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....need a link? Here ya go:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/sausage-merguez.jpg
MACROVISION CORP (NasdaqNM:MVSN) Delayed quote data
After Hours (RT-ECN): 18.40 3.30 (15.21%)
Good eye, Rox...............hope your read is on the mark!
.....sorta my point as well........they're not biased.......they hardly mention jack lol
"...but the only thing I have seen came from USA today..."
Collin: alot of those articles have been posted, at least on that 'other MB:'
www.latimes.com/business/...ines-bu...
New York Times:
The New York Times ©
Sony BMG has equipped music CDs such as this one with software that restricts copying by
consumers. The company
has released more than two dozen copy-restricted titles this year.
PRINT THIS STORY / E-MAIL THIS STORY
New software may sink music pirates
Sony BMG rolls out CDs that restrict copying
By Jeff Leeds, The New York Times
June 20, 2005
The world's second-biggest music corporation is rolling out its latest answer to digital piracy.
The company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, which is owned by Sony and Bertelsmann,
is outfitting a broad selection
of its latest CDs with software that restricts copying.
Advertisement
The company's use of the software, which is designed to limit consumers to making no more
than three copies of a CD,
reflects an effort to alter a format that is two decades old and contains music that can be
readily copied and digitally
distributed.
With the release of more than two dozen copy-restricted titles this year, including albums on
sale last week from the
Backstreet Boys, the Foo Fighters and George Jones, -Sony BMG is placing a bigger bet
on the technology than other
companies have, particularly in the United States, the world's biggest market.
Sony BMG, which is second in size to Vivendi Universal-owned Universal Music Group,
and the two other major record
companies have been releasing CDs with anti-copying software in other countries.
But executives at Sony BMG's rivals have been reluctant to release titles with the restrictive
software in the United States.
They said the software was too easily defeated and that working versions did not allow
consumers to transfer music to
portable devices and music players as freely as the industry would like.
The companies have been pressing Apple Computer to amend its software to make it
compatible with the tools used to
restrict copying.
The restrictive software Sony BMG is using on CDs - like it did earlier this year with Stand
Up by the Dave Matthews
Band - is not compatible with Apple's popular iPod. Owners of Apple computers using
-iPods are able to copy and
transfer music on the restricted CDs freely; the restrictions block PC owners from
transferring music to their -iPods. But
it does work with computers using Microsoft's Windows software.
Thomas Hesse, president for global digital business at Sony BMG, said Apple could "flick a
switch" to amend its
programming to work with the restrictive software.
"It's just a proprietary decision by Apple to decide whether to play along or not," Hesse
said. "I don't know what more
waiting we have to do. We think we need to move this forward. Time is ticking, infringement
of intellectual property is
happening all over, and we've got to put a stop to it I think."
Apple declined to comment.
Mike McGuire, an analyst at Gartner G2, said the move by Sony BMG "looks to me like a
very interesting public
negotiation."
In fact, consumers requesting help through a Web site set up by Sony BMG to explain the
technology receive an e-mail
message telling how PC users can work around the CD's software to unlock the music files
and make them available for
unlimited copying and transferring.
Music executives say the restricted CDs the music industry has released - most prominently
BMG's sale of Velvet
Revolver's Contraband last year - have resulted in virtually no consumer complaints. But
analysts say that may be
because consumers still have such an easy time breaking the restrictions or acquiring the
music for free on unrestricted
online file-sharing networks.
Still, Hesse said the introduction of limits on CDs would set the stage for record companies
to establish new business
models.
For instance, Hesse said, a record company using restrictive software might be able to
charge a premium for the early
online release of a forthcoming album.
Hesse said the restricted CDs are "a strong educational tool to communicate to consumers
that there is a limit of what
they're really allowed to do with the intellectual property that they have just acquired."
.....appreciate the response.
Mario: how about commenting from your (management's) perspective on the article posted in message #27005. The article would make it appear as though Mediamax is playing second fiddle to another company's content protection system with what is supposed to be one of our biggest clients. On the surface at least, this hardly seems to bode well for Sunncomm's product. Comments??
"In short, I havnt lost faith yet."
I have.........
PC Advisor article (sent to me by a bud):
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/index.cfm?go=news.view&news=4934
News
Email this story
Printer friendly
Search news
The record industry has been targeting online music sharing for years, but now it has
undertaken a new war - against ‘casual piracy.’
Sony BMG and EMI have begun shipping compact discs in the US using technology that
limits the number of copies you can make of any disc to three. And you can’t port
songs from affected CDs to Apple IPod players unless you request a workaround from
Sony.
While copy protected CDs have only been released in the US and for a limited number of
artists, other countries, including the UK, are also rumoured to be starting trials soon.
The move could have a lasting impact on your entertainment choices. And you may not
like the remix.
Sony BMG’s copy-protected CDs incorporate First 4 Internet’s XCP2
(extended copy protection) technology. The company is the first major label to offer
XCP2-protected CDs to consumers, although Sony BMG already ships some CDs using
MediaMax copy protection from SunnComm.
The new effort uses different technology, but with the same end result for consumers: a
limited ability to copy.
“Our goal is to create a series of speed bumps that make it clear to users that there
are limits [to copying],†says Thomas Hesse, president of Sony BMG’s Global
Digital Business Group. “If you attempt to burn 20 copies and distribute them to all of
your friends, that’s not appropriate.â€
Sony BMG labels discs that use the technology as copy-protected. The company says
that its customers find a limit of three copies to be fair.
When you insert the CD into your Windows-based computer, the disc launches its own
audio player software, which warns you that you’ll be allowed to make only three
copies of the disc.
You can make those copies from within the Sony BMG audio player, or you can use that
software to rip the files to your music library.
The copy protections are not iron-clad, however: you can make three copies of the CD
on each PC on which you load it. You can also make three additional copies of the CD
from the tracks that you have ripped to your Windows Media Player library.
Once you have burned CDs using Windows Media Player, the tracks cease to be
protected, and you can upload this audio CD into another media player, such as ITunes.
And once the tracks are uploaded, you can burn them as often as you like.
One potential problem for consumers is that the protected CDs prevent PC users from
moving songs to Apple IPods. That’s because Apple refuses to licence its FairPlay
digital rights management technology so that other companies can accommodate it. If you
inquire, though, Sony BMG will e-mail you a workaround.
This raises a key point about XCP2: it’s not meant to be unbreakable, according to
First 4 Internet’s chief executive Mathew Gilliat-Smith. “We have achieved a
good balance of protection and playability.â€
In fact, XCP2 is not as strict as XCP, the company’s original product. Sony BMG
and the other major labels have been using XCP since 2002 on pre-release CDs sent to
radio stations and internal employees, Gilliat-Smith says. XCP not only prevents copying,
but in some cases prevents discs from playing in certain devices, he says. Sony chose
XCP2, not XCP, for consumer CDs because discs with that encryption play well in most
devices.
XCP2 may affect more than just CDs: the company is currently working on versions for
DVDs and online music files, Gilliat-Smith says. Sony BMG will ship the DVD
technology to US film studios for use in pre-release copies of films by late 2005, he
hopes, and will introduce a version for commercial DVDs later. He declines to say which
film studios have expressed interest in using the technology.
