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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- Oct. 3, 2000
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o Entertainment Site SRSWOWcast.com Raises $6 Million
o B2B Music Indexer MoodLogic Raises $5 Million
o Freenet Gives Users Anonymous Peer-To-Peer Sharing
o MusicMatch Audio Player To Offer Personalized MP3 Radio
o Hollywood Stock Exchange Gives Users Access To Film Production
o Interactive Web Audio Developer Wonderhorse Raises $3.1 Million
o Briefly Noted: Nintendo - Cybersquatters, Warner Music - Liquid Audio,
"DV Expo," "COPS" - Stan Lee Media, Flipside.com,
ComedyWorld.com
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o Entertainment Site SRSWOWcast.com Raises $6 Million
Santa Ana, Calif. -- SRSWOWcast.com, a music-based entertainment site,
announced on Tuesday that it has raised $6 million in its first round of
venture funding. WI Harper Group led the investment round; several other
private investors also contributed. Santa Ana-based SRSWOWcast.com offers
web radio and music videos, as well as animated chat rooms and movie
trailers. The company is a spin-off of SRS Labs, a publicly traded
developer of audio and voice technologies.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001003/ca_srswowc.html
http://www.srswowcast.com
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o B2B Music Indexer MoodLogic Raises $5 Million
Los Angeles -- MoodLogic, a developer of technology that indexes songs
based on the particular "mood" they elicit from listeners,
announced on
Tuesday that it has raised $5 million in its latest round of funding.
Broadband Capital of Switzerland led the round; other individual investors
included C. Richard Kramlich. San Francisco-based MoodLogic said it has
created a browser that allows users to search for music based on
subjective descriptions, such as "mellow 1930's jazz." The
company also
said it is marketing its database of 500,000 songs that have been indexed
based on consumers' perceptions to businesses that want to target niche
audiences with streaming music, and to record labels interested in user
perceptions of new releases.
http://www.moodlogic.com
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o Freenet Gives Users Anonymous Peer-To-Peer Sharing
Los Angeles -- An article in the Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday profiled
Ian Clarke, the Irish developer of Freenet, an anonymous peer-to-peer
file-sharing network that is increasingly concerning the entertainment
industry. Freenet allows users to exchange files in a similar manner as
Napster or Gnutella, with the added feature that all exchanges are
completely anonymous and leave no trace of the transmission. Freenet does
not log any information about which files are stored on users' computers,
making it impossible for copyright holders to sue individuals using the
service. In the article, Clarke said he developed the software to create a
forum for total freedom of speech on the Internet -- and not to facilitate
copyright violations. However, Clarke also said, "Copyright law is
unenforceable. You can't prevent people from sharing information. And
information should be free." In addition to developing the Freenet
software, Clarke has founded Los Angeles-based Uprizer, Inc., which has
received backing from a number of film executives and entertainment
lawyers. "Uprizer will not be doing anything that might be illegal,
even
in the eyes of the RIAA," he said.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com
http://freenet.sourceforge.net/
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o MusicMatch Audio Player To Offer Personalized MP3 Radio
Los Angeles -- MusicMatch, a provider of web audio software, announced on
Tuesday the launch of its latest music player software, called MusicMatch
Jukebox 6.0. The software is equipped with new features that personalize
the software for individual users. Los Angeles-based MusicMatch said that
its personalization technology automatically creates radio playlists for
users based on information gathered about their musical tastes.
http://www.musicmatch.com/about_us/press_releases.cgi?PRESS=76
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o Hollywood Stock Exchange Gives Fans Insider Access To Film Production
Los Angeles -- The Hollywood Stock Exchange, a virtual stock exchange that
allows users to trade "stocks" in movies, stars and music
artists,
announced on Tuesday the launch of its Virtual Producer program. The Los
Angeles-based Hollywood Stock Exchange said the new program will allow
users to participate in various aspects of a film's production. After
paying a subscription fee, users will be given access to production notes,
dailies, behind-the-scenes footage, and chats with cast and crewmembers.
The company also announced that Lions Gate Films' "Shadow of the
Vampire"
will be the first film offered under the program.
http://www.hsx.com
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o Interactive Web Audio Developer Wonderhorse Raises $3.1 Million
Seattle -- Wonderhorse, a developer of interactive media software,
announced on Tuesday that it has raised $3.1 million in its first round of
venture capital financing. Alexander Hutton Venture Partners and Lycos
Ventures led the investment round; Washington Park Ventures also
contributed. Seattle-based Wonderhorse develops technology that allows
computer users with a microphone and speakers to participate in Internet
talk shows.
http://www.wonderhorse.com/news.asp
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o Briefly Noted:
(Redmond, WA) Nintendo of America filed a mass lawsuit on Tuesday against
the owners of 55 web domain names that it said are infringing on the
Pokemon brand. The suit, filed in federal court in Seattle, alleges that
the registration of Pokemon-related Internet domain names constitutes
trademark infringement, dilution, and a violation of the
Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act. Nintendo, which is seeking monetary
damages from the domain holders, said the web sites are attempting to
profit illegally from the Pokemon name.
http://www.nintendo.com
(New York) Warner Music announced on Tuesday that it will make 100 singles
and Internet-exclusive tracks available for purchase by download in Liquid
Audio's secure music format. Redwood City-based Liquid Audio will host the
delivery of the songs, which will be sold at sites including
towerrecords.com and bestbuy.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001003/ny_warner_.html
http://www.liquidaudio.com
(Los Angeles) "DV Expo," a digital video trade show, will be
held on
Tuesday, Oct. 3 through Friday, Oct. 6 in Long Beach, California. The
"Web
Video Expo" will coincide with the event this year, and will feature
exhibitions and demonstrations of digital video and its use on the web.
http://www.dvexpo.com
http://www.webvideoexpo.com
(New York) John Langley, the developer of the "COPS" television
show, said
on Tuesday that he and Stan Lee Media, an animation company, will partner
to produce "Police Force 2220," a weekly animated web program.
After
establishing an audience on the Internet, the two parties said they will
launch the web program on television and for film.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001003/ny_crime_c.html
http://www.crime.com
http://www.stanlee.net
(Berkeley, Calif.) Flipside.com, an online gaming site, announced on
Tuesday the release of a number of instant messaging games. Berkeley-based
Flipside.com said that users can download games from its site, and then
play them with others using instant messaging software. Some of the more
traditional games that are available from Flipside.com include checkers
and backgammon.
http://www.imgames.com
http://www.flipside.com
(Los Angeles) ComedyWorld.com announced on Tuesday the start of a contest
that will search college campuses for new comedy talent. Los Angeles-based
ComedyWorld.com said that it is partnering with the Burly Bear Network, a
college campus cable network, to promote and broadcast the contest called
"The Brick Wall Tour." The winner will receive a trip to
Amsterdam;
finalists will have their videotaped comedy routines posted online.
www.comedyworld.com/brickwall
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