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Haven't seen anyone.
AOL's Plan to Move Content To Free Site Is a Risk
By JULIA ANGWIN, Staff Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
(June 8) - America online became the Internet's biggest business by charging people a monthly subscription fee for its service. Now, faced with mounting customer defections, it is gambling it can do better by giving away many of its features.
Hoping for a bigger piece of the fast-growing online advertising pie, AOL later this month will unveil a revamped AOL.com Web site, offering free access to many of the features once available only to AOL's paying subscribers -- such as news, Internet radio, videos of music concerts and articles from magazines published by AOL's sister publications at Time Inc.
The move is a sharp reversal of the strategy AOL adopted in 2002 and puts the Time Warner Inc. unit in direct competition with Yahoo Inc., Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp.'s MSN, which offer well-entrenched free Internet portals with popular search capabilities. The move risks accelerating the defections of subscribers from AOL's paid service, who have been spending the money, in part, for exclusive content. AOL's U.S. subscriber base has fallen to 22 million from 26 million in the past two years, as customers have defected to high-speed Internet services that AOL was slow to offer.
The new strategy may be AOL's last opportunity to turn around its business. Time Warner Chief Executive Richard Parsons has repeatedly said he may get rid of the unit if it doesn't turn itself around soon. "This is definitely going to cannibalize [the mainstream AOL service] a little bit, but it was basically inevitable," says David Card, senior analyst at Jupiter Research. "But now that they've decided to be Yahoo, they have to give it an honest try."
During the dot-com boom, AOL gained huge numbers of subscribers because it provided Internet connections, email accounts and online content in an easy-to-use format. The vast audience made AOL the go-to place for advertisers, as did the company's aggressive moves to lock marketing partners with multiyear advertising deals. But in 2002, AOL's ad revenue began plummeting as advertisers rebelled against its stringent terms. Meanwhile, subscribers started defecting to new high-speed connections offered by cable-TV systems and phone companies' DSL lines -- and AOL ended up competing with a sister unit, Time Warner's Road Runner, as an Internet service provider.
AOL estimates that about five million of its customers pay for high-speed accounts provided by other companies in addition to their AOL accounts, often because they want to keep their AOL email addresses. AOL initially hoped that its exclusive content would keep subscribers in the fold, but with defections mounting, the company hopes to draw advertisers to its free Web site.
AOL believes its new portal will have an edge over the competition because it is designed for use specifically by people connected through high-speed Internet services. It will be loaded with flashy graphics and full-motion video that can't be easily used by slow dial-up Internet customers. Competing portals have to cater to Web surfers from both the high speed and dial-up worlds. Google's Web page, for example, loads quickly even on dial-up connections in part because it is so spartan. "If you're going to be late to the game, it's got to be as good or better," says Ted Leonsis, AOL's vice chairman.
AOL has taken a number of steps to minimize the risk that the new site will aggravate subscriber defections. The three features customers cite as most important in keeping their AOL subscription -- the AOL email address, parental controls and certain content aimed at children -- won't be available on the free site. The portal will offer a free email service using the "@AIM.com" suffix, which stands for AOL Instant Messenger, one of AOL's most popular products.
AOL's goal is to bring its advertising sales in line with the industry so it can take advantage of rapid growth in online ad dollars. Nearly as many people visit AOL and its affiliated Web sites -- like Mapquest and Netscape -- as Yahoo and its affiliated sites, 110 million in April, versus 116 million. But last year, all of AOL sites had only $1 billion in ad sales while most of Yahoo's $3.6 billion in revenue came from advertising. Google's ad revenue was $3.2 billion.
AOL hopes its new free portal will attract higher advertising rates. "It's a strong market and we need to take share," says Jonathan Miller, AOL's chief executive.
There seems to be plenty of online advertising seeking more platforms. "In the fourth quarter of last year, we had some clients who had money they wanted to spend and we couldn't spend the money. That's unheard of," says David Cohen, director of interactive media at Universal McCann.