So what’s next? Like it or not, copy protection on CDs will only increase, in the
opinion of IDC senior analyst Susan Kevorkian. She expects that more companies will
follow Sony BMG’s lead. “There’s a very narrow line between casual
copying and proliferation of content online,†she says.
"My "boy" has told me what Capitol says and you really wouldn't like it!"
......more information, par favor!
...so I take it RB was paid-basher-city?
I don't bother with Raging Bull. What's yer point, or read on what you posted? tia.
PR: http://biz.yahoo.com/pz/050728/82886.html
Press Release
Source: MediaMax Technology Corporation
MediaMax Targets Large Revenue Opportunities Beyond Traditional CD-Based Content
Thursday July 28, 8:30 am ET
PHOENIX, July 28, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- MediaMax Technology Corp. (OTC
BB:MMXT.OB - News) seller of MediaMax(TM), America's most accepted and
best-selling content protection and enhancement technology for audio CDs, has expanded
its mission statement to include the delivery of a unified technology capable of protecting
audio and video entertainment content across all file formats and distribution models
currently used in the marketplace.
The core technology components to achieve this are already resident within SunnComm
products being used commercially in the market. ``Propagation of the MediaMax
protection model for content found on DVDs, online music and music vended through
kiosks is a natural progression of our proprietary MediaMax technology. The direction our
technology development is taking is a direct result of feedback received from the
collaborative working environment the Company has successfully nurtured with our current
and prospective customers -- the record labels and movie studios,'' declared Eric
Vandewater, chief technology officer of SunnComm International, Inc. (Other
OTC:SCMI.PK - News), maker of MediaMax. ``For years, we have responded to
specific requests from our entertainment industry customers and, in virtually every case, the
results of our efforts have exceeded all expectations.''
Vandewater continues, ``Our
accomplishments have placed
SunnComm in an enviable position
regarding the protection of
entertainment content. MediaMax has
become the only widely implemented
technology of its kind to penetrate the
U.S. market. The product has been
universally accepted by CD buyers as
verified by extensive consumer
surveys as well as SunnComm's
negligible customer service activity.
Customer support issues related to
the release of nearly 20 million CDs
containing MediaMax are occurring at
a rate of less than two-tenths of one percent (.002).''
``The number of legal music downloads is skyrocketing, growing faster than any other
music distribution segment, according to `The 2005 Digital Music Report' from IFPI
(http://www.ifpi.com/site-content/press/20050721.html). There has been a tenfold increase
between 2003, when 20 million tracks were downloaded in the United States and Europe,
to more than 200 million tracks in 2004, and then rising to 180 million music tracks
downloaded in just the first half of 2005,'' commented William Whitmore, president of
MediaMax Technology. ``Music and video will be sold on CDs and DVDs for quite some
time but we recognize that cross utilization of our technology is critical in order to capitalize
on maturing delivery platforms and associated opportunities. The MediaMax product has
remained well ahead of the technology curve and we expect it to establish substantial
incremental revenue streams from this digital music arena, which represents untapped
opportunities for our organization and an ever-increasing value proposition for our
shareholders. We will continue to uncover new ways to translate our core technology into
revenues as opportunities continue to present themselves.''
When applied to music CDs, MediaMax has already been proven to drastically reduce
casual copying while delivering an unrivaled set of consumer-pleasing features. The
Company's record label customers have acknowledged that the use of MediaMax,
currently included on 6 different albums on Billboard's Top 200 chart, minimizes the sales
drop-off in the first critical weeks of a new music release, generating substantial incremental
profit.
ABOUT SUNNCOMM
In just five years, SunnComm International Inc. (Other OTC:SCMI.PK - News) has
become the leader in digital content enhancement and security technology for audio
compact disc media. MediaMax can be found on many Gold, Platinum and
Double-Platinum selling Albums including Dave Matthews' Platinum-selling, ``Stand Up''
and most recently, Foo Fighters, ``In Your Honor'' and The Backstreet Boys, ``Never
Gone.'' Other popular releases that 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 more than 30 record labels. Both
SunnComm and MediaMax Technology earn license fees every time MediaMax is pressed
onto a CD.
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 in the United States and co-developed and implemented an early version of the
Microsoft Windows Media Data Session Toolkit
(http://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(TM) functionality. For more detailed information about the company, its vision
or philosophy, personnel, partners, and customers, please visit the company's Website at
(http://www.sunncomm.com), or call the Company directly at (602) 267-7500.
For additional information or investor relations please contact:
Company contact: Investor contact:
Peter H. Jacobs Investor Relations
602-267-7500 602-231-0681
peter@sunncomm.com press@sunncomm.com
Foo (article sent to me by BigEasy);
http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=musicNews&storyID=2005-07-27T172308Z_01_N277...
Foo Fighters heading to Big Easy, Down Under
Wed Jul 27, 2005 1:22 PM ET
Printer Friendly / Email Article / Reprints / RSS
By Jonathan Cohen
NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Foo Fighters are the latest addition to
the lineup for the Voodoo Music Experience, which will be held Oct.
29-30 at New Orleans' City Park.
They join a Halloween weekend roster that already includes such acts as
Nine Inch Nails, Queens Of The Stone Age, the Flaming Lips, the New
York Dolls, Secret Machines, My Chemical Romance and Ryan Adams,
among others.
The Foos have also confirmed an end-of-the-year visit to New Zealand
and Australia, beginning Nov. 25 in Wellington and wrapping Dec. 6 in
Melbourne. Beforehand, the group will be busy in North America on a co-headlining tour with
Weezer that gets underway Sept. 8 in Atlanta.
The band's album, "In Your Honor," is currently No. 10 on the U.S. pop charts, with sales to date
of 691,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Reuters/Billboard
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
More Music
XM, Napster to sell music heard on satellite radio
Madonna 'Hung Up' on new single
'NOW' hits set rules albums chart, Simon sizzles
Stones set to make 'Bigger Bang' with album
Bob Mould flirts with past, eye on the future
MORE
Sonopress article e-mailed to me by a friend:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20050725005...
July 25, 2005 09:01 AM US Eastern Timezone
Sonopress Replicates Four Major DualDisc Titles on Behalf of SONY BMG; Company Demonstrates Leading DualDisc Manufacturing Capabilities
ASHEVILLE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2005--Sonopress LLC, a world leader in media services and turnkey production operations, today announced that it has completed mass production of four major titles of DualDisc products on behalf of SONY BMG. The DualDisc titles are "In the Zone" from Britney Spears, "A Hangover You Don't Deserve" from Bowling For Soup, the self-titled album from Three Days Grace and "Turning Point" from Mario. The DualDisc titles will feature video content on the standard DVD 5 side while the opposite side will contain music that can be played in nearly all CD players. Sonopress produced the titles using the advanced DualDisc replication technology at its Weaverville, NC facility.
"By combining both the CD and DVD experience into one product, DualDisc significantly enhances our customers' enjoyment of their favorite artists," said Thomas Hesse, President, Global Digital Business, SONY BMG MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT. "We are happy to be working with Sonopress as we continue to roll out additional DualDisc titles, and meet growing consumer demand for this exciting new music offering."
In order to replicate a DualDisc, a manufacturer must possess special molds and have the ability to replicate under very tight tolerances. Sonopress has worked closely with both SONY BMG and the RIAA to ensure that its facilities have the capabilities to produce certified DualDisc products.
