archives

o RealNetworks Confirms MusicNet Service Deal with Warner, BMG, EMI
o Inside Merges with Brill Media Holdings; Primedia Partnership Announced
o Proposal Fails to Put Anti-Piracy Technology into Electronics Hardware
o Genre Entertainment Site Fandom Lays Off 25% of Staff, Seeks Buyer
o New Feature Lets Users Record Music Streams with Radio Free Virgin
o iTV Infrastructure Provider RespondTV Lays Off 25% of Staff
o Security Technology Firm Digital Media on Demand Lays Off 45% of Staff
o Online Event Listing Yack.com Closes West Coast Office
> Digital Media Wire: D.C. -- "Interactive Games on the Internet"
o Briefly Noted: Liquid Audio - Canadian record labels, Ted Field -
ArtistDirect, The Village Voice, Disney Interactive - GameSpy, "Don't
March for Napster"
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> Job Postings: Acct. Executive, Acct. Executive, Content Writer,
Acct. Manager

> Events/Services: "Call for Entries: Short Attention Span Festival"

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 RealNetworks Confirms MusicNet Service Deal with Warner, BMG, EMI

Seattle -- RealNetworks, a provider of Internet media delivery, on Monday
announced partnerships with AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann AG and EMI Group,
confirming earlier reports that the companies would launch an online music
subscription service. Seattle-based RealNetworks will own 40 percent of
the new service, with AOL Time Warner, Bertelsmann and EMI each owning a
20 percent stake. RealNetworks' CEO Rob Glaser will serve as chairman and
interim CEO of the joint venture. MusicNet will provide both streamed and
downloadable music from the Warner Music, BMG and EMI label catalogs; the
service is also seeking to license music from the other major labels --
Sony and Vivendi's Universal Music Group -- as well as from independent
labels. Additionally, MusicNet will license its music to any other legal
and secure subscription service, including Napster. RealNetworks said that
MusicNet's goal is to "distribute music profitably to as many outlets as
possible." MusicNet will basically serve as a provider of music to other
companies like AOL, which will have to determine how to deliver the music
to its users.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010402/2252.html
http://www.musicnet.com/
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o Inside Merges with Brill Media Holdings; Primedia Partnership Announced

New York -- Brill Media Holdings, the Steven Brill-run company that
publishes Brill's Content, announced on Monday that Powerful Media, which
operates Inside.com and publishes Inside magazine, has agreed to merge
with the company. Under the terms, Powerful Media will exchange its assets
for an undisclosed minority stake in Brill Media Holdings. Additionally,
the merged company announced a partnership with Primedia's Media Central,
where editorial content from the merged Powerful-Brill will be included in
Media Central's coverage of the entertainment and media industries.
Brill's Content magazine will be merged with Inside magazine to form
Inside Content, with editor-in-chief Michael Hirschorn retaining his title
and also becoming a vice-chairman of Brill Media Holdings. Powerful Media
co-founder and chairman Kurt Andersen will also become a vice-chairman of
Brill Media Holdings, with Stephen Brill continuing as chairman. The
company said that much of the content offered on Inside.com will now be
accessible only to paying subscribers.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/210922577&ticker=prm
http://www.inside.com/jcs/Story?article_id=27600&pod_id=7
http://www.brillscontent.com
http://www.primediainc.com
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o Proposal Fails to Put Anti-Piracy Technology into Electronics Hardware

Morgan Hill, Calif. -- The 4C Entity, a group of electronics manufacturers
including IBM, Intel, Matsushita and Toshiba that set standards for
anti-piracy measures in hardware, on Monday voted against implementing its
proposed Content Protection for Recordable Media (CPRM) technology, CNET
reported. Seen as a win for consumers' advocates, the rejected technology
would have been implemented into recordable DVD drives and "Flash"
memory-based MP3 players that prevents unauthorized copying of content.
"The committee's decision to reject the [proposal] indicates that more
discussions are needed before agreements can be reached," IBM Research
Program Director Donald Leake said in a statement.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5422475.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.dvdcca.org/4centity/
http://www.4centity.com/4centity/tech/cprm/
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o Genre Entertainment Site Fandom Lays Off 25% of Staff, Seeks Buyer

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Fandom.com, an entertainment and community site
for the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres, announced on Monday
that it has laid off 25 percent of its staff, or 20 employees, and is
aggressively seeking to be bought. The company issued a press release
Monday morning announcing that it would shut down its online operations,
citing its inability to raise funding. But since then, CEO Debra
Streicker-Fine said several interested parties have contacted her, and
Fandom will keep its site up. If a deal is closed, she expects it to be
within two weeks. Fine also said that regardless of whether or not the
company's online assets are acquired, Fandom would continue to operate its
recently-acquired off-line properties Cinescape, a magazine and website
providing genre entertainment coverage, and sci-fi convention organizer
Creation Entertainment.
http://www.fandom.com
http://www.cinescape.com
http://www.creationent.com
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o New Feature Lets Users Record Music Streams with Radio Free Virgin

