Archive - Feb 26, 2003

Date

AOL Launches Music Downloading Service

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2003 - 2:28am.
Dulles, Va. -- In the latest bid to get Internet users to pay for downloaded music, Virginia-based America Online said on Wednesday that it has launched a new online music subscription service that will let users legally download, listen to and burn digital music. The service -- called MusicNet -- ranges in price from $3.95 to $17.95 per month, and is available to both broadband and dial-up members. The move is part of AOL's strategy to offer enhanced revenue-producing services to its 25 million members. Subscribers to the service will have access to more than 250,000 songs, with titles from all five major record labels and major independents.
tags: Downloads | AOL | Musics |

RealNetworks Invests Undisclosed Amount in Listen.com

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2003 - 2:27am.
San Francisco -- Seattle-based RealNetworks, one of the largest providers of digital media software, said on Wednesday that it has made an investment in San Francisco-based Listen.com, an online music company whose Rhapsody service is one of the country's largest online pay-for-music services. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. RealNetworks owns a 40% stake in MusicNet, another online service that competes against Rhapsody. Reuters reported that Listen.com, which recently laid off about 20 employees, is widely viewed as a possible takeover candidate.
tags: RealNetworks | Website | Listen.com |

Microsoft To Test Peer-to-Peer Applications in Windows XP

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2003 - 2:27am.
Redmond, Wash.-- In a significant development for the peer-to-peer market, Redmond-based Microsoft is testing additions to its Windows XP system designed to make the operating system better tuned to peer-to-peer applications. Microsoft unveiled on Wednesday a test version of its Windows XP Peer-to-Peer Software Development Kit. The programming tools are designed to allow software developers to more easily build peer-to-peer applications for Windows XP. Peer-to-peer applications, which have included Napster and KaZaA, allow individual computer users to share information directly with one another without going through a centralized computer.
tags: Microsoft | Peer-to-Peer | Windows XP |

SportsLine.com Exits Gaming Information Business, Signs NCAA Deal

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2003 - 2:25am.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- Fort Lauderdale-based SportsLine.com, a provider of online sports content, said on Wednesday that it has divested its two gaming information operations -- VegasInsider.com and Las Vegas Sports Consultants. Separately, the company said that it has sublicensed the rights from CBS Sports to offer the official NCAA Championship web site through 2006. As part of the deal with CBS, SportsLine.com will handle site production, hosting and advertising sales for NCAASports.com. The company also will hold exclusive rights to provide Internet broadcasts of certain NCAA championship games including the Division 1 men's basketball championship. http://www.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=CpLXj0bWbrKXxmdeW
tags: Games | Deals | NCAA | Business | SportsLine.com |

LIPSinc Founder Acquires Technology Rights, Launches New Business

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2003 - 2:24am.
Research Triangle Park, N.C. -- Donovan Moxey, the founder of the now-defunct LIPSinc, a developer of software for creating interactive animated talking characters, has acquired licensing rights to his previous company's technology and launched a new firm built around the software. LIPSinc shut down last August, after raising more than $11 million from investors including Mellon Ventures Inc. and Flanders Language Valley Fund. While LIPSinc targeted the entertainment and gaming industries, Moxey's new company, called Interactive Multimedia Solutions, is targeting the corporate presentation and multimedia developer markets.
tags: LIPSinc | Technology Rights | New Business |