"Sonopress prides itself on being at the forefront of new media products and formats, and DualDisc is one of the most exciting products to hit the market in some time," said Andrew DaPuzzo, Director of Sales - Audio, Sonopress USA. "We appreciate the opportunity that SONY BMG has given us to produce this group of DualDisc titles and look forward to continuing our strong relationship with the company. Receiving a significant DualDisc order from a company with the reputation of SONY BMG is further validation of the extensive expertise Sonopress has amassed with DualDisc and other new products and formats."
About DualDisc
A DualDisc is a branded product that is a standard DVD 5 on one side while the opposite side contains music that can be played in nearly all CD players. Along with specific packaging requirements, DualDisc will require that the same music found on the CD player side must also be available on the DVD side.
The DVD side can include the album in either standard LPCM or 5.1 DVD-Audio. In order to be considered a DualDisc, some video content must be included, the extent to which has not yet been established by the RIAA.
About Sonopress
Sonopress LLC, part of arvato, a Bertelsmann company, is a global leader in media replication and turnkey services. Sonopress possesses the technological expertise to produce the widest variety of analog and digital media formats currently on the market (cassettes, CD, DVD, DVD Hybrid). The company's services include pre-mastering, optical mastering and replication, graphics sourcing, packaging, assembling, warehousing and distribution. The Sonopress global network, with more than 4,000 employees, places customer service and product quality as its top priorities. For further information visit: www.sonopress.com.
Statements contained in this release, which are not historical facts, may be considered "forward-looking statements" under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and the current economic environment.
We caution the reader that such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Unknown risk, uncertainties as well as other uncontrollable or unknown factors could cause actual results to materially differ from the results, performance, or expectations expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Sonopress
Brenda Young, 828-658-6183
Brenda.Young@sonopress.com
Apple article..................
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2005/07/19/cnapple19.xml&menuId=242&s...
......if this was something I read on Yazoo, I would never have put it out here..................that's not where I got it......
Mario: Are you able to comment on the rumor that Peter is meeting at Apple either today or tomorrow?
Rumor has it (AND I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH THAT THIS IS ONLY A RUMOR!!!!) that Jacobs is meeting with Apple either today or tomorrow.
mmxt/scmi pr..................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MediaMax Experiences Largest Quarterly Production in its History
Wednesday July 20, 8:30 am ET
MediaMax Technology Reports its Largest Production Volume to Date for Each of the Three Months of Q2/05
PHOENIX, July 20, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- MediaMax Technology Corp. (OTC BB:MMXT.OB - News) seller of MediaMax(tm), America's most accepted and best selling content protection and enhancement technology for audio CDs, is pleased to announce that, as expected, the second quarter of 2005 has developed into its largest production and revenue-producing quarter ever.
ADVERTISEMENT
``This should come as no surprise to those who watch our company closely,'' remarked Scott Stoegbauer, vice president of sales and marketing at MediaMax Technology. ``This past quarter has seen MediaMax CDs debut in number 1, number 2 and number 3 positions on Billboard's Top 200 album charts, which have gone on to become Gold-selling and Platinum-selling albums, all in the same quarter! In just the last three months, MediaMax has consistently been the first choice for well-known and respected musical groups ranging from The Dave Matthews' Band to The Foo Fighters to The Back Street Boys, and many more. This is truly an unprecedented set of accomplishments in our industry and demonstrates that major record labels, publishers, artists, and composers recognize the painstaking care taken by our Company to deliver a memorable and positive experience to consumers while, at the same time, protecting their digital assets.''
``As we approach our 20 millionth MediaMax CD in North America, our success is undeniable,'' asserts Peter Jacobs, president of SunnComm International, Inc. (Other OTC:SCMI.PK - News), maker of MediaMax. ``MediaMax is being used to enhance and protect some of the world's largest selling record artists. Every time our technology is pressed onto a music CD, the company is paid a royalty. MediaMax has earned the Company more royalties from CD sales in Q2/05 than in any previous time in the Company's history. We have worked tirelessly to deliver a unified technology capable of protecting audio CDs as well as music purchased over the Internet and through music kiosks.''
MediaMax has been proven to drastically reduce casual copying while delivering a robust set of consumer-pleasing features. The Company's record label customers often acknowledge that the use of MediaMax on current album releases minimizes the sales drop-off in the first critical weeks of a new CDs release.
Next Topic >>
...............more apple.............
http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/features/stories/125809.html
Apple videos hint at film ambitions
Jeff Pelline, Ina Fried, and John Borland, CNET News.com,
July 19, 2005
Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs is famously secretive when it comes to sharing plans for his company's future.
To find clues, however, you need only look as far as the latest versions of the iTunes Music Store. You can't help noticing support for podcasting, or "radio reborn," as Apple puts it.
Look beyond that, and you'll notice that since May, the iTunes software has allowed you to play videos, movie trailers or even home movies. The store itself has begun selling a handful of music videos, with more being added each week.
Record label sources say Apple has been in talks to sell a much wider range of music videos through the store, probably as soon as this fall. The company also has indicated to media executives that an iPod that plays video could be unveiled as early as September. That leads some industry insiders to believe that Apple is working on an online movie store and a video playback device that does for movies what iTunes and the iPod have already done for music.
"Apple was a pioneer in digital music downloads, and Macs are great for audio and video," said Mike Homer, a longtime Silicon Valley executive and well-connected Apple alumnus. "This makes them well-positioned to introduce video on a grand scale."
Homer and others caution, however, that the iTunes phenomenon will be a tough act to follow, and they figure Jobs & Co. will take incremental steps later this year and next rather than diving headfirst into video overnight.
The biggest challenges are on the business side, not in technology.
Apple must strike a deal with Hollywood executives, who worry about copyright protection on the Internet and don't want to jeopardize DVD sales, which outpace sales at the box office. Apple also must compete with cable television giants such as Comcast in the movie download business.
Beyond that, Apple must come up with a plan to make a profit from video, just as it did with music. Apple makes almost all of its music business money selling iPods, not from the iTunes Music Store.
But if anybody can succeed, it will be Jobs, according to many industry executives and analysts. They cite Jobs' leadership in digital music as well as his Hollywood contacts and experience as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios.
"He's the greatest entertainer and showman in the business," said one prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
Some Hollywood filmmakers agreed that, with help from Jobs, legal Internet sales of their movies could transform their business.
"The business is going to go down, down, down before they finally realize what Steve Jobs and a few others have already realized--that there is a way to make a business model out of this and then people won't steal it quite so readily," George Lucas, director of "Star Wars," said last month on CNBC.
Apple executives declined to discuss their plans. When asked at a conference last month whether the company would sell video via an iTunes-like store, Jobs said Apple's "actions of the future" would answer that question, adding that it is working on "great things" in its labs.
Poker-faced Apple already is showing some of its cards, however:
Besides providing video support on iTunes, Apple's latest version of QuickTime comes with the H.264 codec, which lets consumers view high-definition video with less bandwidth and storage space than its predecessors. H.264 shipped with Apple's latest operating system, called Tiger, and a preview version of the software is available for Microsoft's Windows.