AOL insists it doesn't need to take significant market share from Yahoo and Google for its new site to be successful. Even if it could simply convince AOL's 22 million paying subscribers, most of whom dial in from home, to use AOL.com at the office where high-speed Internet access is available, it could boost revenue significantly. "One more page view per user per month would widely exceed our expectations," Mr. Miller says.
The new portal will offer all the standard items of its competitors, such as search, free email, news and weather highlights, personalization options, music clips and items of interest on the Web.
AOL also plans to offer two alternate home pages: a customizable page at which visitors can set up a system of news feeds, and a "Video Hub" where users can search through 14,000 music videos, movie trailers and sports and news clips from the AOL service, as well as the millions of videos available on the Web.
Because of the copyright issues involved in distributing film, many of the videos available online are grainy unauthorized copies, or homemade films, or simply promotional movie trailers and music clips. "Most people are looking for television and movie content," which isn't available legally, says Danny Sullivan, editor of SearchEngineWatch.com. "In that regard, none of these video searches are satisfactory."
AOL's Mr. Miller concedes that the online-video market is still nascent, but says AOL has an opportunity to lead the way. The company has been working to build its video library and is negotiating with major music labels for access to music videos and working with its sister division, Warner Bros., to develop a celebrity show that would run only on AOL.com.
Launching the new Web site has taken more than a year of work and $400 million to $500 million in development costs. AOL had to rethink every aspects of its business -- down to the software its service runs on. AOL's service was written in a special programming language, known as Rainman, designed to let pages download quickly via dial-up connections. AOL has spent a year reprogramming its entire service in the language of the Internet, HTML.
Now the company has begun tackling another big problem: It is largely invisible online. Type a search word into Google and AOL pages won't likely show up among the top results. That is because AOL never made appearing in search engine results a priority.
To overcome this, AOL staff is adding invisible code to AOL's Web pages so they will be picked up by search engines.
Apple Officially Previews Podcasting Application
For months, podcasting advocate Adam Curry has been telling interviewers,
captains of industry, and fellow members of the podosphere that the key to
the future of podcasting is ease of use for the listener. Steve Jobs must
have been tuned in. Though Apple pointed to a podcasting move previously,
Jobs officially previewed iTunes 4.9 at Apple's Worldwide Developers
Conference on Monday, emphasizing the application's streamlined approach to
podcast subscriptions. He also noted that the new iTunes will include a
directory of podcasts, and that creators will be able to register their
shows at the iTunes Music Store. "We think it's going to take podcasting
mainstream, to where anyone can do it," Jobs said.
Though the announcement was clearly an attempt to tie the red-hot podcasting
phenomenon even more closely to its namesake hardware, some industry
insiders are speculating that the move may also be a response to pressure
from Yahoo and its new Music Unlimited service. Though Jobs publicly and
pointedly dismissed any rivalry with the company on Monday, it's hard to see
Yahoo as anything other than serious competition. The company boasts a
massive user base and is awash in ad revenue to subsidize below-cost music
pricing, making it a serious threat. Apple's aggressive move to bring
podcasting into the iTunes architecture, as well as an array of semi-secret
video applications the company is developing, may be attempts to strangle
Yahoo Music Unlimited in its crib.
High-level corporate intrigue aside, this is truly big news for podcasting.
As it stands now, even the slickest podcasting applications are strictly
early adopter-ware (as are podcast creation apps - a topic Jobs did not
address), and the race to create an effective podcast index that guides
listeners to interesting content is still in its early stages. By adding
"podcast subscription" to the list of digital content management tasks that
iTunes makes ridiculously easy, and instantly becoming the definitive
directory for podcasts, Apple is removing the last of the restraints that
have kept the phenomenon from truly exploding into the mainstream.
Incidentally, the strategy should also increase demand for iPods, an
increasingly important component of Apple's business model. The fact that
the company is leveraging content that others paid to produce, and which
happens to be free of cumbersome licensing fees, is the icing on the cake.
Story by news analyst Michael Baker.
