archives

o Number of Napster Users Down 20% Since Filtering Established
o Princeton Researcher Withholds Paper After Threat from SDMI
o BMW Website Offers Films by Ang Lee, John Frankenheimer, Guy Ritchie
o Denied Approval for McVeigh, Company Seeks to Webcast Foreign Execution
o Interactive TV Games Firm Two Way TV Raises $17 Million
o Analyst Firm Jupiter Media Metrix to Lay Off 18% of Staff
o Memorex to Hike CD-R Prices to Address Rising Costs, Royalty Payments
> Digital Media Wire Seminar: The Future of Digital Entertainment - DC
o Briefly Noted: Terra Lycos - American Media, GetMusic, "Am I Hot or
Not," Trans World Media - CNNSI.com, iUniverse
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Director of Technology, Marketing Associate, Research
Associate

> Events/Services: "Real Road Show 2001," "Digital Horizon Conference & Expo"

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 Number of Napster Users Down 20% Since Filtering Established

New York -- The number of people using music file-sharing service Napster
has dropped 20 percent since the company started to implement a filter to
block unauthorized copyrighted songs, according to a report released
Thursday by Jupiter Media Metrix. The analyst firm said that 12 million
people used the Napster application in March, as opposed to 15 million who
logged on in February. The report noted that usage has increased at other
file-sharing sites like BearShare and the instant messaging-based program
Aimster. Napster is still waiting to hear if the Ninth Circuit -- which
essentially gave the go-ahead to a preliminary injunction against the
company -- will agree to a rehearing of its case.
http://www.jmm.com
_____________________________________________

o Princeton Researcher Withholds Paper After Threat from SDMI

Pittsburgh, Penn. -- Princeton professor Dr. Edward Felten on Thursday
said he would not publish a paper on watermarking technology being
developed by the Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI), after receiving
threats of litigation from the SDMI and RIAA. The text of Felten's address
to a group of programmers was posted on Slashdot.org. "Litigation is
costly, time-consuming, and uncertain, regardless of the merits of the
other side's case, said Felten. "Ultimately we, the authors, reached a
collective decision not to expose ourselves, our employers, and the
conference organizers to litigation at this time." Felten's group
responded to a challenge from the SDMI to hack the security technology for
digital music it is developing. The SDMI said that publishing the results
of Felten's successful hacking efforts could be a violation of the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act.
http://slashdot.org/articles/01/04/26/1528252.shtml
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-5737707.html?tag=mn_hd
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,43353,00.html
http://cryptome.org/sdmi-attack.htm
_____________________________________________

o BMW Website Offers Films by Ang Lee, John Frankenheimer, Guy Ritchie

Woodcliff Hills, N.J. -- BMW has sponsored the production of a series of
short films by noted directors which it is now showing on BMWfilms.com.
"The Hire" is a series of five short films executive produced by David
Fincher that feature directors including Ang Lee ("Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon"), Guy Ritchie ("Snatch"), Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu ("Amores
Perros"), John Frankenheimer ("The Manchurian Candidate") and Wong Kar-Wai
("In the Mood for Love"). Among the actors appearing in the films are
Mickey Rourke, Tomas Milian and Madonna. Each of the films features
interactive subplots that allow the viewer to access "secret passages"
through the story lines of each film.
http://www.bmwfilms.com
_____________________________________________

o Denied Approval for McVeigh, Company Seeks to Webcast Foreign Execution

Deerfield Beach, Fla. -- After a U.S. District Court denied webcasters the
right to stream the execution of convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy
McVeigh, Liveontheweb.com now says it is seeking permission to webcast an
execution outside of the U.S. The Florida-based company said in a
statement that it is "reviewing a handful of death row inmates around the
world and going through the necessary steps to make this broadcast a
reality." Currently, 147 countries practice capital punishment by means
including "stoning, crucifixion, hanging, firing squad, beheading,
electrocution, lethal gas and lethal injection," the company said.
Liveontheweb.com says that if it secures the right to broadcast an
execution, it will use credit card verification to ensure that no minors
are able to view the event.
http://www.liveontheweb.com
_____________________________________________

o Interactive TV Games Firm Two Way TV Raises $17 Million

London -- Two Way TV, a developer of games for interactive television
platforms, announced that it has raised $17 million from SMI Media Invest
for its mezzanine round of funding. U.K.-based Two Way TV's games let
viewers join in from home with game shows and sports events as they are
broadcast. The company will use the funding to deploy its interactive
television services in the U.K.
http://www.twowaytv.com/flash4/news_detail.asp?news_id=62
_____________________________________________

o Analyst Firm Jupiter Media Metrix to Lay Off 18% of Staff

New York -- Jupiter Media Metrix, an analyst firm that also provides
Internet audience measurement data, said on Thursday that it will lay off
18 percent of its staff, or about 150 employees, in an effort to cut costs
amid a softening Internet economy. The company did not say in which
departments the layoffs would fall. New York-based Jupiter Media Metrix
also reported a loss of $10.8 million for the first quarter of 2001,
compared with a loss of only $1.7 million in the same period last year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010426/nyth168.html
http://www.jmm.com
_____________________________________________

o Memorex to Hike CD-R Prices to Address Rising Costs, Royalty Payments

Santa Fe Springs, Calif. -- Memorex, a manufacturer of recordable media
products, announced on Thursday that it will raise the prices of its CD-R
discs -- which are commonly used to store digital media and for "burning"
downloaded songs. The company cited "the tightening of worldwide supplies,
worldwide manufacturing consolidation, and strict enforcement of royalty
fees by patent holders" as reasons for the increase. One billion CD-Rs
were sold in the U.S. in 2000, and 1.46 billion are expected to be sold
this year.
http://www.memorex.com
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Seminar: The Future of Digital Entertainment - D.C.