The computer maker has been rolling out new products such as the Mac Mini and Airport Express, which costs $129 and is designed to wirelessly stream music to a stereo. Future versions could be designed to handle movie and television, as well. Apple's agreement to use Intel chips starting next year also will make it easier to build a low-cost home media player, many experts argue.
Apple is getting more serious about embracing the entertainment business' biggest concern: protecting the intellectual property rights of movies and music. Jobs' experience as a moviemaker provides added credibility.
Apple is making its biggest strides in software. When iTunes launched in May, four bands provided music videos: Gorillaz, Morcheeba, Dave Matthews Band and Thievery Corporation. The total has since expanded to more than 16.
In most cases, the bonus videos are bundled with albums, often at a $1 premium. Examples include Billy Corgan's "TheFutureEmbrace," Coldplay's "X and Y" and Missy Elliot's "The Cookbook," each priced at $11.99.
"Anything else you can give to a consumer that they don't get on a CD is really cool," said Chris Sims, a music video editor at Timecode Entertainment in Los Angeles. "A bunch of artists see this as an option."
The iTunes store also does a better job of promoting movie trailers, which Apple has shown for years on its QuickTime site. The iTunes movie trailer page shows clips from new films as well as from DVDs. It also lists 17 major studios by name and links to each of their trailers.
Although the movie clips are free, the trailer page also sells film soundtracks and audio books. That's the holy grail of entertainment marketing: the cross-promotion of movies, soundtracks and books.
In one deal offered exclusively on the iTunes store, you can watch the movie trailer of Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds," buy the soundtrack for $9.99 and get an audio book of H.G. Wells' classic, starring the cast of "Star Trek," for $12.95. The next logical step--assuming the business hurdles can be crossed--would be to include the movies themselves.
The hardware side of Apple's video plans is more vexing. Many analysts have speculated that Apple will release a video iPod. That may support the new music videos finding their way into iTunes, but is unlikely to form the backbone of a full movie distribution service, according to those interviewed.
In the past, Jobs has downplayed the video iPod. "A lot of these other things that people are talking about building in, such as video and things like that, are foreground activities," he said last year. "You can't drive a car when you're watching a movie, you know? It's really hard."
But the popularity and picture quality of Sony's PlayStation Portable device could force Apple's hand. Sources said Apple has looked at prototypes of portable video players in its labs, and future versions of iPods could play music videos, if not full-length movies.
As a first step, Apple could turn the Mac into more of a home media player, industry executives said.
"A home media player would be the best thing," said Steve Perlman, co-founder of WebTV and a former Apple scientist who helped launch QuickTime. "People watch videos when they sit down for two hours. Technology won't change that."
Apple's release of the Mac Mini earlier this year only reaffirmed their thinking. The pint-sized $499 computer looks and works more like a media PC than a laptop or desktop. It's small enough to sit near a television, so a person could plug it into the TV and play music videos or movies.
A Mac Mini with a faster processor, linked to a high-definition TV, could play high-definition video, now that Tiger supports HD video. A bigger hard drive would hold more videos, too.
A unit that wirelessly streams video, in the way AirportExpress streams music, could also be built.
A similar unit could be built to handle video signals. LG makes a digital video adapter, and other manufactures are on the verge of releasing similar products, said Kevin Corbett, vice president and chief technology officer of the digital home group at Intel. Corbett declined to comment on Apple's plans.
The agreement struck earlier this month for Apple to use Intel chips in its computers could pave the way for a Mac home media center. Besides its fast processors, Intel has been building companion chipsets, such as Grantsdale, that are tailored to the digital home.
Jobs hinted at the benefits of going with Intel earlier this month. "We can envision some awesome products we want to build for our customers in the next few years. And as we look out a year or two in the future, Intel's processor road map really aligns with where we want to go much more than any other," he said after the announcement.
Intel also is making inroads in Hollywood. Earlier this month, Intel and actor Morgan Freeman's movie production company, Revelations Entertainment, said they have formed a new venture aimed at distributing first-run movies over the Internet.
The chipmaker also has built a digital home in Santa Monica, Calif., that showcases the latest in home entertainment technology.
"We want to show studio heads the state of the digital home and how digital-rights management works," Corbett said. "If somebody had shown this to the music industry six years ago, they might have been more proactive against piracy."
In addition, Intel has been a leading member of consortiums such as the Digital Home Working Group, which creates digital-rights management systems and other technologies that will clear the way for movie downloads.
Hurdles remain, however. Apple created a digital-rights management technology called FairPlay when it launched iTunes three years ago. But FairPlay hasn't withstood attacks by computer hackers. "It took them roughly a day to crack it," one studio executive said of FairPlay.
While movie studios remain skeptical about copy protection, making enough money from movie downloads is the bigger concern, Corbett said. Profits from movie downloads, a business dominated by small companies such as CinemaNow and Movielink, are scant.
In addition, subscription-based movie downloads are limited because existing agreements between the studios and HBO, Showtime and Starz have locked up most of the Internet rights.
But don't underestimate Jobs, whose iPod took people by surprise and now accounts for one-third of Apple's sales. Years from now, a video service could make Apple more like Sony--a consumer-electronics giant that pipes digital music, music videos and movies into the living room or iPod-like devices.
"For the first time since the Mac," Homer said, "Apple has created an opportunity to reinvent their business well beyond PCs."
.....foo............................
http://www.billboard.com/bb/daily/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000980763
apple article.........................
http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1186
He's not talking it down....this POS is doing it all on its own. ....half of half a cent away from the two's.....
Detnews.com
http://www.detnews.com/2005/technology/0507/08/0tech-240991.htm
Friday, July 8, 2005
Big music labels have digital trust issues
By Jon Healey / Los Angeles Times
Comment on this story
Send this story to a friend
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As they fight in court to clamp down on piracy, the major record labels also have tried to coax music fans to switch from free downloading to paid services.
But when music fans go shopping for hit albums online, their money buys them something less than what they get on most compact discs.
The music is the same, and the sound quality is hard to distinguish. But there is a wide gap between what buyers can do with a CD and what they are allowed to do with a legal download.
With most CDs, buyers can make unlimited copies, transfer the songs to any portable electronic device and post samples to their blogs. By contrast, all of the songs sold online by the major record companies are wrapped in electronic locks that restrict copying, deter sharing and limit portability.
The restrictions are intended to be tight enough to discourage piracy but loose enough not to crimp the average music fan's behavior. Still, the variety of incompatible protection technologies being used by online stores, music services and manufacturers means that music fans might buy tracks online that their portable devices cannot play.
The disparity between CDs and downloadable songs is "a manifestation of how challenging the digital media transition is (for the major record companies)," said analyst Michael McGuire of GartnerG2.
The major labels are not forced to use electronic locks, also known as digital rights management technology. A number of online outlets sell songs as MP3s, an unrestricted format that millions of music fans have been using for several years.
But MP3s offer the labels the least amount of control over how the songs are put on the market and what people do with them. They can only be sold, not rented, and they cannot be kept from a wide array of uses that the labels neither authorize nor profit from, including file sharing and pod-casting, in which audio files are downloaded into portable devices.
"You've got a bunch of people who've set up businesses based on total control, and you've got a bunch of parts of the chain saying, 'We're giving up revenue,'" McGuire said. "They have to adjust to think about, 'How do I monetize this world now beyond the initial transaction?'"
