Delivery Software Firm Burst.com Receives Delisting Notice

San Francisco -- Burst.com, a developer of audio and video delivery
software for the Internet, announced on Thursday that it has received a
notice from the Nasdaq that its stock is in danger of being delisted from
the exchange. San Francisco-based Burst.com's stock has been trading
around $1 since November. The company has requested a hearing before the
Nasdaq, and its delisting has been stayed pending the hearing.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/lath035.html
http://www.burst.com
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o Children's Entertainment Site Rumpus.com Acquires Zeeks.com

New York -- Rumpus.com, an online entertainment site for children,
announced that it has acquired kids' community site Zeeks.com. Terms of
the transaction were not disclosed. Zeeks.com was preparing to shut down
its service, and had already posted a formal goodbye to its estimated
500,000 users on its website. Rumpus also creates feature-length animated
films geared towards children. The company is currently closing a second
round of financing for an undisclosed amount from previous investors.
http://www.rumpus.com
http://www.zeeks.com
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> Digital Media Wire: D.C. -- "Interactive Games on the Internet"

MODERATOR:
-Paul Sherman, Executive Editor, Digital Media Wire

PANELISTS:
-Peter Baldwin, Managing Director (U.S.), Quantic Dream
-Larry Cotter, President and CEO, Sandbox.com
-David Levine, President and CEO, Butterfly.net
-Doug Lowenstein, President, Interactive Digital Software Association
*Additional panelists TBA.

Date: Thursday, April 5th, 2001
For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/DCgames.html
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> Note to Readers: Technical Difficulties

Due to a problem with an external email server, Thursday's edition of
Digital Media Wire was published several hours later than intended. We
apologize for the inconvenience.
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Washington, D.C.) A story in the Tuesday, March 27 edition of Digital
Media Wire stated that Napster's "teach-in" event in Washington, D.C. on
April 3 would occur at Catholic University. A representative from Catholic
University said that Napster was unwilling to participate in a "balanced"
presentation of the issues, in accordance with its policy for student
organization presentations, and thus declined to host the event. A Napster
spokesman denied this, saying that response for the event compelled the
company to seek out a larger venue. The event will instead be held at the
Ronald Reagan International Trade Center.
http://napster.com/speakout/ac/teachin.html

(San Francisco) Box Office, a weekly email newsletter published by the
Industry Standard, sent its last edition on Thursday. The newsletter --
which had been published for more than a year -- gave no explanation for
the cancellation, although many of the film and animation-related websites
the newsletter covered have since shut down themselves.
http://www.thestandard.com

(San Diego) MP3.com said on Thursday that it has partnered with Fremont,
Calif.-based InterVideo to offer artists on its site the ability to add
synchronized lyrics and other visual data to their MP3 song files. To view
the added features users must download InterVideo's WinRip player; the
software needed to create the enhanced MP3s will be available free to
artists for a limited time. In addition to regular MP3 files, MP3.com
expects that the majority of its free MP3 files will soon come in enhanced
versions as well.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/lath001d.html
http://www.mp3.com/enhanced
http://www.mp3.com/intervideo

(Mountain View, Calif.) A recent report predicts that worldwide sales of
portable MP3 players will increase from 3.3 million in 2000 to nearly 26
million in 2005. Shipments in the U.S. will follow a similar growth path,
jumping to 18 million in 2005 from 2.8 million in 2000. The report from
Mountain View-based IDC also says that there is room for products to
emerge that do not rely on costly "flash" memory to store music data.
http://www.idc.com/Hardware/press/PR/CP/CP032801pr.stm

(New York) Web design and consultancy firm World Xceed Group said on
Thursday that CBS has hired the company to develop and design promotional
Web sites for its TV programs. New York-based Xceed has already designed
sites for CBS shows like Survivor: The Australian Outback and CSI: Crime
Scene Investigation.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010329/nyth019.html
http://www.xceed.com

