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October 16, 2003 -- About Us | Advertise | Events | Publications | Subscribe

Main Stories
o Apple Launches iTunes Music Store for Windows, Partners With Pepsi
o Troubled Universal Music to Eliminate 1,350 Jobs
o U.K. Game Retailers See "Dismal" First-Week Sales for Nokia N-Gage
o Sony Music, Intel Partner to Optimize Multimedia Content for Cell Phones
o European Broadband Connections Double in 2003
o Junior Achievement, MPAA Launch Anti-Piracy Educational Initiative
o Spoken Word Audio Provider MediaBay Raises $1 Million
o Flash Memory Maker SanDisk Says $100 Million in Stock Fraudulently Sold


 > DMW Announcements:
 --Future of Television Forum, NYC - Confirmed Speakers
 --DMW Publications

 > Featured Advertisement:
 --The Micropayments Conference | NYC | Nov. 3
 --Executive Seminars | Multimedia & Broadband Services in the Home
 --New Report Urges Recording Industry to Give Music Away for Free
 

o Briefly Noted: Macrovision - German Copyright Act, Apple - iPod accessories, RealNetworks - European content providers, Comcast - HBO On Demand, Cox - SeaChange, Lime Wire, Atari - "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas," TDK Mediactive - "Disney's The Haunted Mansion," Vivendi Universal Games - inXile Entertainment, Sony's "NCAA Final Four 2004" - Nick Collision, Sprint PCS - "Looney Tunes: Back in Action," MPAA - "screener" ban controversy, FCC - "broadcast flag"

 
> Job/Event/Marketplace Classifieds:
 --Apple Seminars, Training and Events
 --
Tech Transfer 2003 - October 29, Ritz-Carlton, McLean, VA
 --
HireStrategy - Accounting Supervisor
 --
BrainMedia, LLC, Product Manager - Northern Virginia
 --
Technical Writer
 --
New Low-Cost Sales & Lead Generation Program for Software Companies
 

o Apple Launches iTunes Music Store for Windows, Partners With Pepsi

Cupertino, Calif. -- Apple Computer on Thursday announced the launch of a version of its popular iTunes Music Store for owners of Windows PCs. The company's Mac version of the store has sold over 13 million songs in six months. The launch includes the release of a Windows version of Apple's iTunes digital jukebox software, as well as new features such as the addition of over 5,000 audiobooks through a partnership with Audible; one-click registration for AOL's 25 million U.S. members; and an "Allowance" feature that lets parents automatically deposit funds into their kids' iTunes account every month. Apple also announced a promotional partnership with Pepsi that will give away 100 million free songs through iTunes. Pepsi will place winning codes in bottles of its products and launch the promotion in a Super Bowl ad.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/sfth060_1.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/sfth062_1.html
http://www.apple.com/itunes
_____________________________________________

o Troubled Universal Music to Eliminate 1,350 Jobs

Paris -- Struggling to cope with volatile sales, Universal Music, the No. 1 record company in the world, announced on Thursday that it would cut 1,350 jobs from its global workforce. The music unit of French media conglomerate Vivendi Universal said that it would cut its workforce by 11% to 10,850 by the first quarter of next year. The news comes on the heels of a nearly 11% drop in global music sales in the first half. Universal, which has already eliminated or redeployed 550 jobs this year, has so far declined to comment on the latest cutbacks.
http://www.vivendiuniversal.com/vu/en/subsidiaries/u_music.cfm
_____________________________________________

o U.K. Game Retailers See "Dismal" First-Week Sales for Nokia N-Gage

London -- U.K. gaming news site GamesIndustry.biz reported on Thursday that U.K. video game retailers are reporting "dismal" sales of cell phone maker Nokia's N-Gage hybrid cell phone/video game deck during its first week of availability there. The site quoted figures from Chart-Track -- which polls video game stores but not mobile phone stores -- that indicate less than 500 units were sold from the 6,000 stores offering the N-Gage. The report also said that the top-selling game so far is developer Eidos' version of its popular "Tomb Raider" game for the N-Gage.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?section_name=ret&aid=2408
http://www.n-gage.com
_____________________________________________

