archives

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- October 11, 2000
===================================================
To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Ebrary Receives Investments From Major Publishers
o Music Publishers And RIAA Reach Agreement On Web Licensing
o Streaming Media Developer Anystream Receives $13 Million
o European Commission Approves AOL - Time Warner Merger
o Microsoft And Sony Launch Web Music Video Channel in Europe
o Reciprocal Expands Digital Rights Management Into Film
o Strategis Group: Interactive Television To Grow Sharply
o MotionTV Claims VHS-Quality Web Video For Low Bandwidth Users
o Cher To Release New Album Online
o AudioSonix Raises $250,000 in Seed Round
o Briefly Noted: eNovel.com - InstantNovelist.com, BET.com - 360HIPHOP.com, iSyndicate - Major League Baseball, iNoize.com, "iMix v2.0," Z.com - Red Hot Chili Peppers, Eveo.com, iCAST - David Blaine, RadioAMP - iWon.com, WorldStream Communications
_____________________________________________

o Ebrary Receives Investments From Major Publishers

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Ebrary, a provider of downloadable text from books
for research purposes, announced that it has received investments from
Random House, Pearson and McGraw-Hill. Terms of the investments were not
disclosed. The publishers said they will make many of their books
available on ebrary.com, which is scheduled to launch this fall.
Sunnyvale-based ebrary said it will allow users to search books, maps and
periodicals online. For a fee, users will be able to print or download
texts. The company said it will charge users for the service on a
pay-per-use rather than by subscription. "As a publisher -- as well as an
investor -- we welcome this innovative yet practical approach to making
content available to all in digital form," said Richard Sarnoff, president
of Random House Ventures. "Ebrary uses a model that will bring our authors
additional revenue while safeguarding their copyrights from unauthorized
exploitation."
http://www.ebrary.com/press/index.html#003
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,19259,00.html
_____________________________________________

o Music Publishers And RIAA Reach Agreement On Web Licensing

New York -- The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) and the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced that they have
reached an agreement on the licensing of music distributed on the web. The
RIAA said the agreement will expedite the process for the licensing of
digital music publishing rights, and make it much easier for distributors
to get fully-licensed music into the hands of consumers. The agreement was
made between the Harry Fox Agency, a subsidiary of the NMPA and the
RIAA-represented Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music
Group, EMI Recorded Music and Bertelsmann's BMG Entertainment. The
agreement will remain in effect until licenses governing "Digital
Phonorecord Delivery," a government term for digital music, are adopted by
the Library of Congress, or until Sept. 30, 2001.
http://www.riaa.org/PR_Story.cfm?id=340
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Media Developer Anystream Receives $13 Million

Sterling, Va. -- Anystream, Inc., a software company specializing in
streaming media technology, announced on Wednesday that it has received
$13 million in its second round of financing. The investment came from
Intel Corp's 64 Fund, SCP Private Equity Partners and Citigroup
Investments. Virginia-based Anystream develops streaming media encoding
technology aimed at professional producers. As part of its investment,
Intel will "optimize" some of its processors for Anystream's technology.
http://www.anystream.com/news_res/press_releases/pr5_anystreamintel.html
_____________________________________________

o European Commission Approves AOL - Time Warner Merger

Brussels -- The European Commission approved on Wednesday the merger
between America Online and Time Warner. The Commission placed several
conditions on its approval, including a requirement that Time Warner
abandon its proposed merger with EMI, as well as end ties with German
media company Bertelsmann. The Commission had concerns that AOL-Time
Warner would have too much control over the online music industry in
Europe. The termination of  partnerships with music distributors BMG and
EMI appears to have eased those reservations. The merger still faces the
scrutiny of the FTC and FCC, which have voiced more concern about the
merged company's potential control of Internet access through both cable
lines and set-top boxes.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3160786.html
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft And Sony Launch Web Music Video Channel in Europe

Redmond, WA -- Microsoft announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with
Sony Music Entertainment Europe to create an Internet music video channel
for various European countries. The companies said that the channel will
include videos, interviews and weekly news on a mix of international and
local music artists in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden, broadcast
in the Windows Media format. The channel, which is reportedly set to
launch next month, does not yet have a name.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3162045.html
_____________________________________________

o Reciprocal Expands Its Digital Rights Management Into Film

New York -- Reciprocal, a provider of digital rights management services
for the entertainment industry, announced on Wednesday that its music
division will expand to include video and film. The division has changed
its name to Reciprocal Entertainment. New York-based Reciprocal provides
copyright owners with the ability to track the licensing and receive
payments for the digital versions of their works on the Internet. Sony is
currently using Reciprocal's technology for its music download service.
"The entertainment industry as a whole is under attack by a variety of
content pirating schemes," said Larry Miller, the new president of
Reciprocal Entertainment. "Reciprocal Entertainment will enable us to
offer film, video and broadcast producers and distribution outlets the
same secure digital commerce services that have increased profits for
music labels, distributors and retailers for more than a year."
http://www.reciprocal.com/prm_rel10112000.asp
_____________________________________________

o Strategis Group: Interactive Television To Grow Sharply

(Washington, DC) About 41 million U.S. consumers will have interactive
television by 2005, according to a study published by research firm The
Strategis Group on Wednesday. The survey showed that the growth in
interactive television will be fueled by demand for interactive services,
such as video on demand, television-based commerce, and by cable and
digital broadcast satellite providers' desire to tap new revenue sources.
http://www.strategisgroup.com/press/pubs/itv.html
_____________________________________________