Legal online music stores make some gains
By Adam Pasick, Reuters
LONDON (Reuters) - Legal online music stores have gained a solid foothold against free file-sharing networks, according to new data released on Tuesday.
The beleaguered music industry has been pursuing a carrot and stick strategy of supporting legal alternatives such as Apple's iTunes, RealNetworks's Rhapsody and Napster, while filing a barrage of lawsuits against people and services that share music illicitly online.
According to data from market research firm NPD Group Inc, the efforts are bearing fruit: iTunes has surged to a tie for second place as the most popular online music source, with 1.7 million U.S. households downloading at least one song in March.
That put it neck and neck with the peer-to-peer service LimeWire and slightly behind another P2P service, WinMX, which has 2.1 million households.
Napster came in at No. 7 and the Real Player store -- now part of Real's Rhapsody service -- at No. 9 behind P2Ps including Kazaa and BearShare. Napster and Rhapsody's "all you can eat" subscription plans were not included in the rankings.
"One of the music industry's questions has been when will paid download stores compete head-to-head with free P2P download services," said Russ Crupnick, president of the NPD's Music and Movies division.
"That question has now been answered. iTunes is more popular than nearly any P2P service, and two other paid digital music offerings have also gained a level of critical mass."
While teens have flocked to free peer-to-peer services, the study found that older users have embraced legal online services due to the threat of lawsuits from the music industry. The average consumer buying music online was 33 years old.
"Legal services offer some obvious advantages: they're spyware free, and it's very quick and easy to get what you want," said NPD's Isaac Josephson. "The older, more affluent demographics are already a bit more inclined to go for convenience over free, and when you raise the legal issues that's an important tipping point."
About 4 percent of Internet-enabled U.S. households used a legal online music store in March, according to NPD. The study did not include the world outside the United States, where legal online music stores have been slower to launch.
Apple announced last month it would open iTunes stores in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, although it has yet to launch in Japan, the world's second-biggest music market.
NPD's study was based on observing the computer behavior of the panel participants rather than interviewing them.
"It's observational research, so we can actually see what's going on," said Josephson. "If you ask a 14-year-old kid, 'have you used a P2P service', he's not likely to be entirely truthful."
06/07/05 13:23 ET
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British Radio Station Delivers Mobile Twist to Listeners
England’s Chrysalis Radio is now merging traditional radio with mobile
downloads, teaming with Motorola on a new offering. Instead of relying on
research or traditional requests, deejays on the Chrysalis Galaxy station
will now ask listeners to vote for their favorite songs via SMS messaging.
The top five songs will then be made available as mobile downloads. The move
is a precursor to releasing larger collections, starting with artist-driven
promotions this summer.
With radio facing change from satellite delivery, time-shifted formats, and
mobile-based streaming, the move by Chrysalis is a savvy way to bring two
adversarial technologies together. How the differing approaches to new
technology will play out is anybody’s guess, though there are plenty of
experiments currently underway. That includes satellite delivery of mobile
content in South Korea, and the new Flux mobile music service from MTV. That
service, which offers short music video clips and full track downloads, is
likely to spread from its initial launch in Japan to European countries like
the UK. Meanwhile, American carriers are also putting their toes into the
mobile download and video waters, with several companies eyeing a
potentially huge market. All of that makes the Chrysalis move less than
earth shattering, though it is certainly a novel approach to using new and
existing technology.
Story by news analyst Michael Bloom.
Apple Recycles Old iPods; Softer Device Demand Ahead
Apple recently announced a new iPod recycling program, offering free,
environmentally-friendly disposal of unwanted devices. Customers who bring
their old iPods into an Apple store will also receive a 10 percent discount
off of any future iPod purchase. The move helps to answer complaints from
environmental groups, with iPods carrying significant levels of toxic
substances. That is part of a growing problem, with Gartner Research
estimating that 400 million devices will be junked by 2010. The research
group also pointed to the disposal of 133,000 personal computers daily in
the US alone.
