Secure
Digital Music Initiative Ruining Holiday Sales
by Heidi on December 6,
1999
Even though this Christmas has many MP3 players available
for consumers to buy, sales probably won't meet their expectations.
Due to copyright problems the players aren't highly promoted,
causing the decline in sales. Another problem facing tentative
buyers is that some MP3 players don't meet the standards of the
Secure Digital Music Initiative. This means that the players won't
be capable of playing the next generation of digital music that's
SDMI-secure.
Secure Digital Music Initiative
Ruining Holiday Sales
GN'R Live Album
Errors
by Chad on December 6,
1999
Guns N' Roses released their long awaited double live album
this past week, covering material from their breakout days of 1987
to the end of the Use Your Illusion Tours in 1993.
Apparently, the buzz on the website’s message forum is that
a large amount of the albums that shipped to the record stores were
defective. There are reports of CDs being mislabeled as "Disc 1"
instead of "Disc 2", scratched discs, and one track that repeats a
half second of audio a half dozen times.
Nothing official
has been posted on the websites main page at this time, but rumor is
that the albums will be recalled.
Guns N' Roses Online
MP3 Grouppie Beta
v0.4.3
by Heidi on December 6,
1999
NAPA Software has just released their newest version of MP3
Grouppie. New version 0.4.3 offers a fixed situation where multiple
connections to were being created and updated known ISP news servers
list. MP3 Grouppie is a program that makes it easy to download MP3s
by sorting through articles on your local news server and showing
you what MP3 files are available. With MP3 Grouppie you can listen
to a preview before downloading a complete file, so you don't waste
time getting new music you don't really like.
MP3 Grouppie Beta
v0.4.3
Public Enemy Holding Live
Cybercast
by Heidi on December 5,
1999
On Sunday, December 5th, Rapstaion.com will be holding a
live cybercast featuring Public Enemy. The cybercast will be coming
from Zurich, Switzerland and can be viewed starting at 12:00pm PST.
Public Enemy's latest release is title There's a Poison Going
On and it has been described as defying conformity and embracing
the future.
Public
Enemy Holding Live Cybercast
Hole Puts New Music on the
Net
by Heidi on December 5,
1999
Hole's putting its new single, Be A Man, on the Net
as a free download. The song is a mix of punk and techno and can be
downloaded in both MP3 and RealAudio format. There is also a message
board for fans to leave their thoughts on the new song. One Hole fan
said, "This is fantastic - it makes my week. Its got a very new
twist to the older Hole aggressive sound ala Curve but with the
classic Courtney Love in your face style." Hole was formed by
Courtney Love in 1989 and has been together 10 years.
Hole Puts New Music
on the Net
CuteMX Beta 8 Build
6
by Heidi on December 5,
1999
GlobalSCAPE, the makers of the popular program CuteMX, have
just released Beta 8 Build 6 of their software. New things for this
version include: improvements to transfer engine, chat bugs fixed,
media player bugs fixed, progress bar restored for peer to peer
listings, MP3 tagger fixed, MP3 autotagger works and more. CuteMX
offers an innovative, powerful way to search for and share your
favorite files on the Net. CuteMX users become part of a file
sharing community that can easily search for and download music,
graphics, and programs.
CuteMX Beta 8
Build 6
End of Days - Search Engines
by Chad on December 3,
1999
For years the MP3 search engine was considered the "killer
app" in the field of quickly locating MP3 files. The MP3 search
engine evolved many times, and ones like MediaFind were considered
the best because of it's ability to flag known ratio FTP sites. The
evolution peaked with Meta-crawlers, search engines that had the
ability to search several different search engine databases with
just one click. Search engines became more advanced, but success
rates were not very high for the average user.
Now, enter a
simple client interface that guarantees a working file download.
Napster was the first of such products, CuteMX came later, and
finally iMesh.com put a spin on things by using a web based
interface.
Each of these clients/services have their own
problems like early search engines did, but even operators of MP3
search engines are fearing their own downfall will come soon.
Some say even 6 or 8 monthes is how long they will be able
last. Look for popular search engine webmasters focusing their
attention on new products in the future.
Pete Townshend Releases Song on
Net
by Heidi on December 3,
1999
The Who guitarist, Pete Townshend, has released a new song
available on this website. The song is being identified as both
Can You Help The One You Really Love and Can You Hurt The
One You Really Love. It is available in RealAudio format and it
is a brisk, brief acoustic demo, with Townshend delivering the
words in a husky voice. Mr. Townshend's site also says that new
material will be available at the spur of the moment.