o Sony Music, Intel Partner to Optimize Multimedia Content for Cell Phones

New York -- Sony Music Entertainment announced on Thursday that it is collaborating with chipmaker Intel to enable users to access music, images, videos and other Sony content on Intel-based cell phones and PDAs. The companies will optimize Sony's mobile applications, services and content for mobile devices running the Intel Personal Internet Client Architecture (PCA), which aims to deliver a PC-quality multimedia experience on a cell phone. "We're excited about working together to create products and services that take advantage of the advanced video, audio and 3D animation capabilities supported by the Intel PCA architecture said Sony Music Entertainment chief technology officer Philip Wiser. Devices based on the partnership are expected to hit the market in early 2004.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031016/165158_1.html
http://www.intel.com/pca/developernetwork/overview 
http://www.sonymusic.com
_____________________________________________

o European Broadband Connections Double in 2003

Brussels -- According to EU Telecommunications Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, broadband Internet connections in Europe have doubled over the past year, with several European countries even surpassing the U.S. "If there is one area in the European economy where there has been very dramatic change in the last six to 12 months, it is in broadband," Liikanen said. "The growth rates in broadband are about 100% per year at the moment, and there seems to be no slowing down." The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark currently boast higher connection rates than the U.S., Liikanen said. In the third quarter of this year, broadband connections across the EU neared 20 million lines, with 41% of line provisions coming from new entrants, the EU reported.
http://europa.eu.int
_____________________________________________

o Junior Achievement, MPAA Launch Anti-Piracy Educational Initiative

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Junior Achievement, Inc., a non-profit that provides supplemental educational programs to middle-school students in the U.S., announced on Thursday the launch of "What's The Diff?", its anti-piracy education initiative funded by a grant from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The program is "designed to teach middle-grade students responsible 'digital citizenship' and help them understand that illegally downloading or duplicating copyrighted material is no different than walking into a store and stealing it." Junior Achievement said the program has the potential to reach 900,000 U.S. students in grades 5 through 9. "Young people face a lot of ethical challenges these days, and improper use of the Internet is one of them," said Junior Achievement president and CEO David Chernow. "Illegally downloading copyrighted materials hinders our economy and stunts the ethical development of our future workforce. This cuts to the core of what Junior Achievement is all about."
http://www.respectcopyrights.org 
http://www.ja.org
_____________________________________________

o Spoken Word Audio Provider MediaBay Raises $1 Million

Cedar Knolls, N.J. -- MediaBay, a media company that distributes spoken word audio content, announced on Thursday that it has raised $1 million in new financing through a private placement of its stock. Purchasers included company chairman Carl Wolf, and a company owned by one of MediaBay's board members. New Jersey-based MediaBay's content libraries include over 60,000 classic radio programs, 3,500 film and television programs and thousands of audiobooks. The company distributes its products to its own customer database, in over 7,000 retail outlets and on the Internet through streaming and downloadable audio.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031015/nyw155_1.html 
http://www.mediabay.com
_____________________________________________

o Flash Memory Maker SanDisk Says $100 Million in Stock Fraudulently Sold

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- SanDisk, a supplier of flash memory storage card products, said on Tuesday that a senior associate from its Taiwanese law firm has fraudulently sold and misappropriated the proceeds from about $100 million in stock held on behalf of the company. Lee and Li, one of the largest law firms in Asia, said that the crime involved approximately 121 million shares of SanDisk's United Microelectronics stock, which the law firm held through a power of attorney. Lee and Li vowed that it will not let SanDisk suffer any loss as a result of the actions of its former employee, and said that it is vigorously investigating the incident. SanDisk is also investigating whether it is insured against any portion of this loss.
http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=Cp4ZgqbKbytuZndm
http://www.sandisk.com

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 > DMW Events:

Future of Television Forum
November 21, 2003 - New York City
www.televisionconference.com

Digital Media Wire & NYU's Stern School of Business
are proud to present one of the premier television industry
events of the year, featuring following confirmed speakers:

