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July 08, 2005 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Subscribe | Unsubscribe

Main Stories
o Report: U.K. Website Performance Falters after Explosions
o Labels, Webcasters Fail to Reach Agreement on Streaming Royalty Rates
o U.K. Sets First Conviction for "Mod Chip" Xbox Seller
o Google Invests in Broadband Powerline Firm Current Communications
o Expresso Fitness Raises $4.5 Million in Second Round
o Mobile Ad Developer Third Screen Media Raises $3 Million


> Featured Advertisement:
--PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 
 

o Briefly Noted: Opera - BitTorrent, Clear Channel Music Group - Yahoo Music, Tiger Telematics - Jordan Grand Prix, Wurld Media - Trymedia Systems, MTV Games - Myelin Media, SkyZone Entertainment - "Duke Nukem Mobile 3D," Major labels - independents - MP3 format
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> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
--Project Manager
--Database Warehouse Architect
--Senior SAP Application Architect
--Online Advertising Manager
--Director of Marketing
--Senior Software Engineer - ASP.Net, VB.Net, Web Services
--Media Supervisor
--Director, IT Planning and Program Management - Biotech
--Technical Account Manager (TAM)
--Account Executives, Integration Software & Solution Sales - Software AG
--Vice President/Media Director
--Sr. Product Manager
--Internal Communications/ Strategic HR Consultant
--Strategic Communications Group Offers Blog Relations Counsel
 


o Report: U.K. Website Performance Falters after Explosions

London -- Many popular websites in the U.K. experienced significant performance problems following Thursday morning's terrorist attacks in London, according to information released by Keynote Systems. The websites of Sky News, the Financial Times and the BBC all experienced what the firm called "significant slowdowns" in the hours after the explosions, as people flocked to them for news. The company's index of speed and reliability for 40 key U.K. sites showed that average page-download times increased by about four times. Naomi Luland, a spokeswoman for the BBC, which runs by far the most popular website in the U.K., said that Thursday was most likely the BBC website's busiest day in history.
http://makeashorterlink.com/?G6BA3156B
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o Labels, Webcasters Fail to Reach Agreement on Streaming Royalty Rates

Washington -- Record labels negotiating with webcasters on updated royalty rates for the rights stream music online have failed to reach an agreement during a "voluntary negotiation period," Radio and Internet Newsletter reported. SoundExchange, the recording industry entity set up to collect and distribute digital royalties, noted that "settlement discussions are ongoing." The current rates were set only after bitter debate and a flawed royalty arbitration that spurred an overhaul of the entire process, resulting in the creation of a panel of Copyright Royalty Judges. Should negotiations between labels and webcasters break down, the two sides will submit statements of evidence for a "settlement conference"; should that conference fail to produce a settlement, the Copyright Royalty Judges will then hold their own hearings and independently set royalty rates for webcasters.
http://www.kurthanson.com/archive/news/070505/index.asp
http://www.soundexchange.com
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o U.K. Sets First Conviction for "Mod Chip" Xbox Seller

London -- A 22-year-old U.K. man has been convicted of illegally modifying and selling Xbox video game consoles, in the first such conviction there under a provision of the European Union's Copyright Directive that prohibits circumventing copyright protections. The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), a European video game trade group, said the unidentified man was modifying Xbox consoles so that they could play pirated games, adding a 200GB hard drive and 80 pre-installed games, and selling the units online for about $660 each. The ELSPA said the penalty of 140 hours of community service, forfeiture of all hardware and $1,300 fine imposed reflected the youth of the individual and his first offense standing. "This case sets a major precedent which marks a milestone in the fight against piracy and in protecting the games industry's intellectual property. It sends a clear message to anyone tempted to become involved in 'chipping' consoles that this is a criminal offence and will be dealt with accordingly," said Mike Rawlinson, deputy director general of the ELSPA.
http://www.elspa.com/about/pr/pr.asp?mode=view&t=1&id=541&ref=home
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20050705-5061.html?17989&33457
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o Google Invests in Broadband Powerline Firm Current Communications

Germantown, Md. -- Current Communications Group, a provider of technology that delivers broadband Internet access through existing electrical outlets, said that it has raised an undisclosed amount of funding, including investments from investment banking firm Goldman, Sachs & Co., search engine giant Google and communications giant Hearst Corporation. The round also included investments from previous investors EnerTech Capital and Liberty Associated Partners, the company's principal stakeholder. Current said that it will use the additional capital to expand deployments in both the U.S. and abroad. The technology transforms existing electrical wiring into a secure broadband network.
http://www.currenttechnologies.com/news/index.html
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o Expresso Fitness Raises $4.5 Million in Second Round

