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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- September 9, 2002
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Subscribe for free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com
o Music Software Firm Gracenote Raises $9.5 Million in Third Round
o Digital Television Set Sales Spike During July
o Altnet Service Distributor Brilliant Digital Raises $1.07 Million
o Sony, Rockstar Games Releasing 7 Soundtracks for Next "Grand Theft Auto"
o Morpheus Files for Summary Judgment Against Record Labels
o Interactive TV Firm GoldPocket Acquires Wireless Developer Moeo
o EUniverse Acquires Online Marketing Firm ResponseBase
> Featured Section: Streaming Media East, Universal Sales Network
o Briefly Noted: CinemaNow - Warner Home Video, MovieLink - IBM, Sony -
DVD formats, Toshiba - 1GB CompactFlash, Intel - wireless home networking,
Comcast - Broadcom - Ucentric, Ministry of Sound - Start! Games -
Intelligent Games, Motorola - mmO2, Jippii Group, IDG, FCC - media
ownership rules, Hotnavi, Sonicblue CEOs
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> Jobs: Senior Contract Mgr., VP of Media, Sr. Public Relations Mgr., Dir.
of Client Strategy, VP of Promotions, Games Programmer
> Events
> Marketplace
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
To post a Classified Ad:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/mainpostingpage.html
or contact David Peebler at david@digitalmediawire.com
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o Music Software Firm Gracenote Raises $9.5 Million in Third Round
Berkeley, Calif. -- Gracenote, a provider of music recognition software,
announced on Monday that it has raised $9.5 million in its third round of
venture capital financing. Sequoia Capital led the investment round; a
number of undisclosed parties also participated. Berkeley-based
Gracenote's CDDB database can identify a CD placed into the drive of an
Internet-connected PC. The company's software is also included with
various home and car stereo products from manufacturers including Sony,
Philips, Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz and Imerge. "This funding will
accelerate our strategic plan, and help us define the next generation of
digital music technology," said Gracenote CEO David Hyman. "It will also
speed the deployment of our new technologies, which will make digital
music more accessible, more convenient, and more compelling."
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/222520039&ticker=
http://www.gracenote.com
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o Digital Television Set Sales Spike During July
Arlington, Va. -- The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), an industry
trade group, is reporting that factory-to-dealer unit sales for digital
televisions sales in July rose 81 percent compared to the same period in
2001. Total sales in July reached 213,159 units and $369,311,697, based on
an average product price of $1,733 -- representing a 66 percent dollar
sales increase over the same period last year. "The DTV transition, in
terms of product sales, is progressing at an astounding pace," said CEA
president and CEO Gary Shapiro. "Compared to the same period last year, we
have sold nearly double the DTV products in 2002." The CEA also projected
that 2.1 million DTV products will be sold in 2002, 4 million in 2003, 5.4
million in 2004, 8 million in 2005 and 10.5 million in 2006.