"The Future of Digital Entertainment: What's Next After Napster?"

Washington, D.C. | Sponsored by Katten Muchin Zavis
Wednesday, May 9th at The University Club

For more information and to register:
http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=13850&Referrer_id=4074

MODERATOR:
- David Halberstadter, Attorney, Katten Muchin Zavis

PANELISTS:
- Fritz Attaway, Executive Vice President & Washington General Counsel,
Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)
- Russell Frackman, Attorney, Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP,
Lead counsel for the RIAA in their litigation vs. Napster
- Declan McCullagh, Washington Bureau Chief, Wired News
- Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, U.S. Copyright Office
- Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, Digital Media Association (DiMA)
- Jenny Toomey, Executive Director, Coalition for the Future of Music
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Waltham, Mass.) Global Internet network Terra Lycos announced on Thursday
a deal with American Media to publish content from its National Enquirer,
Star, Weekly World News and Country Weekly Magazine on its network of
websites. In addition to articles, games and auctions based on American
Media's content will also be featured on Lycos.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010426/2054.html
http://entertainment.lycos.com
http://www.nationalenquirer.com

(New York) Universal Music Group confirmed on Thursday that it has
acquired BMG Entertainment's stake in their joint online music venture,
GetMusic. The company said that it will merge GetMusic's operations with
those of its on-demand music streaming service, Farmclub.com. Current
GetMusic president and CEO Andrew Nibley will serve as CEO for the
combined company.
http://www.getmusic.com

(Mountain View, Calif.) "Am I Hot or Not," a website that lets users vote
on the attractiveness of user-submitted pictures, said on Thursday that it
is changing its Web address to www.hotornot.com. The site's operators said
that despite spending no money on marketing and having received no outside
investments, the site is registering 10 million unique visitors each
month, and has received over 1.4 million pictures from users since its
launch in October 2000. It also expects to record its one-billionth vote
this week.
http://www.hotornot.com

(Oceanside, Calif.) Trans World Media, a publisher of young men's
magazines, announced on Thursday that it has partnered with sports site
CNNSI.com to create TransWorldMatrix.com. The extreme sports site
featuring content from Trans World's skateboarding, BMX and other extreme
sports publications will also be promoted on CNNSI.com.
http://www.transworldmatrix.com
http://www.cnnsi.com

(Campbell, Calif.) iUniverse, a provider of online print-on-demand
services for authors, announced that it has named Doug Bennett as
president and chief operating officer of the company. Previously, Bennett
served as president of publisher Macmillan USA. Campbell-based iUniverse
recently received a $21 million investment from Warburg Pincus.
http://www.iuniverse.com

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

> <kpe>, Director of Technology - Los Angeles

KPE is seeking a Director of Technology for its Los Angeles office who
will develop and implement relevant, cost-effective technology solutions
for its clients in the media and entertainment industries. Given the
typical solution requirement of entertainment firms, KPE seeks an
individual with depth of experience in implementing content management
systems (CMS) and customer relationship management (CRM) solutions.
Send resumes to lajobs@kpe.com
http://www.kpe.com
______________________

> idealab!, Marketing Associate - Los Angeles

Looking for a motivated, talented & creative individual to join the
fast-growing marketing department for New.net, a leading domain name
registry. Duties include providing support for online advertising
campaigns, affiliate programs, banner production, as well as assisting
with other marketing programs & projects. Previous online marketing
experience is a plus.
Please submit resume to idealabmonster@hiresystems.com
http://www.idealab.com
______________________

> Ziff-Davis Publishing, Research Associate - San Francisco

Research Associate for Ziff-Davis Smart Business Magazine is responsible
for ensuring that all business-technology stories we publish are timely
and accurate, as well as assist the editorial staff with research, and
build & maintain a contact list of sources & companies. This is perfect
for recent college grads interested in publishing and high-tech! Previous
writing and editing experience a plus.
Send resume to careerscal@ziffdavis.com
http://www.ziffdavis.com

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

> Real RoadShow 2001, April 26 - New York City

Join RealNetworks, the pioneer and recognized leader in streaming media,
at the Real RoadShow 2001, a free half-day seminar, to find out how
streaming media advertising can work for you. You'll hear from top
industry executives from RealNetworks, Arbitron and Millward Brown
Interactive on the state of the industry and the future of streaming media
advertising.
Register on-line at http://www.key3media.com/realroadshow or contact
Vanessa Doherty at realroadshow@key3media.com
______________________

> Digital Horizon Conference & Expo, April 30 - May 1 - Los Angeles

The Digital Horizon Conference & Expo is a 2-day educational technology
event targeting small business owners and SOHO (small office, home office)
entrepreneurs featuring over 20 workshops, Keynote Luncheons, an exhibit
hall and daily raffles for end-user computer products.
For more information and to register: http://www.digitalhorizonexpo.com
______________________

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com

Questions or comments? Send email to:
mark@digitalmediawire.com

News tips, press releases. Send email to:
editorial@digitalmediawire.com