o MotionTV Claims VHS-Quality Web Video For Low Bandwidth Users

Campbell, Calif. -- MotionTV, a developer of streaming video technology,
announced on Wednesday that it is developing technology capable of
providing VHS quality full screen video on computers using dial-up
Internet access. The company said technology able to provide this quality
to less than 200 kbps connections will be available by the end of January.
Currently, some sites provide video at a rate of 256 kbps, which is
viewable with DSL or a cable modem connection, but the full screen option
does not produce near VHS quality video. "We intend to continue
development until we drop the data rates to the sub-100 kbps, or dial up
rates," said MotionTV CEO Garrett Cecchini. Many companies, including
Microsoft and RealNetworks, are trying to develop codecs that will enable
faster video transfer, which many have described as the "holy grail" for
video on the Internet. MotionTV does not currently have a web site.
_____________________________________________

o Cher To Release New Album Online

Los Angeles -- Department 56, the talent agency that represents musician
Cher, announced on Wednesday that the singer's new album, NOT.COMM.ERCIAL,
will be available exclusively online. The agency said that the album is
much different than Cher's previous album, and that the singer is putting
a warning label on the CD, "as the subject manner is darker and the
language more colorful than her 'commercial' albums." The album will be
available starting November 8 on Cher's web site on ARTISTdirect.com and
on cher.com.
http://www.cherdirect.com
http://www.cher.com
_____________________________________________

o AudioSonix Raises $250,000 in Seed Round
 
Olney, Md. -- AudioSonix, a web-based service for the distribution of
digital content, announced on Wednesday that it has received $250,000 in
seed financing from private investors. Maryland-based AudioSonix develops
technology that allows creators and owners of digital works to deliver the
content to thousands of radio stations. The company said the technology
can be used for radio advertising and short news segments. AudioSonix said
it is seeking an additional $2 million in venture capital.
http://www.audiosonix.com/
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Richmond, Va.) eNovel.com, a web site focused on books and reading,
announced that it plans to acquire Novel Products, Inc., which owns a web
site for aspiring writers called the InstantNovelist.com. The financial
terms of the deal were not disclosed. Under the deal, Dan Hurley, a
founder of InstantNovelist.com will join eNovel's management team. eNovel
said that 17 years ago, Hurley took "his manual Remington typewriter onto
the streets of Chicago to begin writing stories for passersby, and soon
became nationally known as the 60-Second Novelist." eNovel said that the
acquisition will help it focus on the e-book market.
http://www.enovel.com/
http://www.instantnovelist.com/

(Washington, DC) DC-based BET.com, an African American portal, and New
York-based 360HIPHOP.com, a site focused on hip-hop music, announced on
Wednesday that they have finalized their merger agreement. Under the terms
of the agreement, 360HIPHOP.com will become a wholly-owned entity of
BET.com, which is backed by Microsoft, Liberty Digital, USA Networks and
News Corporation.
http://360hiphop.com/
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20001011/wr/media_urbanportals_dc_1.html

(San Francisco) iSyndicate, a web content syndicator, announced on
Wednesday that it will provide breaking sports news from the Associated
Press to the web sites of major league baseball teams. San Francisco-based
iSyndicate will tailor the content for each team's site, and filter news
relevant to each team.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3164558.html
http://www.isyndicate.com

(Vancouver, B.C.) iNoize.com, a peer-to-peer music trading service,
announced on Wednesday the launch of its site. The company, which claims
that its service is "legal," said that its software allows users to create
personalized lists of songs generated from music available from other
users on its network, which users can then stream to their own computer at
any time. Vancouver-based iNoize.com said that its service avoids the
legal problems of Napster and MP3.com because it only allows users to
stream secure music files, rather than download them. The company said
that it is currently addressing the problem that occurs when a song on a
user's playlist resides on another user's computer who is not online,
making the song unavailable.
http://www.inoize.com

(New York) The "iMix v2.0 Interactive Television Developers Conference"
will be held on Thursday, Oct. 12 and Friday, Oct. 13 at the Marriott
World Trade Center in New York City. Topics that will be covered include
technology, standards, production, interactive advertising and
applications for the interactive television industry.
http://www.imix.tv

(Burbank, Calif.) Z.com, an entertainment site, announced on Wednesday
that it will offer its users behind-the-scenes footage of the Red Hot
Chili Peppers on their current U.S. tour. Burbank-based Z.com said the
footage will include video concert performances, and will show the band
with celebrities such as comedian Chris Rock, actor Woody Harrelson and
musician John Lurie.
http://www.z.com

(San Francisco) Eveo, a site for amateur filmmakers, announced on
Wednesday its "Luckiest Filmmaker in America" contest. San Francisco-based
Eveo said that it has partnered with Kodak to award the creator of a short
film with the resources to shoot the story on 16mm film. The company said
the submissions of the top 50 finalists will be voted on by visitors to
eveo.com.
http://www.eveo.com
http://www.kodak.com/go/motion

(New York) iCAST, a multimedia entertainment site, announced on Wednesday
that magician David Blaine has entered into an agreement to broadcast his
content on the site. New York-based iCAST said that the site will offer a
continuous webcast of Blaine being frozen alive into a block of ice on
November 28; the site will also offer video clips from Blaine's past
television specials, interactive illusions and a biographical photo
gallery.
http://davidblaine.icast.com

(Cambridge, Mass.) RadioAMP, a provider of custom audio services for the
web, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with portal iWon.com to
create iWon Radio, an Internet radio service. Cambridge-based RadioAMP
creates custom web radio channels in varying genres of music for its
clients, which include AltaVista, Barnes and Noble, and NBCi.
http://www.radioamp.com/news_info/news_iwon.htm
http://www.iwon.com

(Seattle) WorldStream Communications, a provider of interactive streaming
technology, announced on Wednesday that it has named Bill Malloy as its
new CEO. Malloy previously was president and CEO of Chicago-based Peapod,
an online grocer.
http://www.worldstream.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