In other iPod news, more concern has arisen over potentially soft consumer
demand this quarter. Apple has already attempted to manage expectations on
the matter, with June traditionally a soft month for devices like portable
mp3 players. And despite a recent record quarter involving over 5 million
iPod sales, Wall Street has been driving down Apple's stock on future
concerns. While Apple hasn’t released any figures for April or May, Goldman
Sachs recently projected flat iPod sales for the current quarter,
recommending that Apple focus on increasing Macintosh sales. But the
investment heavyweight also recognized a seasonal effect, projecting sales
of 8.5 million iPods for the upcoming holiday quarter, nearly double sales
of 4.6 million units for the same period in 2004.
Sector Report: Portable MP3 Players, May 2005
The portable mp3 player market was hot in May, with several new devices and
developments emerging.
Apple officially claimed its share of the flash-based market, with figures
from NPD Group showing a sizeable market share for the shuffle. Meanwhile,
HP moved to expand its iPod co-brand lineup, while Audible continued to rise
on the success of the iPod/iTunes combination. Apple also faced another hack
in May, with a Winamp plug-in delivering a workaround to iPod file
portability restrictions.
Meanwhile, a flurry of devices hit the market, including new entrants from
iRiver, Rio, Creative, palmOne, Sony, Gateway, Archos and SanDisk. But
investors were skeptical of the market potential, with companies like
Creative punished in financial markets.
In the storage sector, a big rift between Seagate and Cornice was settled,
while Seagate turned in a very positive earnings report.
Apple Stock Falls Amid Reports of Slowing iPod Sales
SAN FRANCISCO (June 3) - Shares of Apple Computer Inc. fell about 5 percent on Friday, fueled by an Internet report of swelling inventory of its iPod digital music players.
Apple, meanwhile, is preparing for a conference next week that may see the launch of a new version of its iPod Shuffle player with more capacity, one analyst said.
The decline in Apple shares came after appleinsider.com, a Web site that discusses issues related to the company's products, said Apple is ''overstocked on most iPod models with about a month remaining in its third fiscal quarter.'' The report cited unnamed sources.
''Apple is believed to be sitting on its most significant inventory of iPod Shuffles since the player hit the market in February,'' the Web site said. ''According to reliable sources of information, tens of thousands of iPod Shuffles remain idle in the channels this week alongside a good number of iPod photos.''
An Apple spokesman said the company does not comment on ''rumors and speculation.''
''I think (the Web report) is right; there is inventory there, and we are only looking for a flat quarter'' for iPod unit shipments compared with the period ending in March, said Gene Munster, an analyst with Piper Jaffray.
Apple sold 5.3 million iPods, accounting for 31 percent of revenue, in the second quarter.
''But (Apple's) quarter is going to be fine. There will be an upside to revenue and more upside to earnings,'' Munster said, adding that growing iPod supplies are not surprising since the company did not introduce any new products during the quarter, and inventory caught up to slowing demand for the gadgets.
On Monday, Apple may discuss faster microchips for its Macintosh computers and possibly unveil an iPod Shuffle music player with more song storage capacity, said Munster. Chief Executive Steve Jobs will take the stage in a keynote at the Worldwide Developer Conference, a traditional venue for Apple product launches.
Current Shuffle models come with either 512 megabytes or 1 gigabyte of memory, enough to store about 120 songs or 240 songs, and cost $99 and $149, respectively.
Jobs could also discuss plans for a low-power version of International Business Machines Corp.'s (IBM.N) PowerPC 970 processor, which Apple calls the G5, said Kevin Krewell, editor in chief of the Microprocessor Report.
''The bigger and more important challenge is building a low-power version of the 970,'' Krewell said. ''The G4 (chip) in the notebook is getting long in the tooth.''
Apple's shares slipped $1.87 to $38.17 on Nasdaq.
Reut17:12 06-03-05
Kenco, Wanted to know if anyone is going to have a list of questions when SunnComm holds a conference call.
What a stupid question!
All aboard!!!!
Sony BMG made big headlines this week, with the major label revealing an
initiative to limit burns from new CD releases. Those limitations have
already been pushed into the marketplace, with 10 titles carrying the new
secure burning restrictions.