Pete Townshend
Releases Song on Net
Net4Music Offers Sheet
Music
by Heidi on December 3,
1999
Christopher Jones of Wired News has just done an article
called A Score for Online Music. Mr. Jones writes about how
Net4Music is launching a new website that gives users access to
thousands of downloadable sheet music titles. Eric Liley of
Net4Music says, "We are a friend of the publishers because we help
them further expose and increase sales of not only their A catalog
but their B and C titles as well." Founded in 1995, Net4Music will
offer 40,000 titles to start, but plans on adding another 10,000 per
month, in all genres of music.
Net4Music
Offers Sheet Music
EMI Music and
Launch.com
by Heidi on December 3,
1999
EMI Recorded Music has signed a licensing agreement to
stream it's music over the Net. It will be doing so through Launch
Media, who as of September had 2.1 million registered users. With
the new deal, Launch will get a ton of new content by popular
artists. The videos can be seen and heard by using software by
RealNetworks and Microsoft. EMI won't be making much from this deal,
other than that their recording artists will be gaining exposure on
Launch's site.
EMI
Music and Launch.com
MP3Lit.com Provides Spoken Word and
Audio Literature
by Heidi on December 3,
1999
In another alliance, MP3Lit.com and Spinner.com have agreed
to provide cutting-edge short stories, poems, essays and more in
MP3 format. "We feel we're providing the best MP3 spoken word
and audio literature available ... " said Valerie Hustwit of
MP3Lit.com. Founded in August of 1999, the MP3Lit.com has a simple
mission; to be a place for writers and publishers to get their
voices heard through digital audio format. To do so, they work with
publishes both large and small, to promote their material.
MP3Lit.com
Provides Spoken Word and Audio Literature
J. River's New Media
Jukebox
by Heidi on December 3,
1999
Software provider, J. River, is releasing a new version of
its free program called Media Jukebox. It is an organizer and
player for creating and managing digital music, images and video
files for PC's. "We designed Media Jukebox to be the consumers'
preferred organizer and player...It's an all-in-one solution, and is
winning awards," said Nikolay Sokratov of J. River. The Media
Jukebox can play MP3, WAV, AU, RA, RAM, and other file types
supported by MS Media Player 6.4. The software also comes with an
internal CD-quality ripper and encoder and it's interface is fully
customizable.
J.
River's New Media Jukebox
PCDJ PHAT, Play MP3s or Windows Media
by Heidi on December 2,
1999
Visiosonic has announced that PCDJ PHAT is capable of
playing or mixing two audio or video files at the same time without
the stuttering or gurgling associated with typical jukebox audio
players. Also new is that PCDJ PHAT will be able to play the
Microsoft Windows Media format, allowing for users the option of
listening to Internet radio broadcasts. "PCDJ Phat is admittedly a
brilliant DJ tool, but it does the job so well, why not use it just
to play music or videos?" says Laura Betterly of Visiosonic.
PCDJ PHAT, Play MP3s or Windows
Media
Mjuice.com and MyPoints.com Promote
Digital Music
by Heidi on December 2,
1999
Mjuice.com and MyPoints.com have an agreement to promote
sales of digital music on Mjuice's web site. The agreement entails
that MyPoints will have an e-mail campaign offering Mjuice's digital
music to online music fans. The hope is to have Mjuice.com gain
exposure and increase sales. "MyPoints.com's consumer reward drives
traffic to our site, and really encourages consumers to explore our
diverse catalog of major and indie label content," said Andrew de
Vries of Mjuice.com.
Mjuice.com
and MyPoints.com Promote Digital Music
germany.net and mp3-onlineshop.com Offer
Legal Downloads
by Heidi on December 2,
1999
germany.net is introducing its new Music Channel, a service
that will allow users to listen to MP3s and download their Internet
selections. But fear not, germany.net and mp3-onlineshop.com have
taken the required measures to make their downloads completely
legal. "In addition to free MP3 selections we will also legally
offer decoded songs for private purposes -- and our users can be
sure that it's all legal," said Dr. Josef Schafer of germany.net.
germany.net
and mp3-onlineshop.com Offer Legal Downloads
Platinum Entertainment Hits the
Net
by Heidi on December 2,
1999
Platinum Entertainment is planning to put it's catalog,
containing 15,000 songs, on the Net. The good news is that Steven
Devick of Platinum Entertainment says that most of the music will be
free. Mr. Devick also says what will set their Internet venture
apart from others is that they have recognizable artists, not
independent musicians who are hoping to become recognized. If all
goes well, the site will be up and running by December 15th.