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Expresso Fitness, a developer of interactive software for virtual reality cardio fitness systems, said on Friday that it has raised $4.5 million in its second round of venture capital funding, led by Enterprise Partners Venture Capital. Expresso Fitness provides networked and interactive software and cardio equipment for the fitness industry, allowing users of fitness equipment to compete against or play with others. The company's initial product, the Spark fitness bike, debuted in March, and is now being installed in clubs on both coasts. Expresso also said that it is in discussions to license its software to major equipment manufacturers. "The additional capital… will allow us to step up production and delivery of our initial product line and accelerate deployment of our interactive multiplayer gaming technology into other types of cardio fitness products," said Brian Button, the co-founder and CEO of Expresso Fitness.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050707/sfth035.html
http://www.expressofitness.com
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o Mobile Ad Developer Third Screen Media Raises $3 Million

Boston -- Third Screen Media, a Boston-based startup developing technology for mobile media advertising, has raised $3 million in venture capital, the Boston Business Journal reported. Investors in the deal include TD Capital Ventures and Blue Chip Venture Co. Third Screen's serving and tracking system delivers messages to WAP-enabled sites, as well as downloadable applications. The company's system also integrates text messaging technology as an interactive layer. When consumers see a message of interest, they can "m-opt-in" to engage in an interactive dialogue with the advertiser, the company said.
http://www.thirdscreenmedia.com

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> Featured Advertisement:

> PwC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 

PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment and Media Outlook: 2004-2008 is the leading global entertainment and media industry forecast, including in-depth global analyses and five-year growth projections for 14 industry segments covering every major global region. The complete 550-page book, is available in print or electronic format. The 50 page "Global Overview" (available in print or electronic format)or any of the 14 individual industry segment chapters (electronic format only) can be purchased separately for $95. For sample content and to order, click here.
 

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o Briefly Noted:

(Oslo, Norway) Opera Software announced this week that the newest version of its Opera web browser software will include support within the browser for direct downloads of files from the BitTorrent peer-to-peer file-sharing network. In addition to distributing the Opera browser itself through BitTorrent, the company said BitTorrent could be used to download Linux software and video game demos. "While BitTorrent has been on Opera's radar screen for more than a year, the true value of the technology became evident when the company launched Opera 8 in April this year," said Opera VP of engineering Christen Krogh. "The massive response, with more than 100 downloads per second, dealt a technical knock-out to Opera's servers. With BitTorrent, users would have had an alternative download mechanism."
http://www.opera.com/pressreleases/en/2005/07/07/
http://www.bitrorrent.com 

(Los Angeles) Clear Channel Music Group announced on Friday that it has partnered with Yahoo Music to promote 150 of its summer concerts online. Under the program, information on Clear Channel concerts for artists including Coldplay, 50 Cent, Judas Priest and Avril Lavigne will be featured on the Yahoo home page, Yahoo Music and other areas within the network. "The Internet has become a primary information source for concert fans and that prompted us to shake up traditional concert marketing," said Michael Rapino, president and CEO of Clear Channel Music Group.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050708/daf006.html
http://www.clearchannel.com
http://music.yahoo.com

(London) Tiger Telematics, the developer of the Gizmondo multi-functional handheld video game device, announced on Friday that it has settled a dispute with Jordan Grand Prix Limited over a racing sponsorship. Under the terms, Tiger will pay $1.5 million in cash and 30,000 shares of its stock to Jordan. Tiger has already released its Gizmondo in the U.K., and is currently gearing up to market and launch the Gizmondo in North America and Continental Europe in August.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050708/ukf008.html
http://www.f1jordan.com
http://www.tigertelematics.com 

(Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) Wurld Media, a developer of legal peer-to-peer file-sharing technology, announced this week that Trymedia Systems will make its library of downloadable video games available for purchase on Wurld Media's Peer Impact service. Users who then make these games available for sharing and download by other Peer Impact users will earn credit redeemable for additional downloads. Trymedia offers a library of more than 1,000 PC games, the majority of which sell for under $20.
http://www.trymedia.com
http://www.wurldmedia.com