In the mobile music space, content and infrastructure provider Melodeo inked
a content deal with EMI, opening the door for full track distribution in
Europe. Meanwhile, UK-based Shazam counted its 10 millionth mobile song
recognition.
MySpace grabbed a nice Black Eyed Peas pre-release exclusive, while
RealNetworks secured a White Stripes exclusive for its Rhapsody application.
Meanwhile, Yahoo Music joined forces with Pepsi on a major music content
push, and MSN Music unveiled plans for a massive advertising campaign.
The new Coldplay album was leaked, offering a big migraine to parent label
EMI. Overall US CD sales inched upward for the second week in a row. Paid
downloads and file-sharing activity dramatically increased over levels from
last year.
Microsoft barely made an EU deadline to deliver its compliance proposal,
with the testy EU now reviewing the documents before deciding if Microsoft
properly satisfied its regulatory obligations.
And Warner Music Group hit yet another rough patch, with artist Tom Waits
challenging currently download royalty rates.
Enjoy the weekend! ;) Digital Music News
Microsoft Eyes Podcasting, Lingers on Sidelines
Is Microsoft wagging its giant tail in response to the growing interest in
podcasts? Yes, according to "podfather" Adam Curry, who relayed an
interesting conversation with Microsoft on the Gillmor Gang audio program.
"It was like 15 minutes after the [iTunes podcasting feature] showed up in
the Wall Street Journal when Microsoft called, saying, 'Hey, how do we get
in this?'" While company may seem to be bringing up the rear in this arena,
Microsoft is likely playing a game of wait-and-see while the trend develops.
But with Apple iTunes pushing the medium forward, Windows Media Player is
bound to follow suit. Better late than never, and once the behemoth puts its
big foot down, it will be hard to ignore.
But Gates would probably like to ignore the podcast phenomenon entirely,
especially since its name is derived from rival Steve Jobs' iPod. But
recognition of the medium is growing, from iTunes support of the
time-shifted format to the growing awareness of the business possibilities.
That includes infomercials, advertising and corporate branding, with an
influx of cash potentially propelling the format further. Right now,
podcasting is big news, and the way things are going it will soon be big
business. And that, apparently, is what it takes to catch Microsoft's ear.
Story by news analyst Michael Bloom.
MTV Delivers Mobile Music Channel in Japan
MTV will power a new mobile-based music and entertainment channel in Japan,
with wireless operator KDDI delivering the content. The new channel, called
"Flux," will feature short video clips, full track downloads, and anime from
top Japanese artists. It will also deliver a strong community component,
with recommendations, sharing and feedback integral to the offering.
Subscribers can receive the channel for 315 yen ($3) a month, with the
content layered into KDDI brand EZWEB. Other countries are also expected to
receive the rollout, though Asia is the most sensible place for an initial
launch.
Flux is likely to do well, with Japanese consumers gobbling up content-rich
mobile offerings. But a well-designed community aspect will be critical,
with mobile users always interested in sharing and staying connected.
Meanwhile, a focus on short videos could be part of a longer term trend,
with long-form videos testing the patience of most mobile subscribers.
Still, Verizon is experimenting with long-form music content in the US, most
recently delivering concert footage to users as part of a relationship with
Clear Channel. Whether that translates into something bigger is uncertain,
though MTV certainly has a large stock of full-length videos to play with if
needed.
Pepsi and Yahoo Music have joined forces on a massive new music campaign,
with "Smash on Yahoo Music" now live. The new co-brand will feature
exclusive content from a laundry list of heavy-hitters, including Kanye
West, Gwen Stefani, Coldplay, Big and Rich, Billy Corgan, and Seether. The
microsite offers standard content like music videos and photos, but also
offers a glimpse of the artist outside of the studio. That focus on
celebrity includes the predictable shots of Britney Spears and Kevin
Federline, but also includes MTV News-style updates, polls, interviews and
animation.
