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Past Editions

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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- October 17, 2001
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Jupiter: 40% of U.S. Will Have High-Speed 'Net Access by 2006
o Microsoft, Intertainer Launch Video-On-Demand in 35 U.S. Markets
o Music Kiosk Firm ETC Music Suspends Operations
o Aimster Copyright Suit to be Heard in Albany
o Excite@Home Resumes New Broadband Orders for Comcast, AT&T
o Universal Music, Penguin Putnam Launch Distance Learning Joint Venture
o Roxio, EMI Offer Burnable Lenny Kravitz Video Download
o Briefly Noted: Yahoo - Sony Pictures Entertainment, Apple - digital
music device?, Walt Disney Internet Group - J-Phone, Justice Dept. -
subscription services, Ringtones
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Vice President of Sales

> Events/Services: "Mobile Entertainment," "CTAM Broadband Opportunity
Conference," "Office Space - L.A.," "SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival,
OCTOBER DATES," "Digital Media Revolution in the Americas"

Full Job/Event/Services descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section
or at http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event/Service: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o Jupiter: 40% of U.S. Will Have High-Speed 'Net Access by 2006

New York -- Internet measurement and analyst firm Jupiter Media Metrix
predicted on Wednesday that 40 percent of U.S. users will access the
Internet via a high-speed connection by 2006. That equates to 35.1 million
broadband users, compared with 5.2 million -- or 9 percent of online
Americans -- that had a broadband connection in 2000. "Despite the recent
failures of several broadband pioneers, and slower growth of the overall
online population, broadband will find the masses in the U.S. shortly,"
said Jupiter senior analyst Joe Laszlo. "While consumers' awareness of
broadband has grown considerably, improved and increased marketing by
cable and DSL providers will finally help overcome lingering resistance to
the cost of broadband subscriptions." The report also found that broadband
users access video, listen to music and use online banking services more
frequently than do dial-up users. "It is absolutely critical for companies
with relevant content, products and services to time their business
initiatives to reach the anticipated broadband audience," said Laszlo.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011017/nyw014_1.html
http://www.jmm.com
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft, Intertainer Launch Video-On-Demand in 35 U.S. Markets

Culver City, Calif. -- Intertainer, a provider of video-on-demand
technology and content, announced on Wednesday that it has partnered with
Microsoft to launch video-on-demand services to high-speed Internet
subscribers in 35 major U.S. markets. The service costs $8 per month for
access to basic programming including music videos; once subscribed to the
basic service, users can "rent" new release movies for $3.99 and older
films for $2.99. The service is recommended for users with at least a 580
Kbps connection; content will be transmitted and secured using Microsoft's
Windows Media software. Culver City-based Intertainer offers over 70,000
hours of programming, including new release films like "The Mexican,"
"Blow" and "Fifteen Minutes," in addition to TV programming from NBC and
A&E. The Intertainer service will also be promoted on Microsoft's MSN
Internet access service and on the company's WindowsMedia.com
entertainment site.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011017/law053_1.html
http://www.intertainer.tv
_____________________________________________

o Music Kiosk Firm ETC Music Suspends Operations

Boston, Mass. -- ETC Music, a developer of kiosk technology that lets
consumers download music to portable players from ATM-like devices, said
it has suspended operations due to lack of funding, Webnozie reported on
Wednesday. The company has tested its technology in several record stores,
but said it needs $4 million in funding to continue its plan to place its
Musicteller devices in retail stores such as Djangos. Boston-based ETC
Music does not have licensing deals to offer music from major record
labels. The company laid off most of its staff over the summer.
http://news.webnoize.com
http://www.etcmusic.com
_____________________________________________

o Aimster Copyright Suit to be Heard in Albany

New York -- The Court of Appeals for the 2nd District in New York ruled
last week that the ongoing copyrights dispute between file-sharing service
Aimster and the recording and motion picture industries should be tried in
Albany, New York rather than in Manhattan, Newsbytes reported on
Wednesday. Aimster filed a pre-emptive motion for a declaratory judgment
against the RIAA and its member record labels in Albany in April, asking a
court to declare its services legal. It also alleged that the music and
movies companies are colluding with one another to put Aimster out of
business. The RIAA then countersued for copyright infringement in
Manhattan; last week's ruling is a small victory for Albany-based Aimster.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/171234.html
http://www.aimster.com
_____________________________________________