Keynote Speakers
Joshua Sapan - President & CEO, Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc.
Mark Cuban - Chairman, HDNet, Owner, Dallas Mavericks
David Zaslav - President, NBC Cable

Panelists
Jeff Bader - EVP, Program Planning, Scheduling & Synergy, ABC
Dan Harrison - VP, Strategic Programming, Bravo Entertainment, NBC
David Poltrack - EVP, Research & Planning, CBS
Jeff Branman
- President, Interactive Technology Partners (QVC & Comcast)
Greg DePrez - VP, Subscription Video-on-Demand, Starz Encore Group
John Roberts - SVP, Interactive Online, Game Show Network
Jack Myers - Media Economist & Commentator, Jack Myers Report
Richard Hofstetter
- Partner, Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz, PC
Al Lieberman - Exec. Dir., EMT Program, NYU Stern School of Business
Ned Sherman - Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Media Wire
Bruce Leichtman - Pres. & Principal Analyst, Leichtman Research Group
Paul Sherman - Co-Founder & Editor-in-Chief, Potomac Tech Wire
Scott Fedewa - COO & Executive Producer, BillOReilly.com
Lydia Loizides - Senior Analyst, Jupiter Research
Debby Mullin
- VP, New Media/Advertising Sales, Cox Communications
Kevin Carton
- Global Leader, Entertainment & Media Practice, PWC
Rich Battista
- EVP, Bus. Dev., Fox Broadcasting & Fox Cable (tentative)

Register Now!

 > DMW Publications:

Digital Media Law Report - Monthly - Subscriptions - Order
Game Industry Quarterly
- Subscriptions - Order
Available Now - Q3 Game Industry Quartertly - 105 pages - Order

Past Events | Sponsorship Materials | Partners & Clients
 

 

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> Featured Advertisement:

 > The Micropayments Conference - Harvard Club of NYC, November 3

Join senior executives from entertainment, media and publishing companies, financial institutions, payment companies and technology providers to explore how consumers consume, sellers sell, and what the future holds for business models in the on-line world.

The Conference, which is hosted by Peppercoin and produced by Digital Media Wire, and is a full-day event at the Harvard Club of NYC and includes breakfast buffet, 3 keynotes, 5 panels, banquet-style lunch and post-event cocktail reception.

To register online: www.micropaymentsconference.com 


> Executive Seminars: Multimedia and Broadband Services in the Home

Register Now! Parks Associates' Fall Focus: Banking on Broadband Services (Oct. 29 & 30) & Home Multimedia Experience (Nov 5 & 6) feature Parks' consumer research; "Visionary" Keynotes - EarthLink, HP, Intel Corp., Intel Capital, Personica Intelligence, Philips Semiconductors, Scientific-Atlanta, and Yahoo; & "Reality" Panel discussions among industry leaders. Download Parks' latest white paper, "The Home Network Market" to learn more! http://www.fallfocus.com

Questions: contact candi@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113
 


> New Report Urges Recording Industry to Give Music Away for Free

 

In response to the growing legal campaign against music piracy, Parks Associates today issued a free white paper calling on the recording industry to change tactics.  The paper, Thinking Outside the Disc, recommends fighting digital piracy by exploring new business models such as a free music-on-demand service that relies on advertising revenue. To download it free, click the link below or visit www.parksassociates.com
              http://www.parksassociates.com/inthePress/resources/resources_form_digital.htm

Questions: contact info@parksassociates.com or call 972-490-1113

 

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o Briefly Noted:

(London) Macrovision, a developer of copy-protection technologies for DVD, VHS and other media, announced on Thursday that the largest German electronics firm has ceased selling a product that circumvented its technologies -- as the result of the newly enacted German Copyright Act. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision asked a German judge for an injunction against the selling of Media Markt TV-Hifi-Elektro GmbH's "Macro 2000" device, and the company said it would comply with the new German law, which mirrors the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act in prohibiting the circumvention of copyright protections on a digital device.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155962_1.html 
http://www.macrovision.com 
http://www.mediamarkt.de