http://www.ce.org/press_room/press_release_detail.asp?id=10024
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o Altnet Service Distributor Brilliant Digital Raises $1.07 Million
Los Angeles -- Brilliant Digital Entertainment, a provider of 3D animation
software and distributor of the Altnet secure file-sharing service,
announced on Monday that it has raised $1.07 million through a private
placement of its equity securities. Those purchasing shares included
Harris Toibb, MarKev Services -- an entity co-owned by the company's
chairman (Ronald Lachman), CEO (David Wilson) and president (Scott
Hergott) -- all existing stockholders, and new investor Bob Haya. Altnet
is a secure, opt-in peer-to-peer file-sharing network that is distributed
in downloads of the popular Kazaa software from Sharman Networks.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/90049_1.html
http://www.brilliantdigital.com
http://www.altnet.com
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o Sony, Rockstar Games Releasing 7 Soundtracks for Next "Grand Theft Auto"
New York -- Rockstar Games, the unit of Take Two Interactive responsible
for developing video games including the popular "Grand Theft Auto"
franchise, said on Monday that it has partnered with Sony Music
Entertainment to release seven soundtrack albums to its upcoming game
sequel, "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City." Each album will replicate a station
from the in-game 1980's radio FM dial, ranging from heavy metal and soul
to hip-hop and pop ballads, and featuring songs from artists including
Judas Priest, Blondie, Flock of Seagulls and Grandmaster Flash. The
soundtrack albums will be released simultaneously with the PlayStation
2-exclusive title on Oct. 29. "Sony is thrilled to have the opportunity to
release what we believe will be one of the most thorough and exciting
collections of 80's music ever to find its way into record stores," said
Sony Music president Tommy Mottola.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/92475_1.html
http://www.rockstargames.com
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o Morpheus Files for Summary Judgment Against Record Labels
Los Angeles -- Lawyers representing StreamCast Networks, which distributes
the Morpheus file-sharing software, on Monday filed a motion for summary
judgment in the company's litigation with the major record labels, which
have sued the company for copyright infringement. In its motion,
Tennessee-based StreamCast argues that distribution of the Morpheus
software is legal because the product is capable of substantial
noninfringing uses and because the company cannot control the various uses
of the software. Supporting StreamCast in the motion was recording artist
and nine-time Grammy nominee Janis Ian, who "believes that peer-to-peer
software represents important new opportunities for artists." Oral
arguments in the case are set for Dec. 2 before U.S. Federal District
Court Judge Stephen Wilson in Los Angeles.
http://www.eff.org/IP/P2P/MGM_v_Grokster/20020909_eff_pr.html
http://www.streamcastnetworks.com
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o Interactive TV Firm GoldPocket Acquires Wireless Developer Moeo
Los Angeles -- GoldPocket Interactive, a provider of two-way interactive
television programming, announced on Monday that it has acquired Moeo, a
provider of interactive software for wireless platforms. Financial terms
of the transaction were not disclosed. Santa Monica, Calif.-based Moeo
previously worked with GoldPocket to integrate its wireless technology
with GoldPocket's interactive television software. Moeo has created
wireless interactive services for clients including The WB Network and
MGM. The companies said their combined offering will allow networks to
further connect with their viewers through advanced set-top boxes,
synchronized PCs, and now mobile wireless devices.
http://www.goldpocket.com/corporate/interactive.aspx?pageID=20&newsID=35
http://www.moeo.com/clients.html
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o EUniverse Acquires Online Marketing Firm ResponseBase
Los Angeles -- EUniverse, a network of entertainment-related websites and
email newsletters, announced on Monday that it has acquired the assets of
Santa Monica, Calif.-based online marketing company ResponseBase. Specific
terms of the cash transaction were not disclosed. Los Angeles-based
EUniverse will take over ResponseBase's database of 30 million
permission-based email records, as well as retain all 24 of the company's
employees. "The transaction will provide us with greater distribution,
cross promotional opportunities and new product ideas, and strengthen both
companies' products and services and advertising business segments," said
EUniverse CEO Brad Greenspan.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020909/lam066_2.html
http://www.euniverse.com
http://www.responsebase.com
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
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Briefly Noted:
(Marina del Rey, Calif.) CinemaNow, a provider of video-on-demand content
and delivery technology, announced on Monday a licensing agreement with
Warner Home Video, to deliver selected first-run pay-per-view and library
titles on-demand via the CinemaNow website. The agreement marks the first
time that Warner titles will be available for download over the public
Internet. Movies including "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" will be
available for a 24-hour period for $3.99, while library titles like "Mars
Attacks" will be offered for $2.99 for the same period.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/90177_1.html
http://www.cinemanow.com
(Santa Monica, Calif.) MovieLink, a video-on-demand joint venture between
motion picture studios MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.,
announced on Monday that IBM will provide hosting and delivery of movies
for the service. Santa Monica, Calif.-based MovieLink has been in
development for two years but has yet to announce a launch date, what
films will be offered or what digital rights management technology will be
used to secure the films, which will be distributed to PCs and other
Internet-connected devices.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/92022_1.html
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-957020.html?tag=cd_mh
http://www.movielink.com
(San Jose, Calif.) Sony Electronics on Monday introduced new PC drives
that offer combined support for the competing DVD+RW, DVD+R, DVD-RW and
DVD-R formats. The new Dual RW drives will come bundled with CD and DVD
creation and editing software from Veritas, Sonic Solutions, Arcsoft,
Cyberlink and MusicMatch. The internal drive will sell for $350 beginning
in October while the external version of the drive will go on sale in
November for $430.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020909/sfm026_2.html
http://www.sonystyle.com
(Irvine, Calif.) Electronics firm Toshiba's Toshiba America Electronic
Components (TAEC) unit on Monday announced the introduction of its
1-gigabyte CompactFlash memory card, for use with flash memory-based
products like MP3 players and camcorders. Toshiba said it will sell the
new high-capacity cards, which can hold music, digital images, video and
other media, to manufacturers for $700 each.