The site is adapted from the "Pepsi Smash" summer concert TV program, and
will be updated in weekly and monthly segments. While the show lived a short
a painful life on the WB, with 8 episodes drawing few viewers, the content
could make more sense online. Coldplay will kick the site off as a "Featured
Performance," with an exclusive interview and in-studio performance of their
recent songs "Speed of Sound" and "In My Place." For Pepsi, the placement is
a big branding gain, though Yahoo will receive a large amount of top
quality, exclusive content. "Pepsi has featured the biggest recording
artists and a diverse range of chart-topping music in marketing campaigns
and we are excited to collaborate with them to provide a new venue for
Smash," said Yahoo Music VP and GM Dave Goldberg. The move will help give
Yahoo a nice jump over the summer, while offering extra heat to big
competitors like AOL Music.
Rhapsody Grabs White Stripes Exclusive, Days Before In-Store
RealNetworks' Rhapsody has scored a high-powered exclusive, with the store
now offering the upcoming White Stripes album several days prior to release.
The album, Get Behind Me Satan, will be accessible to anyone who establishes
a Rhapsody account. That will allow free access to non-subscribers, with
RealNetworks recently allowing limited monthly streams through its new
Rhapsody 25 tier. The offer could help to generate big conversions towards
full accounts, with the Stripes attracting a large and loyal audience.
MySpace and iTunes seem to be grabbing most of the big exclusives in the
digital space, but the White Stripes announcement is certainly significant.
The move follows a massive digital music upgrade from Real, with the company
unveiling a bigger and better Rhapsody in late April. The includes Rhapsody
25, designed to allow easier sampling of the service prior to a full
commitment. The company also recently unveiled Rhapsody Unlimited, which
allows users to access downloads offline, while Rhapsody To Go represents a
first move into the portable subscription space. Meanwhile, the company is
also allowing consumers to share more music with other Rhapsody users,
albeit in a limited fashion. The White Stripes promotion ends Tuesday.
MSN Music Plans Big Advertising Push, Track Giveaways
MSN Music will soon start a big advertising blitz, with Microsoft planning a
massive campaign to support its download service. The campaign will blanket
a wide range of media, including radio, print, internet and billboards, with
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco receiving the biggest
buys. The ads will involve big superstars Gwen Stefani, Shakira, Stevie
Wonder, and Beyonce, who will help consumers "Meet MSN Music". Sweetening
the deal will be a nice promotional giveaway, with new users receiving 5
free downloads with an initial purchase. The campaign is slated to begin at
the end of this month, with the currently-live promotional download giveaway
ending July 10th.
The new campaign is big news, with Microsoft wielding a mighty advertising
budget. While MSN Music has remained a somewhat low-key release to date, all
of that will change in a matter of weeks. So what prompted the push? A big
entrance from Yahoo has certainly caused massive ripples within the digital
music community, with rock-bottom beta prices potentially leading to a big
market share. Meanwhile, a long list of portable mp3 manufacturers are
likely to benefit from the MSN campaign, with more customers entering the
PlaysForSure universe. The move could also help to tip the balance with
Apple, which has committed massive funds to keep both iTunes and the iPod
top of mind with consumers.
Merlyn, Nice to see someone else noticed all these features as well. AOL has send to a friend for Music and share with a friend for music videos. On AOL if you go Apples I-tune store to listen to music they have tell a friend. This feature is not active at this moment but this added feature is ready to go.
Since SCMI's business is all about cds' ??????
MediaMax Version 5.0 Expands Business Opportunities Beyond the Protection of Audio CDs
MediaMax Version 5 now enables SunnComm to pursue additional lucrative revenue opportunities outside the core music business initiative of protecting commercial audio CDs. These new areas include protecting and enhancing CD+G formatted Karaoke CDs, On-demand audio and video downloading from the Internet, DVD protection for movies and stand-alone music kiosks that allow consumers to create legal compilation CDs from licensed reputable online music sources, to name just a few.
Right on! Corey good to see you back!