Platinum
Entertainment Hits the Net
Licensemusic.com Searching for
Talent
by Heidi on December 1,
1999
Licensemusic.com is holding a worldwide search for unsigned
artists. They are hoping to boost the company's catalog of
pre-licensed, production-ready, original music past the one million
mark. "We want to reach the thousands of unsigned bands and
artists around the world and offer them a new, win-win way to derive
revenues from their music," said Gerd Leonhard, CEO. The
Licensemusic web site says that by joining their program, you can
reach thousands of music supervisors, directors and producers.
Licensemusic.com
Searching for Talent
WebMachines Adding MP3 and
MPEG
by Heidi on December 1,
1999
In keeping with the times, WebMachines has announced that it
is adding both MP3 and MPEG capabilities to its iaWare set of
software and services. "We believe Digital Media is the next
driver of the Internet, as witnessed right now with the popularity
of existing streaming media products," said John DiPippo, CEO.
WebMachines also has plans to incorporate the RealNetworks G2
streaming media product in future versions of iaWare.
WebMachines
Adding MP3 and MPEG
Music.com and DreamWorks Records
by Heidi on December 1,
1999
Music.com and DreamWorks Records are teaming up to offer
free downloads from major artists. Beginning on December 1st, 1999
new music downloads from such artists as BuckCherry, Chris Rock, Def
Squad, and Sole will be available. "We are extremely excited to be
able to offer fans free downloads from major artists on the
DreamWorks Records label," says Theresa Czarnecki of Music.com.
Music.com
and DreamWorks Records
I got my RaveMP!
by Angelo on December 1,
1999
So you haven't done it yet, have you? You've heard us whine
about the FREE MP3 PLAYERS being given away, and you chose to
ignore it. I don't blame you, I was skeptical, until I decided to
take the giant leap. EMusic.com is offering a deal where you buy 50
bucks of their music, and you get real jukebox, of course the $50
worth of music, and a FREE RaveMP, 32 Meg, mp3 player. IT'S ALL
TRUE! I did it, and even though they said it takes 6-8 weeks to get
the player, I got it within 8 days. And that was over the
Thanksgiving vacation where things "slow down." DO IT NOW. The
player is GREAT, and it's memory is expandible so if the 32 megs
doesn't do it for ya you could always spend another $40 or $50 and
upgrade the memory! (Bad news: it'll take you a while to find
music you want to buy..)
EMusic.com:
RaveMP Deal!
Emusic and Spinner Team
Up
by Michael on December 1,
1999
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- December 1, 1999 -- EMusic.com Inc.
(Nasdaq:EMUS), the Internet's leading seller of downloadable music,
today announced support for Playlist-To-Go, a new music download
service available through AOL's (NYSE: AOL) Spinner.com. Through
Spinner's Playlist-To-Go, users will be able to discover and access
free promotional MP3 tracks from EMusic.com's premier catalog of
downloadable music -- including songs from Bush, Pennywise, Phish,
Joe Strummer, and They Might Be Giants. ... read
more
Emusic.com
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Ex-Tony Toni Tone, En Vogue, and Tribe
Called Quest Members To Collaborate
Producer/songwriter/singer Raphael
Saadiq, formerly of Tony Toni Tone, singer/songwriter Dawn Robinson,
one of the four signature vocalists from En Vogue and producer/mix
master Ali Shaheed Muhammad, previous member of A Tribe Called Quest
have formed as Lucy Pearl and will announce the first details of
their upcoming collaboration together at an online press conference
Monday, December 6 at 1:00pm Pacific Time; 4:00PM Eastern Time.
They will go live from Los Angeles via the internet to discuss
plans for their album collaboration, set for March release on Pookie
Records/Beyond Music.
