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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- November 27, 2000
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To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Hewlett-Packard To Pay Anti-Piracy Fees For CD Burners In Germany
o GetGo To Acquire Audio And Video Content Provider WestwindMedia.com
o Excite@Home To Offer Subscription Service For Games And Software
o Web Audio/Video Firm Burst.com Receives $650,000 To Continue Operations
o Online Games Firm Butterfly.net Receives $500,000 In First Round
o Video Software Developer Intermedia Solutions Raises $2.1 Million
o Musicmusicmusic Sells Web Listening Posts To Future Shop Stores
> Digital Media Wire Networking Events: Washington, D.C., Los Angeles
o Briefly Noted: British Music Rights, Spin's "Album of the Year," David
Bowie, MeasureCast - Real Broadcast Network, "Radio Ink Internet
Conference," Gerry Rafferty, Katrillion Media - AOL - Compuserve, Digital
World Services
_____________________________________________

o Hewlett-Packard To Pay Anti-Piracy Fees For CD Burners In Germany

Frankfurt, Germany -- Computer equipment manufacturer Hewlett-Packard will
have to pay fees to a German music licensing organization for its sale of
CD burners, which are frequently used to make copies of copyrighted music,
the Associated Press reported. GEMA, the German equivalent of ASCAP or
BMI, filed suit in German court in May, alleging the CD burners produced
by Hewlett-Packard were being used to make pirated copies of copyrighted
music, and should be subject to fees to make up for lost music sales. The
organization won its suit, and Hewlett-Packard will now pay $1.54 to GEMA
for each unit sold in Germany since February 1998, and $5.16 for each unit
sold in the future. A spokeswoman for Hewlett-Packard denounced the ruling
as unfairly targeting the company. "This was a trial to set an example for
the whole market," said Hewlett-Packard spokeswoman Jeannette Weisschuh.
"It's unfair to the consumers who have to pay more and unfair to the
manufacturers because it gives us a competitive disadvantage." Other CD
burner manufacturers will likely be asked by GEMA to pay fees to
compensate for lost revenues from CD sales, according to the article.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/tech/review/crh737.htm
http://www.hpcdwriter.com
http://www.gema.de/eng/index.html
_____________________________________________

o GetGo To Acquire Audio And Video Content Provider WestwindMedia.com

Denver, Colo. -- GetGo, a company that operates and invests in companies
which enhance the broadband experience of PC users, announced on Monday
that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire WestwindMedia.com, a
provider of audio and video broadcast content for Internet portals and
commerce sites. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Devner-based
WestwindMedia.com creates and streams customized content to clients that
include Lycos Radio and broadcast news service, BET.com, TheStreet.com
Radio and iVillage.com. Denver-based GetGo said the acquisition will aid
its plan to provide a vertical entertainment business model. The company
also owns Radio One Networks, a provider of programming and commercial
production to terrestrial radio affiliates.
http://www.getgocorp.com/press/westwind.html
http://www.westwindmedia.com
_____________________________________________

o Excite@Home To Offer Subscription Service For Games And Software

Redwood City, Calif. -- High-speed Internet access provider Excite@Home
announced on Monday that it will offer a subscription service to its
customers that allows them to download online games and other software
on-demand. The service will allow users to access new games and software
without having to pay for the entire product on CD-ROM, or download the
programs and their inevitable upgrades. Users of the service must first
download a "software player," which will then access streaming versions of
the games and software programs. Massachusetts-based Into Networks and
Michigan-based Media Station will provide the streaming technology used to
deliver the games and software to users' PCs. The games and software will
be available on a monthly subscription or pay-per-use basis. An
unlimited-play monthly subscription will cost $9.95; the company will also
offer short-term rentals for new releases at a lower cost.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001127/ca_excite_.html
http://www.intonetworks.com
http://www.mediastation.com
_____________________________________________

o Web Audio/Video Firm Burst.com Receives $650,000 To Continue Operations

San Francisco -- Burst.com, a developer of audio and video delivery
software, announced on Monday that it has received $650,000 in convertible
debt financing. The struggling company laid off 80 percent of its
employees last week. San Francisco-based Burst.com said the financing will
allow it to sustain its operations through the middle of the first quarter
of 2001. In the meantime, the company will continue to support its "most
important customers," while it explores options for strategic alliances.
Burst.com develops audio and video software that speeds content delivery
over broadband connections.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001127/ca_burst_c.html
http://www.burst.com
_____________________________________________

o Online Games Firm Butterfly.net Receives $500,000 In First Round

Shepherdstown, WV. -- Butterfly.net, an infrastructure provider for
multiplayer online role-playing games, announced that it has received
$500,000 in its first round of venture capital financing. Walker Ventures
provided all of the capital for the round. West Virginia-based
Butterfly.net has developed an infrastructure for online role-playing
games that can be played by multiple participants through PCs, game
consoles and wireless handheld devices. The company's technology allows
game developers to create games that can be played by hundreds of
thousands of players simultaneously.
http://www.butterfly.net
_____________________________________________

o Video Software Developer Intermedia Solutions Raises $2.1 Million

Munich, Germany -- Intermedia Solutions, a developer of Internet video
software, announced that it has raised $2.1 million in its latest round of
venture financing. Target Partners, the sole investor in the round, will
also receive an undisclosed stake in the company. Germany-based Intermedia
develops video software based on "parallel streaming," which allows single
frames, graphics, and text information to be displayed simultaneously on a
single web page as a complement to live or archived video elements.
http://www.intermedia-solutions.net/press/p28.htm
_____________________________________________

o Musicmusicmusic Sells Web Listening Posts To Future Shop Stores

New York -- Musicmusicmusic, a business-to-business provider of web radio
technology, announced on Monday that it has signed a letter of intent to
provide its Internet music kiosks to Canada's 88 Future Shop retail
computer, consumer electronics and music stores. The kiosks will allow
customers to listen to full-song MP3 samples from albums in the stores, by
scanning the bar code from a CD at the kiosks. The agreement follows a
successful tryout of the technology at Future Shop's flagship store in
Vancouver. New York-based Musicmusicmusic said it expects the agreement to
bring in $2 million in revenues from hardware and installation charges,
annual access fees to the music information database, and advertising from
third parties on the kiosks.
http://www.musicmusicmusic.com
http://www.futureshop.ca
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Networking Events: Washington, D.C., Los Angeles