(New York) MTV Games, the company's new interactive entertainment division, announced this week that it has partnered with game publisher Myelin Media, to promote the company's "Stacked with Daniel Negreanu" Texas Hold 'Em poker game title for Xbox, PlayStation 2, PSP and the PC. Under the agreement, MTV will promote the game both on-air and online and host the game's official website, while sharing in revenue from game sales.
http://www.myelinmedia.com
http://www.mtv.com

(Fort Lee, N.J.) Mobile game publisher SkyZone Entertainment announced on Friday that it plans this summer to release "Duke Nukem Mobile 3D," a cell phone version of the multi-million unit-selling PC title from 3D Realms. The mobile title was developed for cell phones by Machineworks NorthWest.
http://www.machineworksnorthwest.com
http://www.skyzonemobile.com 

(Los Angeles) The Los Angeles Times recently reported on how major record labels have shunned the favored consumer digital music format -- MP3 -- while independent record labels have been more willing to release and sell tracks in the unprotected format. Major label song downloads currently carry restrictions on how many copies can be made, and how songs may be transferred; majors are also installing copy-protection technology on CDs that will limit the number of copies that can be made of an album after it is purchased. "The problem is that it goes outside of that original buyer's household," Larry Kenswil of Universal Music Group told The Times. "That kind of sharing or copying is where we lose revenue. That's where we're trying to replace those illegal activities with legitimate services so people can share legally. There's no easy answer." Some independent labels, though, such as V2 -- a unit of Richard Branson's Virgin -- are increasingly releasing songs in MP3 format. "V2 believes we should provide consumers the opportunity to buy MP3s legally and trust that they understand the implications of sharing such files illegally," V2's Beth Appleton told The Times.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-trust4jul04.story

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> Classifieds -- Advertise

> Project Manager

Cauldron Solutions, a leading provider of technology solutions that manage the production, distribution and transaction exchange of on-demand content, is seeking an experienced Project Manager. The right candidate will possess a strong track record of delivering large-scale media or technology projects on time and on budget. Excellent communication skills, attention to detail, PLC discipline, and strong client-relationship management skills are essential. Visit www.cauldronsolutions.com and send resumes to jobs@cauldronsolutions.com.
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> Database Warehouse Architect

This individual will lead in the design, modification, development and implementation of the company's database warehouse products and associated embedded and third party reports. He/she will lead in the testing process through test review and analysis, test witnessing and certification of software, research & employ commonly used concepts, procedures and best practices software development. Four plus years of overall software development experience is required as well as one plus years in Java. If interested, please submit your resume to vbhatia@hirestrategy.com, or visit, http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire275.asp
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> Senior SAP Application Architect

2-3 Years SAP BW Implementation and Development Exp. 5 Years of total exp in full life cycle SAP Implementations, with focus on Basis installation and configuration. 3-4 Years exp with a 3rd Party BI tool such as Business Objects, Cognos focusing on Architecture, Implementation and Configuration. Ability to work with minimal direction yet keep all parties well informed Communication and writing skills. Send resumes to kathe.yamagata@claraview.com
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> Online Advertising Manager

Proffiliates, Inc is seeking a highly motivated individual to help grow a successful and profitable email marketing company. Reporting to the co- founders of the company, the Online Advertising Manager will assist in all day to day operations of the business. This is a tele-commuting position. Proficient with Excel and other Office applications, Working knowledge of HTML 2.0, Past experience in the email advertising and/or direct marketing space, Good overall business experience, Strong problem solving, organizational, interpersonal and motivational skills. Deadline oriented. Send resumes to general@proffiliates.com
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> Director of Marketing

Hartley Hickey Executive Search works with small to mid-sized companies to help find talented marketing executives. Our client, a software provider of healthcare billing services, is looking for a seasoned direct marketer. Define marketing strategy for the customer experience. Define and manage marketing budget and oversee implementation of marketing components. Coordinate with product development and operations to ensure the success of the product. Send resumes to chris@hartleyhickey.com
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> Senior Software Engineer - ASP.Net, VB.Net, Web Services