(Cupertino, Calif.) In addition to launching a Windows version of its iTunes Music Store, Apple on Thursday also released a new software update for its iPod digital music player. The upgrade includes software compatible with new voice recorder and digital photo storage iPod accessories developed by Belkin. It also features a new Music Quiz game that tests a player's knowledge of his or her own iTunes music library.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/sfth063_1.html 
http://www.belkin.com 
http://www.apple.com/ipod

(Seattle) RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technology, announced on Thursday a number of partnerships with European content providers that will add audio and video content to its subscription services. The company will now offer coverage of the UEFA Champions League, a European soccer league, as well as matches from the 2003 Rugby World Cup; other new European content includes BBC News on RealOne, a video feed package funded and commissioned by BBC Worldwide, and streaming jazz music from 102.2 JAZZFM.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/sfth069_1.html 
http://www.uefa.com 
http://uk.real.com/partners/rwc03 
http://europe.real.com/partners/bbcnews/int 
http://uk.real.com/guide/radiotv

(Philadelphia) Cable TV operator Comcast on Thursday announced the launch of HBO on Demand and Cinemax on Demand for millions of Comcast customers in New England, Baltimore, D.C. and Detroit, as well as 1.9 million in Philadelphia. The service will give viewers access at their leisure to movies and episodes of programs including "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/phth001_1.html 
http://www.comcast.com

(Maynard, Mass.) Cable TV operator Cox Communications announced that it has selected Massachusetts-based SeaChange International's video-on-demand equipment to support Cox's planned rollout of video-on-demand services early next year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031015/155657_1.html 
http://www.cox.com 
http://www.seachange.com

(New York) Lime Wire, a developer of peer-to-peer file-sharing software that runs on the Gnutella network, announced on Thursday the launch of a new content portal offering licensed and authorized media for free. The MagnetMix portal will offer content including music, e-books, literature, video and games.
http://www.limewire.com

(Beverly, Mass.) Game publisher Atari announced on Thursday the release of its "Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas" PC game. Developed by U.K.-based Small Rockets, the game is based on the DreamWorks Pictures film of the same name.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031016/165376_1.html 
http://www.atari.com 
http://www.smallrockets.com 
http://www.sinbad-themovie.com

(Westlake Village, Calif.) Video game publisher TDK Mediactive and partner Disney Interactive on Thursday shipped "Disney's The Haunted Mansion" for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube to retailers. The game is based on the Disney theme park attraction, which will also spawn a feature-length film starring Eddie Murphy due for release on Nov. 26.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031016/165180_1.html 
http://www.tdk-mediactive.com
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/hauntedmansion

(Los Angeles) Vivendi Universal Games announced on Thursday a North American distribution deal with Newport Beach, Calif.-based developer inXile Entertainment. The first title under the agreement will be inXile's "The Bard's Tale," which VU Games will publish for multiple consoles and the PC. The original version of "The Bard's Tale" was produced by Brian Fargo in 1985 for the Apple II computer.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/lath044_1.html 
http://www.vugames.com 
http://www.inxile-entertainment.com

(Foster City, Calif.) Sony Computer Entertainment America said on Thursday that it has signed Kansas Jayhawks basketball player Nick Collison as the cover athlete for its "NCAA Final Four 2004" title for Playstation and PlayStation 2, due out on Nov. 11. Earlier this week, the company also released "Jak II," a sequel in its PlayStation 2 "Jak and Daxter" series developed by Santa Monica, Calif.-based Naughty Dog Inc.
http://us.playstation.com 
http://www.naughtydog.com

(Overland Park, Kan.) Wireless carrier Sprint PCS announced on Thursday an agreement with Warner Bros. Studios, to offer images, sounds and games based on the upcoming live-action adventure comedy "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" to Sprint wireless customers. The film will be released on Nov. 14. Sprint PCS currently claims 2.1 million PCS Vision customers.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/031016/cgth013_1.html 
http://www.pcsvision.com 
http://www.looneytunesbackinaction.com 