Some record companies, most notably Sony BMG and EMI, are starting to close the gap between CDs and downloads. Aided by technology companies such as Macrovision Corp. and SunnComm International, they have found a way to put electronic locks on their CDs that are even more restrictive than the ones on their downloadable songs.
Hundreds of independent labels, though, have taken a different tack. They are making downloads available as MP3s that can be copied freely and transferred to any portable device.
Sales of independent-label MP3s are small in comparison with major-label downloads -- EMusic, the leading MP3-based subscription service, has sold 40 million tracks in the last 16 months, the same amount that Apple Computer Inc.'s market-leading iTunes Music Store does in a single month.
But EMusic Chief Operating Officer David Pakman said that his company's customers bought significantly more tracks than the average iTunes user. "Maybe one reason is that, when given a different value proposition and lots of flexibility, people tend to consume more," Pakman said.
The major labels have declined Pakman's entreaties, in part because they do not trust their online customers not to sabotage their business. Although label executives have felt that way since the advent of cassette tape recorders, the explosion in online piracy and the deep drop in CD sales since 2000 have stiffened their resolve to protect their wares.
Rather than embracing MP3, the major record companies have relied on formats that support digital rights management technology, such as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Audio. Movie studios, video game outlets and book publishers have taken a similar path, clamping electronic locks on their digital products.
To Lawrence Kenswil, a top digital-media executive at Universal Music Group, the problem is not what people do at home with the music they buy.
"The problem is that it goes outside of that original buyer's household," he said. "That kind of sharing or copying is where we lose revenue. That's where we're trying to replace those illegal activities with legitimate services so people can share legally. There's no easy answer."
Universal's goal, Kenswil said, is to have the same set of rights and restrictions on a song no matter how it is delivered. "That's a world we're a long way away from," he said, in part because Universal does not believe CD copy-protection technology is ready for the U.S. market.
The company particularly is concerned about the inability to transfer songs from a copy-protected CD to Apple's market-leading iPods because they use incompatible rights management technologies. IPods make up about 75 percent of the market for digital music players, said Greg Joswiak, a top marketing executive at Apple.
But the compatibility issue has not stopped Sony BMG or EMI. Sony BMG plans to release all of its new CDs in a copy-protected format by the end of the year, while EMI is testing the technology on selected releases.
Supporters of the MP3 format argue that the major labels are locking the wrong barn.
The major labels' downloadable tracks are widely available as bootlegged MP3s online, free of electronic locks. And if there is enough demand for a track, it will pop up as an MP3 even before it goes on sale as a digital download, said Chief Executive Eric Garland of Big Champagne, a company that tracks file-sharing networks.
"If you asked any consumer who downloads digital music which format they preferred, MP3s would feature highly," said Beth Appleton of independent label V2, a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Group. "As consumers, we want the ability to transfer our music to the devices we own -- MP3 players, iPods, mobile phones, rip to CD and not have our choice of device instructed by the format we download our music in."
V2 has deals with several outlets that distribute MP3s, Appleton said, adding, "V2 believes we should provide consumers the opportunity to buy MP3s legally and trust that they understand the implications of sharing such files illegally."
Paul Vidich, a former Warner Music Group executive in charge of digital distribution who is a special adviser to Time Warner Inc.'s America Online, said the labels "have to take reasonable steps to protect copyrighted material" to fulfill their obligations to artists and shareholders. The point is to give customers a clear boundary, "which is: You bought it, it's yours, you don't have the right under the law to upload it and make it available to the world."
Many music fans believe that buying a song entitles them to venture past that boundary, and not just on file-sharing networks.
"It's not just me getting possession of that file, it's what I do with it," said McGuire of GartnerG2. "Do I put it in my blog? Am I pod-casting it?"
Although pod-casting could be a tremendous way for fans to promote the sale of music, McGuire said, the major labels want to be compensated for it, and there is no mechanism to do that yet.
"If we see all the other pieces get in place, like pod-casting licenses, etc., then you might see the labels place less emphasis (on rights management),", McGuire said.
Meanwhile, EMusic's payments to independent labels grow steadily each month as it adds subscribers, who pay $10 a month to download as many as 40 MP3s.
"They've been paying us consistently better than anybody else after iTunes," said John Cornett, vice president of new media at OM Records in San Francisco.
Bob Frank, president of Koch Records in New York, said his company's royalties from EMusic and other subscription services had grown more than 50 percent in recent months.
Pakman of EMusic, which is owned by Dimensional Associates in New York, said he didn't expect the major labels to sell new releases as MP3s, but he would like them to try the format with older tracks.
"If you're locking the CD down (with copy-protection technology), you sort of box yourself out of experimenting with different price points and different usage levels on the digital side," Pakman said. "I don't know that that's the right business decision."
apple...........................................................
Apple Kicks Off iTunes Music Store Countdown to Half a Billion Songs
Tuesday July 5, 8:30 am ET
Live 8 Performances Now Available on iTunes
CUPERTINO, Calif., July 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple® (Nasdaq: AAPL - News) today kicked off its countdown to half a billion songs sold on the iTunes® Music Store with an online song counter so music fans around the world can participate in the race to purchase and download the 500 millionth song. As part of the countdown, Apple is giving away an iPod® mini and an iTunes gift card for 50 songs to the iTunes customer who purchases the winning song at each 100,000 interval. The person who downloads the 500 millionth song will win the grand prize-10 iPods of their choice to share with family and friends, an iTunes gift card for 10,000 songs and an all-expenses paid trip for four to see Coldplay on their world tour.
ADVERTISEMENT
Apple today also announced the availability of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and "The Long and Winding Road" on the iTunes Music Store. Both songs were recorded live at this past weekend's Live 8 benefit concerts featuring U2 and Sir Paul McCartney. Proceeds from the sales of these one- time-only performances will benefit debt relief in Africa.
"As we prepare to cross this major milestone of half a billion songs, we want to thank our customers, the artists and the music labels who have helped make iTunes a global success," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of applications. "iTunes continues to be the world's number one online music store featuring the world's best digital music including special performances such as the Live 8 concerts."
With Apple's legendary ease of use, pioneering features such as integrated Podcasting support, iMix playlist sharing, seamless integration with iPod and groundbreaking personal use rights, the iTunes Music Store is the best way for Mac® and PC users to legally discover, purchase and download music online. The iTunes Music Store features more than 1.5 million songs from the major music companies and over 1,000 independent record labels, 10,000 audiobooks, gift certificates and exclusive music not found anywhere else online.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award- winning desktop and notebook computers, OS X operating system, and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital music revolution with its iPod portable music players and iTunes online music store.
NOTE: Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iTunes and iPod are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Apple Computer, Inc.
LA times.com...................................
http://www.latimes.com/business/custom/cotown/la-fi-trust4jul04,1,4528151.story?coll=la-headlines-bu...
July 4, 2005 latimes.com : Business : Entertainment Business E-mail story Print Most E-mailed
Big Music Labels Have Digital Trust Issues
By Jon Healey, Times Staff Writer
As they fight in court to clamp down on piracy, the major record labels have also tried to coax music fans to switch from free downloading to paid services.
But when music fans go shopping for hit albums online, their money buys them something less than what they get on most CDs.