Washington, D.C. -- Digital Media Wire will host its next networking event
on Wednesday, December 6 in Washington, D.C. for subscribers and those
interested in the convergence of entertainment, technology and the
Internet. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash
bar.

Date: Wednesday, December 6, 2000
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 P.M.
Location: Clyde's of Tyson's Corner
8332 Leesburg Pike - Vienna, VA

There is no charge for the event, but attendees must register at the link
below.
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/washington.htm

Los Angeles -- Digital Media Wire will host a networking event on
Wednesday, December 13 in Los Angeles for subscribers and those interested
in the convergence of entertainment, technology and the Internet. Light
hors d'oeuvres will be served and there will be a cash bar. There is no
charge for the event and registration is not necessary.

Date: Wednesday, December 13, 2000
Time: 6:30 - 9:30 P.M.
Location: The Sunset Trocadero Lounge
8280 Sunset Boulevard - West Hollywood, CA

For additional details: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/dmw_event1.html
_____________________________________________
o Briefly Noted:

(London) British Music Rights, an anti-piracy organization that counts
musicians Elton John and Paul McCartney among its members, launched an
"Awareness Week" to publicize its mission on Monday. The organization of
composers, songwriters and publishers said that the current piracy of
digital music does not only affect "the high profile, high earning music
creators, but also those thousands of composers and songwriters who are
not in the public eye but who depend upon the income from their work to
continue making music." The effort is similar to media campaigns for
Artists Against Piracy, the organization's U.S. equivalent.
http://www.britishmusicrights.co.uk/
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/677972l.htm
http://www.artistsagainstpiracy.com/home.phtml

(New York) Spin Magazine has announced that its award for "Album of the
Year," to be published in its Dec. 5 issue, will go to "Your Computer's
Hard Drive." The music and youth culture magazine acknowledged that
downloading digital music was the greatest issue to arise in 2000. "The
digital download proved so revolutionary, it will have a longer legacy
than any single piece of music released in 2000," the magazine said in a
press release. "What industry-sanctioned album could compete with 20
million Napster users collaborating on the greatest mix tape never sold?"
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/671702l.htm
http://www.spin.com

(San Diego) MP3.com announced on Monday that David Bowie has agreed to
provide access to his entire catalog of albums through its My.MP3.com
service. Consumers who have purchased albums by the musician can upload
them to the online "digital locker" service for free, allowing them to
then listen to streaming versions of the songs over the Internet. "It's an
amazing testament to the 'Net that MP3.com technology allows someone to
have their record collection at their fingertips wherever they are in the
world," said Bowie. "The days of traveling with CDs in hand are beginning
to grow short."
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001127/ca_mp3_com.html
http://my.mp3.com

(Portland, Ore.) MeasureCast, a provider of audience size and demographic
information for streaming media, announced on Monday that Real Broadcast
Network, the webcasting division of RealNetworks, will deploy Oregon-based
MeasureCast's technology on its servers. MeasureCast provides advertisers
with demographic information that can be useful in purchasing advertising
within streaming media. The companies will also conduct joint marketing
programs designed to promote and grow the streaming media market.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/001127/or_measure.html
http://www.measuercast.com

(Santa Clara, Calif.) The "Radio Ink Internet Conference" will be held
November 28th through December 1st at the Santa Clara Convention Center in
Santa Clara, California. Radio Ink Magazine, host of the conference, said
the event will focus on the effect of the Internet on the traditional
radio industry. The conference will feature numerous panels, as well as a
fireside chat with MP3.com CEO Michael Robertson and Wired News reporter
Brad King.
http://www.radioinkconference.com

(London) Gerry Rafferty, best known for writing the Dylan-esque song
"Stuck in the Middle With You" with the band Stealers Wheel, announced on
Monday that he is bypassing the traditional recording industry with the
release of his new album. Rafferty said that he will sell the new album,
"Another World," exclusively on his own website.
http://www.gerryrafferty.com

(Fort Lee, N.J.) Katrillion Media, a provider of daily news and
information for the youth market, announced on Monday that it will provide
content to Internet service providers America Online and Compuserve. New
Jersey-based Katrillion will provide world, national, entertainment,
sports, style, celebrity and event news tailored for teens to AOL's and
Compuserve's teen channels.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/001127/nj_katrill.html
http://www.katrillion.com

(San Francisco) Wired News is currently featuring a story on German media
company Bertelsmann's "master plan" for its association with file-trading
service Napster. The company has been developing a division for the secure
digital distribution of its properties called Digital World Services
(DWS). The division is looking to distribute content beyond the music that
has popularized Napster. "Besides music, we are moving toward having our
first publishing house online in Q1 of next year," said Johann Butting,
CEO of the DWS division, in the article. "We're already looking into
movies, then games will come later. Eventually, we'll be looking into
[other] business opportunities."
http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,40261,00.html
http://www.dwsco.com/static.htm
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