(New York) Live concert webcaster Digital Club Network will webcast
Napster's free "Napster Goes to Washington Concert" in Washington, D.C. on
April 3rd, which has been organized for Napster advocates who show up to
support the company's "rally" in front of Congress that day. Performers at
the show will include Boston-based musical group Dispatch, one of
Napster's "Featured Artists." The rally was organized to coincide with the
Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on online entertainment and copyright
law.
http://www.digitalclubnetwork.com

(Austin, Texas) Game developer Electronic Arts announced on Thursday the
release of "Ultima Online: Third Dawn," an update to its popular massively
multiplayer online roleplaying game, Ultima Online. The new content for
the game was developed by Austin-based Origin Systems. Redwood City-based
Electronic Arts claims 235,000 active players pay $9.95 per month to play
Ultima. The new edition will cost $39.95 to purchase on CD-ROM; players
with a current version can upgrade for $9.95 from the company's website.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010329/0074.html
http://www.uo.com
http://www.origin.ea.com

(San Francisco) Wired News ran a feature story on Thursday on the
increasing number of feature films based on video games. Dimension Films
recently acquired the rights to develop "Duke Nukem." Movies based on the
games "Tomb Raider" and "Final Fantasy" are due out this year.
http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,42666,00.html

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

> Corbis Stock Market, Account Executive - New York City

Seeking sales rep. to grow & service business selling stock photography to
creatives at advertising & design firms. Candidate will possess a minimum
of 2 years business-to-business sales experience, is Internet savvy &
service driven. Excellent phone presence, computer friendly and a team
player. Negotiating and listening skills are very important. Send resume
w/ salary history to: bridget@corbisstockmarket.com
http://www.corbisstockmarket.com
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> Vendaria, Inc., Content Writer - Seattle

The Content Writer will be part of our Media Services Group who is in
charge of the content related to our clients' products. Research & write
scripts for short-form product video clips for streaming applications.
2-years of professional copywriting experience in direct-response
advertising or E-retail web sites. Knowledge of the streaming media
production cycle is preferred. Send resume to jobs@vendaria.com
http://www.vendaria.com
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> Artisan, Account Executive - New York City

Creative services talent agency looking for self-motivated salespeople to
sell graphic arts and multimeda talent to adver, design, web and corp
clients in NY. Required: excellent telemarketing and presentation skills.
Sales/design background a must. Fun company, great earning potential. Send
resumes to adrienne@artisan-inc.com
http://www.etalentagency.com
______________________

> Account Manager - Great Plains/West Coast (California)

The Account Manager will develop and maintain a sales account plan in
conjunction with management goals and strategies. Qualified candidates
will have 4-5 years technology sales related experience or knowledge of
financial or business management. Strong communication abilities,
professional attitude, executive presence, and customer management skills
are required. Send resumes to ptw2@careerrewards.com
OR REFER A FRIEND AND EARN $1000
http://www.careerrewards.com/cr/search/jpd.jsp?jobId=2006

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

> Digital Coast Venture Capital Summit, March 28-29 - Los Angeles

The funding climate has changed dramatically during the past year. But
while the rules of raising capital have changed, investment hasn't ceased.
Entrepreneurs and senior management from high-growth companies at all
stages of development -- as well as executives from the financial industry
and from professional services firms -- should attend this event. To
register: http://www.venturecapitalsummit.com/register.asp
http://www.venturecapitalsummit.com
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> Intensive 2-Day Digital Filmmaking Workshops 3/29-30, 4/21-22 - NYC

Fundamentals of Digital Filmmaking - intensive 2-days cover camera,
lighting, sound & editing. Hands-on - limited to ten participants.
Shooting for the web, TV, or cinema, we provide you the technical
knowledge necessary to realize your vision. Our work ranges from webcasts
to award-winning features. $395.00. (212) 226-2370 or register online.
For more information: jdq@dvnewyork.com
http://www.DvNewYork.com
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