ADVERTISEMENT
The music is the same, and the sound quality is hard to distinguish. But there is a wide gap between what buyers can do with a CD and what they are allowed to do with a legal download.
With most CDs, buyers can make unlimited copies, transfer the songs to any portable electronic device and post samples to their blogs. By contrast, all of the songs sold online by the major record companies are wrapped in electronic locks that restrict copying, deter sharing and limit portability.
The restrictions are intended to be tight enough to discourage piracy but loose enough not to crimp the average music fan's behavior. Still, the variety of incompatible protection technologies being used by online stores, music services and manufacturers means that music fans might buy tracks online that their portable devices cannot play.
The disparity between CDs and downloadable songs is "a manifestation of how challenging the digital media transition is" for the major record companies, said analyst Michael McGuire of GartnerG2.
The major labels are not forced to use electronic locks, also known as digital rights management technology. A number of online outlets sell songs as MP3s, an unrestricted format that millions of music fans have been using for several years.
But MP3s offer the labels the least amount of control over how the songs are put on the market and what people do with them. They can only be sold, not rented, and they cannot be kept from a wide array of uses that the labels neither authorize nor profit from, including file sharing and podcasting, in which audio files are downloaded into portable devices.
"You've got a bunch of people who've set up businesses based on total control, and you've got a bunch of parts of the chain saying, 'We're giving up revenue,' " McGuire said. "They have to adjust to think about, 'How do I monetize this world now beyond the initial transaction?' "
Some record companies, most notably Sony BMG and EMI, are starting to close the gap between CDs and downloads. Aided by technology firms such as Macrovision Corp. and SunnComm International, they have found a way to put electronic locks on their CDs that are even more restrictive than the ones on their downloadable songs.
Hundreds of independent labels, though, have taken a different tack. They are making downloads available as MP3s that can be freely copied and transferred to any portable device.
Sales of independent-label MP3s are small in comparison with major-label downloads — EMusic, the leading MP3-based subscription service, has sold 40 million tracks in the last 16 months, the same amount that Apple Computer Inc.'s market-leading iTunes Music Store does in a single month.
But EMusic Chief Operating Officer David Pakman said that his company's customers bought significantly more tracks than the average iTunes user. "Maybe one reason is that, when given a different value proposition and lots of flexibility, people tend to consume more," Pakman said.
The major labels have declined Pakman's entreaties, in part because they do not trust their online customers not to sabotage their business. Although label executives have felt that way since the advent of cassette tape recorders, the explosion in online piracy and the deep drop in CD sales since 2000 have stiffened their resolve to protect their wares.
Rather than embracing MP3, the major record companies have relied on formats that support digital rights management technology, such as Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Media Audio. Movie studios, video game outlets and book publishers have taken a similar path, clamping electronic locks on their digital products.
To Lawrence Kenswil, a top digital-media executive at Universal Music Group, the problem is not what people do at home with the music they buy.
"The problem is that it goes outside of that original buyer's household," he said. "That kind of sharing or copying is where we lose revenue. That's where we're trying to replace those illegal activities with legitimate services so people can share legally. There's no easy answer."
Universal's goal, Kenswil said, is to have the same set of rights and restrictions on a song no matter how it is delivered. "That's a world we're a long way away from," he said, in part because Universal does not believe CD copy-protection technology is ready for the U.S. market.
The company is particularly concerned about the inability to transfer songs from a copy-protected CD to Apple's market-leading iPods because they use incompatible rights management technologies. IPods make up about 75% of the market for digital music players, said Greg Joswiak, a top marketing executive at Apple.
The compatibility issue has not stopped Sony BMG or EMI, however. Sony BMG plans to release all of its new CDs in a copy-protected format by the end of the year, while EMI is testing the technology on selected releases.
Supporters of the MP3 format argue that the major labels are locking the wrong barn.
The major labels' downloadable tracks are widely available as bootlegged MP3s online, free of electronic locks. And if there is enough demand for a track, it will pop up as an MP3 even before it goes on sale as a digital download, said Chief Executive Eric Garland of Big Champagne, a company that tracks file-sharing networks.
"If you asked any consumer who downloads digital music which format they preferred, MP3s would feature highly," said Beth Appleton of independent label V2, a subsidiary of Richard Branson's Virgin Group. "As consumers, we want the ability to transfer our music to the devices we own — MP3 players, iPods, mobile phones, rip to CD and not have our choice of device instructed by the format we download our music in."
V2 has deals with several outlets that distribute MP3s, Appleton said, adding, "V2 believes we should provide consumers the opportunity to buy MP3s legally and trust that they understand the implications of sharing such files illegally."
Paul Vidich, a former Warner Music Group executive in charge of digital distribution who is a special advisor to Time Warner Inc.'s America Online, said the labels "have to take reasonable steps to protect copyrighted material" to fulfill their obligations to artists and shareholders. The point is to give customers a clear boundary, "which is: You bought it, it's yours, you don't have the right under the law to upload it and make it available to the world."
Many music fans believe that buying a song entitles them to venture past that boundary, and not just on file-sharing networks.
"It's not just me getting possession of that file, it's what I do with it," said McGuire of GartnerG2. "Do I put it in my blog? Am I podcasting it?"
Although podcasting could be a tremendous way for fans to promote the sale of music, McGuire said, the major labels want to be compensated for it, and there is no mechanism to do that yet.
"If we see all the other pieces get in place, like podcasting licenses, etc., then you might see the labels place less emphasis" on rights management, McGuire said.
Meanwhile, EMusic's payments to independent labels grow steadily each month as it adds subscribers, who pay $10 a month to download as many as 40 MP3s.
"They've been paying us consistently better than anybody else after iTunes," said John Cornett, vice president of new media at OM Records in San Francisco.
Bob Frank, president of Koch Records in New York, said his company's royalties from EMusic and other subscription services had grown more than 50% in recent months.
Pakman of EMusic, which is owned by Dimensional Associates in New York, said he didn't expect the major labels to sell new releases as MP3s, but he would like them to try the format with older tracks.
"If you're locking the CD down" with copy-protection technology, "you sort of box yourself out of experimenting with different price points and different usage levels on the digital side," Pakman said. "I don't know that that's the right business decision."
Will it be a better buy at .001?
Yes.................but only 'cause its less of a friggin' distance from which to plummet.....
Rolling Stone...........................
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/_/id/7428488/coldplay?pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=single1&a...
British invasion
Coldplay Still Number One
Brit rockers stay on top, Mariah Carey comes in
second
Brit rockers Coldplay continued their run at Number One this week, selling 186,000 more copies of X&Y, according to
Nielsen SoundScan. The album has already sold approximately 1.3 million CDs after just three weeks in stores. In
second place is Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi, moving another 132,000 CDs two and a half months after
its release.
The Foo Fighters' double album, In Your Honor, dropped one place this week to Number Three (116,000), while
Monkey Business, the latest from Cali hip-hoppers Black Eyed Peas, climbed one spot to Number Four (103,000) in its
third week.
Big debuts this week included Atlanta MCs (and P. Diddy proteges) Boyz N Da Hood's self-titled debut, which sold
101,000 to open at Number Five, and R&B singer Keyshia Cole, whose The Way It Is came in at Six (89,000).