(New York) IndieWire.com on Thursday reported on the ongoing controversy over the major Hollywood movie studios' decision to ban the distribution of "screener" copies of Oscar-hopeful films sent to voting Academy members, in a bid to decrease potential piracy. The heads of the studios that agreed to the ban were scheduled to meet with Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) president Jack Valenti on Thursday to discuss the decision. Yesterday, the Independent Feature Project (IFP) placed ads opposing the ban on screeners in both Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter.
http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_031016mpaa.html

(Washington) The Washington Post on Thursday reported on the divide between copyright holders and the technology industry and consumer groups over the "broadcast flag," a proposed anti-piracy security that would potentially be embedded into digital TVs, PCs and other devices to regulate how programming could be copied and redistributed. Critics say the proposed technology would erode consumers' traditional "fair use" rights to make copies of media content. Officials at the Federal Communications Commission told The Post they expect to settle on details of the "broadcast flag" rule by the end of the month, and that the solution would "enable competition among different means of deploying the flag system to protect broadcasts, rather than the government anointing one in particular."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A32173-2003Oct15.html
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-02-231A1.pdf   

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> Classifieds:


___________________

> Tech Transfer 2003 - October 29, Ritz-Carlton, McLean, VA

Hear about the cutting edge technology being researched and developed at
leading Mid-Atlantic research institutions including DARPA, NASA, MITRE,
Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Johns Hopkins and the University of MD at
this one-day event. Keynote address by US Dept. of Homeland Security Under Secy. for Science and Tech., Dr. Charles E. McQueary and a luncheon
address by Dr. John Holaday, Founder of EntreMed, Inc. Participating
investment orgs. include Carlyle Venture Partners, Valhalla Partners,
In-Q-Tel, Novak Biddle Venture Partners and Walker Ventures. Register at
http://www.acteva.com/go/tt2003 Visit: http://www.LaunchFuel.com/TT2003
Send inquiries to eoconnor@launchfuel.com
____________________

> HireStrategy - Accounting Supervisor

The position's primary functions are to manage certain aspects of the general ledger and month end process. These duties include the preparation of monthly journal entries for adjusting entries, G/L analysis and reconciliation, and preparation of related supporting documentation. The other primary function of this position is to manage the corporate accounts payable function. The position requires 3-5 years of accounting related experience, previous supervisory experience and B.S. in Accounting. CPA experience and previous accounting software experience are preferred but not required. If interested please email resume to mmolinas@hirestrategy.com  or visit http://www.hirestrategy.com/quicklinks/hire139.asp
___________________

> BrainMedia, LLC, Product Manager - Northern Virginia

Take ownership of a comprehensive audio compression system and associated products. Develop Product Requirements and Descriptions and work closely with Project Management and development team. Create Product Plan and establish life cycles and version control for all products. Influence the engineering development organization to achieve on time, within budget delivery of new products. Implement Product launch planning. Support Sales and Market Management. Send resumes to jim-herbert@msn.com  Visit http://www.brainmediaco.com
___________________

> Technical Writer

Work closely with both Product Management and Technology Development to create professional documentation for Product Requirements, Product Descriptions design specifications and development specifications. Follow industry standard documentation protocols conforming to ISO 9000 and Malcom Baldridge guidelines. Send resumes to jim-herbert@msn.com  Visit http://www.brainmediaco.com
____________________

> New Low-Cost Sales & Lead Generation Program for Software Companies

 Impact Sales and Telepath Consulting have partnered to offer a new outsourced sales program called "SalesExpress". Program combines software sales execs with intensive lead generation campaigns to focus on rapidly closing business based on ROI methodology. It is customized to fit the product and can be used to build or complement a sales force. Send inquiries to dougw@impactsalesinc.com Visit http://www.impactsalesinc.com

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About Us
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. To subscribe for free, please click here.

Digital Media Wire, Inc. is part of the Tech Wire Media Group, an international network of publications that includes Digital Media Law Report, Potomac Tech Wire, New England Tech Wire, Southeast Tech Wire, Bay Area Tech Wire, Tri-state Tech Wire and European Tech Wire. The network reaches more than 70,000 individuals from over 70 countries each business day.

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