Build Web Services for commercial CRM. Must have experience building Web Services and related technologies in a .NET environment: XML, XSL, SOAP, UDDI, WSDL ,WSE (.NET), security methods and standards, JavaScript, CSS, DHTML, ASP .NET, ADO.NET, MS SQL Server, T-SQL, stored procedures, triggers and data access optimization techniques. SharePoint 2003 Web Part Development, SharePoint Portal Server 2003 and Windows SharePoint Services configuration. Send resumes to recruiter@tmaresources.com
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> Media Supervisor - Manhattan, NY

In this management position, the Supervisor oversees all aspects of online media campaigns, including planning, implementing and tracking for one of the top 10 advertisers in the country. Require: Five to seven years of exp. in media, marketing or strategic planning, Exp. in online marketing and current knowledge of trends and innovations in interactive media, Proven leadership skills and mgmt exp., Excellent written and verbal communications skills, Detail-oriented approach. Please email cover letter and resume to Arela Simerson arela@cm-recruiting.com
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> Director, IT Planning and Program Management - Biotech

Key member of IT organization; senor management position within IT. Manage staff of 3-4 professionals; partner with CIO in managing IT planning, program management and administration. Prepare and track IT budget; determine performance measures; lead program management across all business functions; establish standards. Requires experience managing multiple large IT projects across diverse business units. Send resumes to fsltd@earthlink.net
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> Technical Account Manager (TAM) - Springfield, VA

Verio is a global industry-leading hosting and service provider. We are currently offering a position within our Technical Account Management group. The selected candidate will be responsible for the detailed tracking/resolution and day-to-day operational management of our dedicated hosting clients. The TAM will facilitate and assist with the troubleshooting of escalated client issues(24x7). Technical account/project management skills, preferably in a hosting environment, are desired. Bachelor's degree required. For more Information please visit http://ver.hrdpt.com Send resumes to cmerritt@verio.net
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> Account Executives, Integration Software & Solution Sales - Software AG

Established for over 30 years, Software AG is an expert in world-class enterprise modernization and information integration. We seek Account Executives with an advanced understanding of integration, middleware solutions, BPM, and workflow delivery software to sell our portfolio of software, solutions, and services. Visit http://www.softwareagusa.com/ or email resume to kim.burger@softwareagusa.com
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> Vice President/Media Director - Boston

Our client, one of the top interactive and analytical data marketing firms in their space, is searching for a Vice President / Media Director. Candidates should have at least 10 years of strategic media planning experience, large team management and strong client relationship building experience. P&L responsibility along with new business media lead pitch & win experience is required. The client will pay for full relocation for the right candidate. Reports to EVP/ Media. Boston. Requires relocation to Boston. Send resumes to dhonig@market- search.net
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> Sr. Product Manager - Walnut Creek

The Product Manager is the worldwide owner of assigned products throughout the product life cycle, including market analysis, definition of feature requirements, product positioning, competitive analysis, partner identification, and product launch. Require: 5 years enterprise software or hardware appliance product mgmt, understanding of IT environments in general and network troubleshooting in particular, strong communication and writing skills, strong strategic and analytical skills, ability to work in and foster a collaborative team, BS/BA required, MS/MBA preferred. Visit http://www.wildpackets.com Send resumes to hr2005@wildpackets.com
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> Internal Communications/ Strategic HR Consultant

Innovative and fast-growing strategic communications firm is seeking an exceptional internal communications Campaign Director responsible for the strategy and day-to-day execution of high-visibility communication projects. Contract Position. Min 3 to 5 years internal communications exp. Organizational development, change mgmt, and HR exp. Branding and communications design exp. Project mgmt exp. with emphasis on delivering projects on-time and on budget. Willingness to travel throughout US and Europe, possibly as much as 50 percent of the time. Highly motivated, dynamic personality. Send resumes to jobs@bonfiresf.com Visit http://www.bonfirecommunications.com
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> Strategic Communications Group Offers Blog Relations Counsel

Enter the Blogosphere prepared - Enhance your sales and marketing programs. Take advantage of blog relations and blog technology at its forefront. As blogging matures and becomes a prevailing force in communications, allow Strategic Communications Group to assist you in meeting your sales, profitability and corporate valuation goals. Contact us for a free white paper. Send inquiries to info@gotostrategic.com or call 301.408.4500. Visit http://www.gotostrategic.com/blogptw.html  for more info.
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Digital Media Wire, Inc. is a news organization, publisher and events company serving the digital media industry since May 2000. Our daily newsletter delivers original briefings on business, legal and financial developments shaping digital media and read by over 30,000 executives and professionals.

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