Rounding out the Top Ten were the Backstreet Boys' comeback, Never Gone, which has already started to slide in just
its second week, down from its Number Three debut (a low for the blockbuster boy band) to Number Seven (79,000).
A compilation of punk-inflected rock from Nineties hitmakers the Offspring, Greatest Hits, did surprisingly well, moving
70,000 copies to come in at Number Eight. And Los Angeles metal act System of a Down's Mezmerize holds at Number
Ten (63,000).
Exiting the Top Ten this week were country star Toby Keith's latest, Honkytonk University, which dropped six spots to
Thirteen (58,000), and Columbian pop star Shakira's Spanish-language album, Fijacion Oral Vol. 1, which fell seven
places to Fifteen (50,000). But the big blow of the week came to Fat Joe: the Bronx rapper's sixth album, All or
Nothing, quickly dropped from last week's Number Six debut to Twenty-Four (38,000). And Transplants, the band
formed by members of Blink-182 and Rancid, must not be all that pleased with the first week of their sophomore album,
Haunted Cities: It sold a mere 34,000 copies to come in at Number Twenty-Eight.
With no major new releases this week, expect Coldplay to continue to hold fast to the top spot -- and Mariah to stick to
the Top Ten for some time to come.
This week's Top Ten: Coldplay's X&Y; Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi; Foo Fighters' In Your Honor;
Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business; Boyz N Da Hood's Boyz N Da Hood; Keyshia Cole's The Way It Is; Backstreet
Boys' Never Gone; the Offspring's Greatest Hits; Birdman's Fast Money; System of a Down's Mezmerize.
ALEX MAR (Posted Jun 29, 2005)
Herald Sun article.............................
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,15764288%255E2902,00.html
ENTERTAINMENT
back
PRINT-FRIENDLY VERSION
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STORY
Stars collide over music piracy ban
Liam Houlihan, youth reporter
29jun05
A COURT clamp on music piracy has Australian music companies and stars
from Madonna to Eminem singing hallelujah.
The US Supreme Court
ruling has given heart to
the six Australian record
companies locked in a
similar court battle
against piracy here.
Both cases focus on
software makers that
enable illegal
peer-to-peer sharing of
music files.
In six months, 3.4 million
Australians illegally
downloaded and shared
music files and 3.6 million
illegally burnt music on to CDs, according to Quantum Market Research.
Most offenders were under 25.
Music companies say illegal downloading is robbing artists and starving the
music industry. But artists are split.
Pop stars Madonna, Elton John, Eminem, Metallica and Jay-Z oppose illegal
file sharing.
"This is a great victory for artists, songwriters and all those who make their
living through the creative process," rapper Jay-Z said.
But other musicians say software bans are draconian and will hurt those
looking for an audience on the internet.
Local acts such as Frenzal Rhomb put their music on their own internet sites
and on international sites to get it heard.
US group Wilco is also happy to give away music.
"Any decision that outlaws or discourages developing technology that
expands Wilco's reach is shortsighted," singer Jeff Tweedy said.
"It is sad . . . the Supreme Court can hold hands and agree unanimously on a
decision so squarely on the side of big business and so damaging to the side
of culture."
Software companies argue that they should not be liable just because some
use their product for an illegal purpose.
Australian peer-to-peer company Sharman Networks -- at the heart of the
Federal Court case -- claims the principle has been dealt with in the 1980s in
cases involving double-sided tape decks and video recorders.
The Federal Court case is part of an aggressive pursuit of music pirates in the
past two years.
My source is just an investor/fellow bag-holder who has some inroads with people 'in the know,' and that's as far as I can narrow it down, as that's all I've got........again, I can place no weight on this information be it true or bogus....I just threw it out here since I heard it today.
.....latest I heard was a teenage male from Tennessee surfcasting off the panhandle who took a hit in the leg, which was severe enough it neccessitated amputation.
Maco on the barbee.......nothing like it!
Sharks are starting to gnaw on people..........they should be keel-hauled.....all of them.....
This is one of those FWIW posts.......
.....and ya can take it or leave it, but I thought I'd throw it out here for the group to ruminate over. Disclaimer: who the hell knows what info is legit and which isn't; I'm a bagholder with this POS that gives me nausea on a daily basis.
Anyways:
Someone who has several contacts with SCMI called me today with an explanation for the daily eroding pps. Apparently, several banking-esque groups, in particular The Mark Robbins Group, is manipulating the price lower for the purposes of being able to buy more shares at a lower cost.
Gee....like I've never heard of anything like this happening before LOL. There you have it...
G/L all,
doc
Another Candygram...............
SunnComm in the News - Stay Tuned for More
No more mister nice guy: EMI, Sony-BMG revisit CD copy protection
By Faultline
Published Tuesday 21st June 2005 16:44 GMT
The London Register http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/06/21/emi_sony_bmg_revisit_cd_copy_protection/
Both Sony-BMG and EMI have made statements this week that most of their CDs for their major markets will have copy protection placed on them.
Sony BMG is a customer for SunnComm while EMI is using the Macrovision CDS 300 technology.
But Sony-BMG also used the opportunity to seed anti-Apple sentiment among the US press, knocking the company for continuing to keep Fairplay a closed environment and appearing to favor Microsoft software with its copy protection approach.
The Sony-BMG SunnComm system uses a copy manager on a PC which creates a handover to the Windows Media DRM software that works with Windows media player, which then prevents further copying. This used to be easily bypassed, but now Sony-BMG has gone a step further and instead of trying to install the copy manager surreptitiously it tells the consumer it is doing it and if the consumer says no, it ejects the CD.
The Macrovision CDS 300 which EMI has chosen has been available for about a year from Macrovision and it enables new CD’s to be burned, which themselves cannot be copied. What Macrovision has done is take its old, rigid copy protection called CDS 100, which was unpopular because the CDs didn’t work with all players and never allowed any copying, and make those the output of the new CDs when copied. The copies also will not play on a PC, only the original will play on a PC.
When running on a PC, Macrovision will also add a piece of software that will run as a copy manager in virtually the same way as the Sony-BMG SunnComm technology.
There is going to be howl of protest from the anti-DRM community and already there are write ups of how to get around the system and import tracks onto iPods via a CD copy, one track at a time. The two pieces of software that co-operate with Windows Media DRM don’t work at all with Apple’s Fairplay and so Apple owners may find they can’t play the CDs at all or if they can, they are not protected, in the same way raw MP3 files are not protected on iTunes.
Our guess is that iTunes customers will simply shift their entire music acquisition program from CDs to online and save a lot of fuss, slashing CD sales in the process.
Copyright © 2005, Faultline
Faultline is published by Rethink Research, a London-based publishing and consulting firm. This weekly newsletter is an assessment of the impact of the week's events in the world of digital media. Faultline is where media meets technology. Subscription details here.
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:
Company contact:
Peter Jacobs
602-267-7500
peter@sunncomm.com Investor contact:
Investor Relations
602-231-0681
press@sunncomm.com
Candygram...................
SunnComm International and MediaMax Technology Sign Definitive Merger Agreement
PHOENIX, AZ — June 13, 2005 — SunnComm International (OTC: SCMI), creator of MediaMax™, America’s most accepted and best selling enhancement and content protection technology for CDs and MediaMax Technology Corporation (OTCBB: MMXT), are pleased to announce that they have signed a definitive merger agreement.