You won't have too! Kasabian was released through BMG (Argentina)- Imported. So I'm sure their are few more outside the U.S. we never heard about.
http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=+6787099&style=music&frm=lk_radioio
Way to go Spenny!
Just came over MarketWatch.
SunnComm Announces Commercial Use of Track-Level Protection, On-the-Fly Technology and SecureBurn in Recent Select Audio CD Releases
http://www.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/newsarticle.asp?guid={61885D84-1166-49E7-A0B2-E4380C9FFAE1}&...
NO! Commercial CDs releases only.
ABOUT SUNNCOMM:
In just five years, SunnComm International Inc. (OTC: SCMI) has become the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio compact disc media. MediaMax(TM) can be found on many Gold, Platinum and Double-Platinum selling Albums including Dave Matthews newly release and soon-to-be-platinum, Stand Up. Other releases which include MediaMax are Anthony Hamilton’s platinum CD, “Comin’ From Where I’m From”, J-Kwon’s Gold “Hood Hop,” and Velvet Revolver’s “Contraband” which reached the #1 spot on Billboard's Top 200 Album Chart and achieved Double-Platinum status by selling more than 2 million units. Additionally, SunnComm’s MediaMax technology has appeared on many other best-selling albums, totaling over 100 commercially released CD titles across 30 record labels.
MediaMax is mastered directly on the audio CD and is accessible using a personal computer. SunnComm was the first company to commercially release a content-protected audio CD co-developing and utililizing an early version of the Microsoft Windows Media Data Session Toolkit, and was the first company in America to commercially release a copy-managed audio CD (www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/jan03/01-20SessionToolkitPR.asp). Bonus features include on-board press kits, artist-related promotions, videos, song lyrics, artist bio page, photo gallery, web links and tune-sharing capability through SunnComm’s MusicMail™ functionality. For more detailed information about the company, its vision or philosophy, personnel, partners, and customers, please visit the company's Web site at www.sunncomm.com, or call the Company directly at (602) 267-7500. For additional information or investor relations please contact:
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/business/article.adp?id=20050601061009990017
SunnComm’s MediaMax technology has appeared on many other best-selling albums, totaling over 100 commercially released CD titles across 30 record labels.
SunnComm’s MediaMax technology has appeared on many other best-selling albums, totaling over 100 commercially released CD titles across 30 record labels.
“SunnComm has included this newest version of MediaMax on 22 releases to date, Twelve of those were commercial releases,” affirmed Jacobs.
What do you know? lol
Nice one Berg111!
SunnComm Announces Commercial Use of Track-Level Protection, On-the-Fly Technology and SecureBurn in Recent Select Audio CD Releases
PHOENIX, June 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- SunnComm International (Pink Sheets:SCMI), creator of MediaMax(TM), America's best-selling enhancement and content protection technology for audio compact discs (CDs), is pleased to announce that it has received production approval from several of its largest record label clients to include MediaMax (V.5) on its copy protected CDs. This unique full-featured version of content protection has been extensively tested on both pre-release and commercial albums. SunnComm's president, Peter Jacobs stated, "Our latest version of MediaMax is the best CD copy management technology available today and the fact that we're North America's leading supplier of CD copy protection proves it."
Apple continued to expand its iTunes Music Store, opening several new
outlets in Scandinavia. The store also initiated an exclusive with Dave
Matthews Band, complete with videos, and delivered a pre-order for Coldplay.
Meanwhile, Apple got hit with a series of hacks and compromises, including
one that allows iPod owners to offload their collections onto any hard
drive.
Former RIAA chief Hilary Rosen caused a stir this past month, sharply
criticizing Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Sahd3g, MediaMax works for single tracks and CDs.
AMX
McDonald's Broadens Digital Ambitions, Kiosks Coming
McDonald’s is continuing its digital push, most recently piloting a digital media kiosk in its flagship Oak Brook, Illinois location. The system, called Blaze Net, operates like an ATM, but allows customers to purchase music tracks, ringtones, print pictures, or surf the web. The Oak Brook restaurant targets a more tech-savvy crowd, with the more experimental McDonald’s outlet offering less conventional items like lattes. The restaurant also promotes a sleeker, modern design, creating a comfortable fit for the media centers. As far as the rest of the restaurants go, McDonald’s believes that the new technology will factor prominently into the company’s future. Digital Transaction Machines, the New York-based company that supplies the machines, is also planning a big expansion based on the agreement with the burger giant.
