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October 16, 2003 --
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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
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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
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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
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Sponsorship Materials
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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.
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