o Excite@Home Resumes New Broadband Orders for Comcast, AT&T

Redwood City, Calif. -- Excite@Home, a provider of high-speed cable modem
Internet access, said on Wednesday that it has reached agreements with
cable TV operators Comcast and AT&T Broadband to resume taking new orders
for high-speed access on their behalf. Redwood City-based Excite@Home,
which filed for bankruptcy last month, said last Wednesday that it would
have to stop taking new orders to conserve funds through its bankruptcy
process. The company -- which claims four million customers -- has agreed
to sell its assets to AT&T for $307 million in cash.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/011017/n17320136_2.html
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011016/wr/tech_comcast_exciteathome_dc_1.html
_____________________________________________

o Universal Music, Penguin Putnam Launch Distance Learning Joint Venture

Los Angeles -- Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group and Penguin
Putnam, a publishing division of Pearson, announced on Wednesday the
launch of a joint venture of online distance learning classes, designed to
help amateurs enter the music and publishing industries. InsideSessions
will offer video programs both online and in CD-ROM form that will feature
commentary from musicians including Elton John and Limp Bizkit, and
executives like Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola and Def Jam Records founder
Russell Simmons. On the publishing side, authors including Kurt Vonnegut
Jr., Tom Clancy, Amy Tan and Ken Follett will provide perspectives on
inspiration and the writing process, manuscript submission guidelines,
deal points in a publishing contract and how to work with editors and
publishers. A fee of $69.95 per session includes supplemental online
materials including a list of industry contacts, informational articles,
sample contracts, original book manuscripts with editors' notes, and
original sheet music with the songwriter's comments. InsideSessions plans
to release DVDs and offer programs on TV as well; courses will also be
integrated into the UCLA Extension program.
http://sf-web1.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/212900123&ticker=
http://www.umusic.com
http://www.penguinputnam.com
_____________________________________________

o Roxio, EMI Offer Burnable Lenny Kravitz Video Download

Milpitas, Calif. -- CD burning software maker Roxio said on Wednesday that
it has partnered with EMI label Virgin Records to offer consumers a free
download of Lenny Kravitz's new music video. The video for "Dig In" can be
burned onto a recordable CD using Roxio's Easy CD Creator software, and
will be available beginning Oct. 30. Fans will have to enter their email
address to download the video, and in return will receive Lenny
Kravitz-related promotional emails. If the video -- encoded using
Microsoft's Windows Media technology -- is not copied onto CD, users will
lose access when it times-out in 30 days. Consumers who pre-purchases the
Kravitz's new album, released on Oct. 30, will get access to a streaming
version of the album, cover art and liner notes in the interim. The video
and pre-orders will be available from MTV.com and VH1.com.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011017/sfw069_1.html
http://www.mtv.com/music/unwrapped/
http://www.vh1.com/store/lenny/
http://www.roxio.com
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Sunnyvale, Calif.) Yahoo announced on Wednesday that it has reached an
agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment for online promotion of Sony's
films. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The first film to be
promoted through the agreement will be "Riding in Cars with Boys,"
starring Drew Barrymore, which will be advertised on Yahoo's Movies,
Auctions and other services.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011017/170100_1.html
http://www.spe.sony.com

(Cupertino, Calif.) Apple is set to announce a new product -- most likely
some kind of digital music device -- on Oct. 23. CNET cited sources who
speculated that the device will be some kind of player that connects to a
home stereo, and not a portable music player. Other PC makers including
Compaq and Dell offer similar digital music devices that integrate with
home entertainment systems.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-7556055.html

(North Hollywood, Calif.) Walt Disney Internet Group said on Wednesday
that it has partnered with Japanese cellular network operator J-Phone to
offer Disney Mobile content on the company's J-Sky wireless Internet
service. Disney will offer logos,
screensavers, e-cards and ringtones for cell phones based on its
characters and media properties.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011017/law065_1.html
http://www.j-phone.com/h-e/index.html

(San Francisco) Wired News on Wednesday reported on the ongoing
investigation by the Justice Department into potential antitrust
violations by the major record labels' music subscription services. The
article also covers other legislative issues, such as the proposed Music
Online Competition Act (MOCA), which if enacted could give independent
online music companies a better chance to compete with the labels.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47632,00.html

(San Francisco) CNET offered an analysis on Wednesday on the market for
cell phone ringtones in the U.S. The National Music Publishers'
Association's Harry Fox Agency -- which represents major labels' interests
-- recently announced that it would begin licensing compositions for use
as ringtones. The article focuses on European and Asian providers such as
U.K.-based Monstermob, France-based Kiwee, and Chinese firm CellCast.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-7545847.html?tag=cd_pr
http://www.monstermob.com
http://www.kiwee.com/
http://events4.broadcastone.net/cellcast/20010628/default.htm