Restaurants like McDonald’s have long collected revenues from movie advertising, with studios attracted to the large customer base and the pervasive nature of the fast-food industry. For a corporation with the type of reach that McDonald’s has, expanding into other areas of media is a natural next step. While promoting a specific musician or group often targets too narrow an audience, a kiosk approach allows the customer limitless choices. And the fact that McDonald’s has already entered into deals with Sony Connect and planted Wi-Fi internet access in over 3,000 stores means that the new Blaze Net could become a long term presence. In fact, the novelty offered by the new kiosk could connect with tech-savvy customers much the way a Happy Meal does with children. That offers another targeted opportunity for the digital music industry, with the fast-food chain drawing large numbers of tech-savvy, younger buyers.
Story by news analyst Adam Shahbaz.
Steve Jobs: iTunes Ready to Embrace Podcasting
The venerable iTunes music application will soon embrace podcasting, with
Apple CEO Steve Jobs pointing to an imminent move. "Already millions of
people are subscribing to these podcasts," Jobs said, predicting that an
iTunes upgrade would "send it into orbit." Jobs made the comments Sunday
night at the D: All Things Digital conference, hosted by The Wall Street
Journal. The upgrade, scheduled to launch in the next few months, will also
contain a listing of top podcasts. "We can highlight the 20 most popular
podcasts and we can highlight the ones that are really great," Jobs added.
The move by Apple will add massive momentum to the podcasting snowball,
already moving at a rapid clip. While incorporating podcasts into iTunes is
a relatively easy process, it currently requires the use of a separate
application like iPodder or Doppler to aggregate and update the content.
That may be okay with early adopters, though new users will appreciate a
simplified iTunes solution. The move is likely catapult the time-shifted
delivery format into the mainstream, with obvious benefits for the iPod line
of portable mp3 players.
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com
Mobile Music Video Downloads Come of Age in UK
Mobile music video downloads are becoming a growing story, with a new chart
now popping up in the UK. Mobile network operator 3, which offers a popular
service involving downloadable videos, recently initiated the chart with
radio station Kiss 100. That is a first, with Kiss deejays announcing the
top 20 videos for the week based on user download activity. Videos are
delivered to mobile phones using 3's Video Jukebox application.
The Video Jukebox service has proved stunningly successful, with the mobile
music videos catching fire among consumers. So far, the company has reported
more than 10 million video downloads within the first six months after
launch. The cutting-edge combination of technology and marketing is
certainly paying off for 3, but the company is certainly not the first to
tinker with videos. Apple has recently tiptoed into the space, packaging
some music videos alongside full album downloads on its iTunes Music Store.
And artists like Bruce Springsteen and the Dave Mathews Band are helping to
push a surprisingly successful DualDisc format, which offers audio on one
side and video on the other. Those efforts could help to curb piracy, with
music fans gravitating towards music purchases that offer video extras.
Story by news analyst Adam Shahbaz.
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com
Sony BMG, AOL Ink Video Licensing Arrangement
Sony BMG has reportedly signed an online video licensing deal with AOL, with
a dollar value hovering in the $25-$30 million range. The arrangement will
allow AOL to stream on-demand videos from Sony BMG artists, opening the
catalog to one of the largest online music audiences. For AOL, the deal
follows streaming video arrangements with Universal Music Group and Warner
Music Group, with both announced in late April of this year. While the
latest agreement could pave the way for others to come to terms with Sony
BMG, one source pointed to an exclusive, two-year arrangement. Earlier, Sony
BMG demanded the pull down of all of its videos from a large number of music
and entertainment websites, imposing a deadline of May 19th.
http://www.digitalmusicnews.com
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