BMG Direct Launches Download
Central
BMG
Direct, a unit of BMG Entertainment, today announced the launch of
Download Central—a new area of the music club’s Web site that
provides users access to a full service digital download store. BMG
Direct collaborated with Liquid Audio, Inc. (Nasdaq: LQID) a leading
provider of software and services for the Internet delivery of
music, to create the site and provide secure digital downloads to
users. With the launch of Download Central, BMG Direct joins more
than 300 affiliate Web sites in the Liquid(TM) Music Network where
consumers can preview and purchase more than 50,000 CD-quality music
downloads from Liquid Audio’s catalog.
Download Central is part of BMG Direct's www.bmgmusicservice.com
Web site, one of the top 15 online shopping destinations with more
than 2.3 million registered members. The new area of the site offers
users downloadable digital music performed by a variety of artists.
Using the freely downloadable Liquid(TM) Player software, music fans
can preview songs, view the lyrics or liner notes, and safely
download and purchase music over the Internet.
"BMG Music Service is thrilled to be launching Download Central
in collaboration with Liquid Audio," said George McMillan, President
and CEO of BMG Direct. "Liquid Audio is a leader in the digital
music marketplace and provides software and content that meets our
customers needs. We view this as a true value-add for our online
members, as well as an excellent mechanism for increasing usage of
our site."
"ROCK FOR HOPE" To Benefit National Medical
Center
Gigolo
Aunts, the highly acclaimed alternative band currently opening for
the national tour of fellow E Pluribus Unum band-The Counting Crows,
will appear as part of the "Rock for Hope" concert series to help
teens suffering from cancer. On Tuesday, December 7th, Boston
quartet, Gigolo Aunts will perform at the Opium Den, 1605-½ N. Ivar
in Hollywood. Their recent release, Minor Chords and Major Themes,
was heralded in People Magazine as "bristling and bright with
instantly appealing pop hooks."
Their music has been featured in movies and on television
including "That Thing You Do," and "Felicity." They will appear with
Joe 90 (another E Pluribus Unum labelmate) as well as Garrison Starr
& Descanso and potentially some special guests. In addition to
the show, Joe 90 is scheduled to make a special appearance on radio
station 103.1 FM at 4 p.m. on December 7th to promote the concert.
Doors open at 8:30 p.m.
The $7 donation will benefit City of Hope National Medical Center
in Duarte and will be used to equip a Teen Room for adolescent
cancer patients. The money raised will purchase CD players,
magazines, a plasma TV and other entertainment items. The Teen Room
is designed for respite, diversion and escape during day-long visits
to the City of Hope's Molly Blank Pediatric Clinic for chemotherapy
and blood transfusions. In addition, this room will provide the
teens with a place to share their experiences with their peers.
"Teenagers and music go hand-in-hand. By bringing bands to these
venues, we not only raise money to help our pediatric patients, we
raise awareness among young people," said Scott Goldman, vice
president of Development at City of Hope. "We're delighted at the
support the shows have received from the community and the music
industry."
For more information about how you can support City of Hope's
lifesaving research and treatment programs, please call
800/260-HOPE, or visit the Web site at www.cityofhope.org.
Get A Chin Ho! Single At Big Heavy World
Burlington Event
Five bands will be performing a free, all-ages Fan
Appreciation show on Friday, December 10 at Higher Ground in
Winooski.
Three area bands will be releasing new CDs at the show:
Burlington's Zola Turn releases Ninja Jane, their second independent
full-length CD; Chainsaws and Children release .daca., their first
full-length release and the first single-artist release on the Big
Heavy World record label; and Chin Ho! will be giving away 100 CDs
of their (I Wish I Was a) Girl single. N.Y.C.s Battershell will also
be previewing their upcoming Ng Records release, Luv Punks.
A Nidecker snowboard will be given away during the show, and 99.9
The Buzz invites all showgoers to bring canned food to trade for
Buzz Booty in a holiday benefit effort for the Chittenden Emergency
Foodshelf.
The show is presented by Big Heavy World, 99.9 The Buzz, WBVT,
and Nidecker USA and is made possible by the bands who love their
fans and want their fans to know it!
Doors at Higher Ground will open at 7:30 and the bands performing
are (in order): The Magic Is Gone, Battershell, Chin Ho!, Chainsaws
and Children, and Zola Turn.
Big Heavy World is Burlington music's tech-heavy cheerleader,
promoting local artists via emerging Internet technologies and
partners and publishing www.bigheavyworld.com, the comprehensive
online guide to regional music known as Burlington's urban scene Web
site.
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