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U.S. Music Sales Rise, Global Sales Remain Flat During 2004

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:23am.
Washington -- The U.S. music industry saw a reprieve from several years of sluggish sales last year, while global sales remained flat, according to data from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). U.S. CD shipments were up 2% in 2004, to 814 million units -- the first increase in five years -- while the value of these shipments to retailers was up 2.7%, to $12.2 billion. The RIAA said that 140 million digital tracks were purchased in the U.S. from online retailers during 2004, and that DVD music video shipments increased 66%. Meanwhile, the IFPI said global music sales were flat in 2004, with a slight decline in audio format sales offset by growth in DVD music videos and digital downloads. While CD shipments were down 0.9% in value, DVD music videos were up 23.2%, and a total of 200 million digital tracks were sold in the four major markets: the U.S., U.K., France and Germany. IFPI chairman and CEO John Kennedy called the numbers the "best year-on-year performance in five years," adding, "this is testimony to the tremendous progress of the legitimate digital music sector in the last 12 months, as well as to our decisive enforcement actions against illegal file-sharing."
tags: U.S | Music Sales | Global Sales |

Kazaa Denies Wrongdoing in Closing Arguments of Aussie Copyright Trial

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:19am.
Sydney -- Closing statements were given on Wednesday in the recording industry's Australian copyright infringement case against Kazaa file-sharing network operator Sharman Networks, with the company arguing that the recording industry had provided no clear evidence to prove any guilt, ZDNet Australia reported. Sharman denied the existence of a central server that could monitor the files swapped by its users, adding that personal information on users that its software does report back to the company includes only IP addresses, and no data on what is being shared. Sharman attorneys also argued that filtering copyrighted files off of Kazaa would be impossible, with an expert witness testifying that "technical and economic difficulties in implementation, operation and potential for circumvention makes it impossible to implement filtering functionality effectively." For its part, Altnet, the California-based partner of Sharman also sued by the recording industry, maintained that its technology only searches for legally licensed files that are traded on the Kazaa network. A ruling from Justice Murray Wilcox is expected within six weeks. Meanwhile, the U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear arguments next week in the recording industry's appeal against fellow file-sharing networks StreamCast and Grokster; lower courts have consistently ruled that such providers are not liable for any copyright infringement committed by users of their file-sharing software.
tags: Kazaa | Aussie Copyright Trial | Arguments |

Major News Publishers Buy Stake in Online News Aggregator Topix.net

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:16am.
McLean, Va. -- Major news publishers Gannett (USA Today), Knight-Ridder and Tribune announced on Wednesday that they have jointly acquired a 75% stake in Topix.net, a California company that continuously monitors breaking news from over 10,000 online sources and categorizes the content into over 300,000 topics. The ownership will be split evenly, with each media firm retaining 25%, and another 25% being retained by Topix.net's founders. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Topix.net, which counts nine employees, will operate as an editorially independent, stand-alone company managed by its current executive team. The company plans to use the content and funding from Gannett, Knight-Ridder and Tribune to expand and refine its technology, services and operational infrastructure. Topix.net syndicates its content through partnerships and thousands of websites that host news feeds featuring ads pertinent to the topic or location of the news feed.
tags: News Publishers | Online News Aggregator | Topix.net |

Hyundai to Install XM Satellite Radios Across Entire Vehicle Line

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:14am.
Washington -- XM Satellite Radio, a provider of satellite-delivered digital radio programming, announced on Wednesday that Japanese manufacturer Hyundai has signed on as the first automaker to offer XM as a standard, factory-installed feature on its full vehicle lineup, beginning in 2006. By the end of 2006, XM expects 75% of Hyundai's sales will be XM-equipped, and projects sales from the partnership to eclipse 500,000 units by 2007.
tags: Deals | Hyundai | XM Satellite Radios | Vehicle Line |

Vivendi Universal Games Acquires "Simpsons" Game Developer Radical

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:11am.
Los Angeles -- Vivendi Universal Games, the video game publishing division of the Franco-American conglomerate, announced on Wednesday that it has acquired Vancouver-based developer Radical Entertainment, creator of titles including "The Simpsons: Hit & Run" and "The Hulk." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Radical and its 200 developers will remain in Vancouver, led by founder and president Ian Wilkinson. The studio's two titles based on Fox's "The Simpsons" have sold a combined 6.5 million units, while its "The Hulk" title sold over 2 million. Radical is now working on several titles for launch in 2005, including "Scarface," "Crash Tag Team Racing" and "The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction." "The purchase of Radical Entertainment reinforces our commitment to strengthening VU Games' creative talent and internal console development capabilities," said Bruce Hack, CEO of VU Games.
tags: Games | Deals | Vivendi Universal Games | Simpsons | Game Developer Radical |

E Ink Receives Venture Capital from Intel

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on March 23, 2005 - 9:09am.
Cambridge, Mass. -- E Ink, a developer of electronic paper display technology, has raised an undisclosed amount of venture capital from Intel Capital, the microchip maker's investment arm. E Ink's products allow a new type of thin, flexible electronic display with a bright white background, and text and pictures similar to printed documents. Once updated, the display can maintain an image without using power, allowing over 90% power savings compared to traditional displays and greatly extending the battery life of portable devices, the company said. E Ink's products are used in electronic book devices, information kiosks, and advertising signage.
tags: Deals | Intel | Venture Capital | E Ink |