SunnComm’s Board of Directors has approved the specific terms of the agreement and plan for the proposed merger to take place as soon as possible. The definitive merger agreement was signed this past weekend. The definitive merger agreement will be available for review by shareholders and other interested parties in the MediaMax Technology Corp. Form 8-K filing related to this material event within the next few days.
As required, a consolidated financial statement of SunnComm International, Inc. and MediaMax Technology Corp. will be audited for the filing of an S-4 registration statement with the SEC. Both companies anticipate an exchange ratio of one share of MediaMax Technology common stock for each share of SunnComm common stock outstanding, subject to an independent expert’s fairness opinion. The combined organization will be named MediaMax Technology Corporation with the stock symbol (OTCBB: MMXT).
Peter H. Jacobs, SunnComm’s president states, “SunnComm shareholders have been waiting a long time for their company to elevate itself to fully reporting status. Our move to the OTC Bulletin Board (and subsequently to a major exchange) comes at a time when MediaMax enjoys marketplace acceptance and accelerating revenues. It is my opinion that our timing couldn’t be better. Everyone at SunnComm looks forward to integrating all aspects contributing to the success of MediaMax.”
MediaMax Technology Corp. currently has an exclusive marketing agreement with SunnComm International, Inc. to sell MediaMax - America’s best selling audio CD copy management and enhancement technology. Both companies earn royalties every time a CD is manufactured containing the proprietary copy management and enhancement software.
ABOUT MEDIAMAX TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
MediaMax Technology Corporation (OTCBB: MMXT), formerly QuietTiger, Inc. (OTCBB: QTIG) with its international reach, implements the delivery of digital content security products for the music and entertainment industry. With established long-term industry contacts throughout the world, the company understands the challenges surrounding digital content management and protection. The MediaMax Technology team of professionals has spent more than 50 years in the music and movie industry. MediaMax Technology (www.mediamaxtechnology.com) is the exclusive sales and marketing arm for SunnComm’s MediaMax suite of products.
For additional information about the company, its vision, philosophy, partners, and customers, please visit the Company’s Web site at www.mediamaxtech.com or contact:
Company Contact:
Scott Stoegbauer
602-267-3800
scotts@mediamaxtechnology.com
Investor contact:
Investor Relations
602-231-0681
press@mediamaxtechnology.com
http://www.musicbymailcanada.com/article4.html
Copy Protection & Canadians (Part Deux)
It appears the labels have been listening to consumer complaints about copy
protection. Both Sony and BMG are now experimenting with consumer
friendly copy protection schemes that allow limited private copying from their
discs and links that consumers can give to their friends to download material
they can play for a limited time.
The Sony Situation
"ConnecteD" discs have been introduced in Germany by Sony to test
consumer reaction to this new "second session" technology. It will feature
several incentives including compressed digital files that people can transfer
to their computers and Sony licensed portable digital music players and links
to bonus material and offers that are only made available to people who have
purchased the disc.
Sony believes that discs protected with this new technology will play on
conventional CD players so the major limitations at the moment are the
incompatibilities a person might encounter when they attempt to play the
compressed material they've copied from the discs to their computer or non
Sony licensed media players. The company is currently working on several
software plugins and expect to make them available to the public in the new
years. They also believe they will be able to fix the digital music player
incompatibilities shortly.
The first German release to feature this new technology is Naturally 7's
"What Is It". Sony expects to label all future "ConnecteD" releases in
Germany.
The BMG Situation
BMG subsidiary Arista Records have released their own copy managed
discs in the United States using Phoenix Arizona based SunnComm
Technologies' "MediaMax CD-3" and "Promoplay" technologies. These
discs also feature pre-ripped files in a "second session" but these files are
Windows Media Player compatible, include limited burning to CD and
copying to portable digital media players that are Windows Media
compatible.
Like Sony's "ConnecteD" technology, these discs will also feature bonus
material or links to bonus material. But SunnComm Technologies'
"Promoplay" software will allow individuals to email links to time and copy
limited material to their friends and this company's "License Management
Technology" also limits copying of CDs and DVDs produced with the
technology by reading physical markings found on individual CDs and
DVDs.
The first American release to feature this new technology is Anthony
Hamilton's "Comin' From Where I'm From". Whether this release or future
releases will be labelled as copy protected is unknown.
Overview
Overall i'd say BMG's solution is preferable and more consumer friendly.
But like Sony, the label and SunnComm claim the discs can be played on
"conventional" players. This may or may not include some computerized CD
or DVD players.
This is the major limitation to copy protection. - Many consumers will not
know their player is computerized until they attempt to play an incompatible
disc, though SunnComm Technologies assures it's consumers that CDs
created with their License Management Technology are "100% compatible
with standard audio CDs" and that "playability on any regular CD or DVD
device is assured" And whether these discs will or will not qualify for
certification as "Compact Discs" by Phillips is unknown so this article will be
updated as the new technology and the BMG/Sony merger talks progress.
I believe the industry will co-operate with their consumers in this matter so it
is important to inform them of your concerns regarding these new copy
management technologies and any complications arising from the use of discs
protected by this technology. You may contact them using the contact
information provided on the discs.
UPDATE (May 15th, 2005) : Sony BMG Music Canada has adopted
Sunncomm's "Mediamax" as copy protection on Sloan's "A Sides Win"
compilation. This PC and MAC compatible software program allows
consumers to make copies of individual tracks to their hard drive and some
"compliant devices". The Ipod is unfortunately not yet compatible but a
possible bypass is available according to the program's Official FAQ.
The software also enables people to send time limited tracks to their friends
via email. These TuneShare tracks can be downloaded once from
Sunncomm and played for ten days on an individual PC equiped with the
latest versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. But
software firewall users should note that they should configure their firewall to
allow LaunchCD.exe access to the net ; This program runs from the disc
itself.
Music by mail Canada article:
http://www.musicbymailcanada.com/NEWS.html
NEWS RELATING TO THIS SITE
click here to jump to the site q&a
May 15th,
2005
BMG Buys Columbia House/Indies Want Better
Cancon/Sony-BMG's New Copy Protection
BMG Buys Columbia House / BMG is purchasing Columbia House. The company intends to merge
their BMG Music Service with Columbia House's clubs in the future but all of the clubs are expected to
operate normally until further notice, including Columbia House Canada. Consult my BMG
Direct/Columbia House Merger FAQ for details. / Indies Want Better Cancon / Several indie artists are
petitioning the Canadian government to upgrade Canadian Content regulations to include incentives to
play independent recordings. For more information on Cancon Pro and the public petition, consult
letsfixcancon.ca / Sony-BMG's New Copy Protection / Sony-BMG Music Canada has adopted
SunnComm's Mediamax on several of its newer releases, including Sloan's "A Sides Win" hits
compilation. Mediamax is PC and Mac compatible and allows copying of tracks to these computers and
compatible devices. Unfortunately, the ipod is not yet compatible but ipod users are asked to contact
Sunncomm to obtain information on how to bypass this incompatibility. The Tuneshare downloads are
also unfortunately limited to PCs running the latest versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media
Player. Tuneshare allows the purchaser of a Mediaplay disc to send time and copy limited tracks to their
friends (Official Mediamax FAQ)