Los Angeles -- Radio Free Virgin, a network of online radio stations
programmed by the chain of record stores, announced on Monday that a new
software feature will allow users to record and save songs from the
company's streaming radio stations to their PCs. The company said that the
songs are encrypted, and will not play on any other player besides theirs,
so they are not subject to piracy. Users can then listen to the songs --
which also come embedded with album cover art and a link to buy the CD --
whether or not they are online.
http://www.radiofreevirgin.com/features/record/
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o iTV Infrastructure Provider RespondTV Lays Off 25% of Staff

San Francisco -- RespondTV, an infrastructure provider for interactive
television content, said that it will lay off 25 percent of its staff, or
about 20 employees, in an effort to cut its operational costs. San
Francisco-based RespondTV said the layoffs will not delay the company's
development efforts or its expansion into Europe. RespondTV's technology
makes it possible for network operators, television programmers and
advertisers to create enhanced TV features that can be aired across all
interactive TV platforms, including those from Microsoft, Liberate, AOLTV
and OpenTV.
http://www.respondtv.com
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o Security Technology Firm Digital Media on Demand Lays Off 45% of Staff

Boston, Mass. -- Digital Media on Demand, a provider of content
encryption, distribution and rights management technologies, has laid off
45 percent of its employees, Webnoize reported on Monday. The company said
the layoffs are part of a plan to refocus its business model on video and
wireless applications. Boston-based Digital Media on Demand raised $12.5
million in venture capital financing in January.
http://news.webnoize.com
http://www.dmod.com
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o Online Event Listing Yack.com Closes West Coast Office

Emeryville, Calif. -- Yack.com, a provider of live event listings on the
Internet, is closing its office in Emeryville, California and
consolidating its editorial operations into its New York office,
VentureWire reported on Monday. Employees were offered positions in the
New York office; those declining will receive severance. The company said
that layoffs would affect less than a third of its staff. New York-based
Yack.com provides an updated list of online events such as celebrity chats
and webcasts.
http://www.yack.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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o Briefly Noted:

(Redwood City, Calif.) Downloadable music distributor Liquid Audio has
announced that EMI Music Canada and several Canadian independent labels,
including The Donald K Donald Group of Labels (Aquarius Records), Justin
Time Records and Nettwerk Productions will use the company's digital music
distribution network. Redwood City-based Liquid Audio also said that
Canadian music TV network MuchMusic will join its online network of 1,000
retail sites that offer Liquid Audio tracks.
http://biz.yahoo.com/cnw/010329/ca_liquid_audio_canad.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com
http://www.muchmusic.com

(Los Angeles) Online music network ArtistDirect announced on Monday that
it has hired Interscope Records founder Ted Field as its new CEO. Under
the terms of the deal, Los Angeles-based ArtistDirect will provide an
undisclosed investment in a 50/50 joint label venture with Field called
Radar Records. ArtistDirect recently made an effort to increase the value
of its stock through a "Dutch auction."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010402/0601.html
http://www.artistdirect.com

(New York) New York City-based newsweekly The Village Voice announced that
it will launch an online radio station on April 11. The station will
feature live sets from both venues and in the studio, as well as DJ sets,
interviews and talk shows.
http://villagevoice.com/ads/radio.php3

(Burbank, Calif.) Disney Interactive, part of the company's Consumer
Products division, announced on Monday that it will distribute a free
CD-ROM game based on an upcoming animated feature as part of its marketing
efforts before the film's release. The "Atlantis: The Lost Empire" game --
which has both first-person and online multiplayer facets -- will be
packaged into cereal boxes, as well as offered at Disneyland resorts and
Walgreens stores. A full version of the game will be sold for $29.99 after
the film's release. The company partnered with Irvine-based GameSpy to
develop the game's online multiplayer function.
http://www.disneyinteractive.com
http://www.gamespy.com

(San Francisco) Online magazine Salon.com is currently featuring an
opinion piece called "Don't March for Napster," referring to the company's
planned rally in Washington, D.C. to coincide with Tuesday's hearing on
online entertainment and copyright law before the Senate Judiciary
Committee.
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/leon/2001/04/02/napster_march/index.html

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

> Artisan, Account Executive - New York City

Creative services talent agency looking for self-motivated salespeople to
sell graphic arts and multimedia 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
______________________

> 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
______________________

> 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
______________________

> 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

> Call for Entries: Short Attention Span Festival

The Ninth Annual Short Attention Span Film and Video Festival will travel
to 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Entries up to 2 minutes TRT will be
accepted. This year there is NO ENTRY FEE! Cash prizes and all kinds of
other good stuff will be awarded to the lucky winners.
Official Entry Form: http://www.shortspan.com/submit_work/index.cfm
ACT NOW! DEADLINE IS APRIL 15TH!!!
______________________

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