http://www.toshiba.com/taec/press/to-231.shtml
(San Jose, Calif.) Chipmaker Intel on Monday announced its Extended
Wireless PC Initiative, aimed at aiding distribution of digital media
throughout the home. The initiative includes offering the developer
community building blocks and toolkits to allow them to facilitate
distribution of PC digital media to TVs and stereos throughout the home.
Intel also said its new PC peripheral -- a digital media adapter -- may be
used to wirelessly connect a PC to home entertainment systems via 802.11
and the company's proprietary UpnP technology, using standard stereo or TV
A/V cables.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/90291_1.html
http://developer.intel.com/technology/digitalhome
(Maynard, Mass.) Cable TV operator Comcast on Monday announced a home
networking partnership with chipmaker Broadcom and Ucentric Systems, which
develops multi-TV digital video recorder technology. The companies will
conduct a joint trial of Massachusetts-based Ucentric's software with
Comcast subscribers in Philadelphia, allowing them to access recorded TV
programs on multiple televisions in the home without the need for
additional hardware, using their existing coaxial cable.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020909/90176_1.html
http://www.comcast.com
http://www.broadcom.com
http://www.ucentric.com
(London) U.K.-based independent dance music record label Ministry of Sound
said on Monday that it has partnered with game developers Start! Games and
Intelligent Games to develop a music mixing video game title for the
PlayStation 2. "Ministry of Sound BPM: Build Play Mix" features six
complete tracks for remixing with thousands of supplied samples. Start!
Games will fund development of the title by Intelligent Games, featuring
music from Ministry of Sound's catalog.
http://www.ministryofsound.com
http://www.startgames.co.uk
http://www.igl.co.uk
(Libertyville, Ill.) Motorola announced on Monday that its wireless
download technology will be used to power O2 Games Arcade, a new
Java-based wireless games service from mmO2, an operator of wireless
networks in the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Ireland. The service --
which offers games including Atari classics "Breakout," "Asteroids" and
"Pong" -- is currently available as a free trial for U.K.-based mmO2
subscribers and will launch in the company's other territories in October.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020909/cgm033_1.html
http://www.mmo2.com
(Irvine, Calif.) Finland-based wireless entertainment developer Jippii
Group on Monday announced the opening of U.S. offices in Irvine, Calif.
The company has relationships with 60 mobile network operators in 20
countries, and provides downloadable content from partners including AOL
Time Warner's Cartoon Network and BMG Europe. Jippii claims to have
created the world's first downloadable logo on Nokia phones and the
world's first downloadable ringtone on Motorola phones in 1998.
http://www.jippii.com
(Boston) IDG, a major publisher of technology-related newspapers and
magazines, has named Pat Kenealy as its new CEO, replacing Kelly Conlin.
Kenealy has been with IDG for 16 years, most recently serving as a
founding general partner of IDG Ventures, the company's $560 million
venture capital fund. Prior to joining IDG, Kenealy was chief assignment
editor for CNN's New York bureau.
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CpxBwWbKbytiXmZm
http://www.idg.com
(New York) The New York Times recently reported on the Federal
Communications Commission's (FCC) intention to review media ownership
rules, following several court opinions challenging existing federal
limits. A rule-making process will begin this week that could change
current limits such as those prohibiting a newspaper from owning a TV
station in the same city, a media conglomerate from owning two television
networks, and a company from owning more than eight radio stations in the
same market.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/07/business/media/07MEDI.html
(Tokyo) Japan's Kyodo News Agency recently reported on a new PDA device
from consumer electronics firm Planet Co that will let consumers listen to
samples of CDs in stores and elsewhere simply by scanning the CD barcode
with the device. Music is sent over a wireless network to the Hotnavi
device, allowing consumers to hear songs on the CD via a set of connected
headphones.