===================================================
Job Postings:
===================================================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> Vice President of Sales - United States

We are a six-year-old E-Learning company expanding our sales presence in
the US. We are looking for a proven sales leader. Our streaming technology
is proprietary, our client base is outstanding, our track record is
extremely strong. We are in search of kindred spirits who believe that
great technology companies are built by great people not hype. If your
knowledge of technology is strong and you have a demonstrable history
(10+years) of significant sales success -- we would like to speak with
you. This position can be located anywhere in the US. Send resumes to
njwlmw@aol.com

===================================================
Events/Services Postings:
===================================================
To Post Events/Services: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Mobile Entertainment, Oct 25-26, 2001 -- Las Vegas

"Mobile Entertainment - Developing Winning Content and Partnerships for
Survival" is coming to Las Vegas! The conference covers winning strategies
for creating successful mobile entertainment, including content
development, partnerships and international case studies. To register call
888-666-8514 or email info@srinstitute.com (mention code DX20). For
questions, please email Daphne Lee at dlee@srinstitute.com
http://www.srinstitute.com/ck105
______________________

> CTAM Broadband Opportunity Conference, Nov. 6-8 -- Tysons Corner, VA

Get the FYI on HSI and iTV at CTAM's Broadband Opportunity Conference Nov
6-8, Sheraton Premiere Tysons Corner. Keynote speakers: Maggie Bellville,
Incanta; Christopher P. Bogart, Time Warner Cable Ventures; Charles F.
Dolan, Cablevision Systems Corporation & Steve Wadsworth, The Walt Disney
Internet Group. Call CTAM at 703.549.4200.
For more information contact: tania@ctam.com 
http://www.ctambroadband.com
______________________

> Office Space For Rent - Los Angeles

Prime Sunset Boulevard location. Approx. 588 sq ft. Second floor, spacious
two + offices with private bathroom. Convenient parking. Recently
renovated. Quiet, nice work environment. Other tenants in building are
primarily entertainment and new media companies. DSL-ready. Rent is $1,175
per month.
For more information, please call 323-363-3620.
______________________

> SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival, OCTOBER DATES

SHORT MOVIES! Dreamspan presents the 9TH Annual Short Attention Span Film & Video Festival. Shortspan is a non-stop two hour program of ALL NEW
two-minute or-shorter films, including ultra-short documentaries like
"Peekaboo Sunday," a story about raising miniature horses or "Exotic
World," an inside look at the lives of some of America's first burlesque
performers-- and 57 more shorts! The tour will travel to 30 North American
cities.

CHICAGO, IL: Columbia College - Oct. 10 - 7PM
BOSTON, MA: Boston University - Oct. 10 - 7PM
KYONGIU CITY, SOUTH KOREA: Film & Video Dept - Oct 10
BROOKLINE, MA: Coolidge Corner Theatre - Oct. 12-18
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Lucky Bar - Oct. 23 - 8PM
SALT LAKE CITY, UT: Univ. of Utah Union Theatre - Oct. 24 - 8PM

HOLLYWOOD, CA: The American Cinematheque - Oct. 17 - 7:30PM
SAN DIEGO, CA: San Diego Museum of Art - Oct. 18 - 7:30PM
BERKELEY, CA: Fine Arts Cinema - Oct. 23-24 - 9:30PM

For more info: http://www.dreamspan.com/shortspan
______________________

> Digital Media Revolution in the Americas, 11/29-12/01 -- Pasadena, CA

Presented by the Institute of the Americas and Annenberg School for
Communication, this 2 1/2 day forum will include Sr. Exec. Networking w/ a
special focus on Latin Americas & U.S. Hispanic markets, copyright, rights
mgmt., dist., infrastructure, digital film, iTV, streaming, device trends,
content financing. Early-bird 40% off till 9/30. Keynote Steven Bandel,
Pres. - The Cisneros Group. Sponsors: JP Morgan, Motorola, Global
Crossing, Walt Disney Company, Digital Media Wire, Cahners International
TV, iHollywood, Motion Picture Assoc., National Assoc. of TV Prog. Exec.,
National Assoc. of Theatre owners. For more information:
martin@iamericas.org
Register at: http://www.iamericas.org/events
______________________

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Copyright 2001 Digital Media Wire