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=4&id=229209
(San Francisco) Online magazine Salon.com on Monday published a feature on
the impact that the firing of consumer electronics firm Sonicblue's CEO
Ken Potashner will likely have on the controversial company. Sonicblue was
sued by 29 entertainment firms over its ReplayTV device's ability to skip
commercials and email programs to friends. While Potashner was quoted as
saying last July, "I'd much rather be offering the right product with the
risk of litigation than the wrong product with no risk," new CEO Greg
Ballard is more averse to litigation. "If I'm in a product meeting and I'm
offered a choice of two features, one which will trigger a lawsuit, and
one not, I'm inclined to choose the one that will not, even if our lawyers
think we can win," Ballard told Salon.com.
http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2002/09/09/sonicblue/index.html
http://www.sonicblue.com
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CLASSIFIEDS - JOBS
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To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobpostingpage.htm
Senior Contract Manager - Google - Mountain View, CA
Google is seeking an experienced contract negotiator. Responsibilities
include daily review of standard contracts, limited authority to draft
contractual terms and conditions for licenses and advertising services
agreements, intensive in-house client interaction. Communicate company
policies and approval processes for contract changes to sales
professionals. 3-5 years of contract negotiation. Resume to
jobs@google.com or fax (650) 618-1796. Please include position.
_____________________________________________
VP Media - Mosaic - Marina Del Rey, CA
Mosaic Data Solutions is a Canadian Based Fortune 500 Marketing Firm and
the World's leading Email Marketing Firm and provider of consumer data
products. We seek a VP of Media who will be responsible for selling Mosaic
Data Solutions (CustomOffers) own proprietary products to consumers via
Banners, Pops and Keyword purchases strategically placed around the
Internet. For immediate consideration, contact Thomas Geraci at:
tgeraci@mosaicdatasolutions.com
_____________________________________________
Sr. Public Relations Manager - Infogrames - Santa Monica, CA
Infogrames, Inc., one of the world's largest publishers of interactive
games, is looking for a Sr. Public Relations Manager to develop,
coordinate and manage public relations activities on behalf of the Santa
Monica's growing line of interactive games for all platforms
(PlayStation2, Gamecube, and Xbox). 6-10 years of related PR work
experience with 2-3 years in the digital entertainment business. Resume
to: smjobs@us.infogrames.com
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Director of Client Strategy - Sharpe Partners - New York, NY
Sharpe Partners is a digital marketing agency. Director of Client Strategy
oversees the development of client marketing plans, budgets and
presentations for clients, identifying and pursuing opportunities to
expand client relationships. 5 yrs. in advertising/marketing, plus 2 yrs.
at an interactive agency Resume to: marlena@sharpe-partners.com
(reference: CS Manager).
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Vice President of Promotions - Virgin Mobile - Liberty Corner, New Jersey
The new Program and Promotions team will design, develop and deploy
channel specific programs to support and promote Virgin Mobile's product
and service offering. We are seeking VP level candidates to help us
develop retail, Internet, and other channel specific programs; develop and
maintain project planning and release roll-outs; and wireless accessory
strategy. 10+ yrs. in a marketing or brand management role. Resume to:
jobs@virginmobileusa.com
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Games Programmer - Acclaim Entertainment - Austin, TX
Acclaim, one of the most successful game development and publishing groups
in the world, seeks a Video Game Programmer (C++, AI, 3D).
Responsibilities: Design, implement and debug segments of new and existing
code Requirements. A BS or equivalent work experience; 2 years of C/C++
and at least 1 year of software development experience. Only resumes
submitted through
http://careers.acclaim.com will be considered.
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To Post Events: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/eventpostingpage.htm
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Copyright 2002 Digital Media Wire, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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