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DMW Daily, July 13, 2007

Top Stories
o Webcasters Win Royalty Reprieve; SoundExchange Won't Enforce Rates
o Sony to Discontinue Cheaper PS3 in U.S. Once Current Stock Runs Out
o Citizen Journalism Site Backfence to Shut Down
o Disney Acquires Game Developer Junction Point Studios
o Video-Sharing Site Tubearoo Searching for Possible Acquisitions
o Multiplayer Casual Online Game Developer Thinglefin Raises Funds
o Online Chess Community Chesspark.com Secures Funding
Opinion & Analysis
o Weekend Read: Circus David Beckham Lands In the US
o Guy Kawasaki: Ten Questions with Jeffrey Pfeffer
o Facebook Monetization: Lessons From Google
Briefly Noted
o Mobile Entertainment Firm Jamba Debuts Simpsons-Themed "Yellow Plan"
o PBS Adds Ken Burns Documentary Section to iTunes Store
o IODA in Digital Distribution Deal With Mexico's MultiMusic
o Harmonix to Offer Full Albums as Playable Levels for "Rock Star" Game
o Disney Previews DGamer Online Community, New Games at E3
o NCsoft to Develop Online Games for PlayStation 3, PSP
o Ubisoft to Publish "Imagine" Line of Games for Girls
 Top Stories
o Webcasters Win Royalty Reprieve; SoundExchange Won't Enforce Rates 
Washington - Web radio broadcasters have been given an unexpected reprieve from new royalty rates many said will put them out of business, when the organization set up by record labels to collect digital royalties said in front of Congress on Thursday that it won't enforce the new rates when they take effect on Sunday. [more..]
o Sony to Discontinue Cheaper PS3 in U.S. Once Current Stock Runs Out 
London - The president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has said that the company will no longer offer the newly-discounted 60GB PlayStation 3 in the U.S. once current stock runs out, which is expected by the end of July, GamesIndustry.biz reported. [more..]
o Citizen Journalism Site Backfence to Shut Down 
New York - After closing its 13 "hyperlocal" citizen journalism news sites in D.C., Chicago and the Bay Area late last month, Backfence has announced that it will shut down, citing "business issues," the Associated Press reported. [more..]
o Disney Acquires Game Developer Junction Point Studios 
Burbank, Calif. - Disney Interactive Studios announced on Friday that it has acquired Austin-based game development studio Junction Point Studios, which is headed by game industry veteran Warren Spector. [more..]
o Video-Sharing Site Tubearoo Searching for Possible Acquisitions 
Fairfax, Va. - Video-sharing site Tubearoo said on Friday that it is looking more closely at a number of possible acquisition targets to grow its business. [more..]
o Multiplayer Casual Online Game Developer Thinglefin Raises Funds 
Bellevue, Wash. - Thinglefin, a developer of massively multiplayer online casual games, has raised an undisclosed sum of first round financing, led by California Technology Ventures. [more..]
o Online Chess Community Chesspark.com Secures Funding 
West Palm Beach, Fla. - Chesspark.com, an online chess community, said on Friday that it has completed a new investment round with angel investor Jon Callaghan of True Ventures, Burnt Norton, Inc. and Eaglebrook School. [more..]
 Opinion & Analysis
o Weekend Read: Circus David Beckham Lands In the US 
Jay Baage blogs about soccer star David Beckham's arrival in the US and his effect so far on LA Galaxy, MLS and media's soccer coverage.
[more..]
o Guy Kawasaki: Ten Questions with Jeffrey Pfeffer 
An interview based on Jeffrey Pfeffer's latest book: What Were They Thinking?: Unconventional Wisdom About Management. [more..]
o Facebook Monetization: Lessons From Google 
Scott Karp blogs about how Facebook and other social networks are in need of an "aha" moment when it comes to advertising.
[more..]
 Briefly Noted
o Mobile Entertainment Firm Jamba Debuts Simpsons-Themed "Yellow Plan" 
Beverly Hills, Calif. - Mobile entertainment publisher Jamba on Friday announced the launch of "The Yellow Plan," a mobile content subscription service featuring a range of content based on Fox's "The Simpsons." [more..]
o PBS Adds Ken Burns Documentary Section to iTunes Store 
Beverly Hills, Calif. - PBS announced this week that it has launched a dedicated section at the iTunes Store to showcase the works of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. [more..]
o IODA in Digital Distribution Deal With Mexico's MultiMusic 
New York - Independent music digital distributor IODA said that it has signed a deal with MultiMusic, a Mexico-based music content broker for independent artists, which will distribute IODA's catalog to retail and promotional partners in Mexico. [more..]
o Harmonix to Offer Full Albums as Playable Levels for "Rock Star" Game 
Santa Monica, Calif. - Harmonix, the game developer unit of MTV Networks, announced this week that The Who's album "Who's Next" will be the first full-length album available as a digitally-distributed game level for its "Rock Band" interactive music game. [more..]
o Disney Previews DGamer Online Community, New Games at E3 
Santa Monica - Disney Interactive Studios this week previewed 10 forthcoming game titles, and announced details of its planned "DGamer" online community for the Nintendo DS at the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles. [more..]
o NCsoft to Develop Online Games for PlayStation 3, PSP 
Santa Monica, Calif. - Korean game developer NCsoft said this week that it has signed a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment, to create several online games for the PlayStation 3 and PSP that will be accessible through the PlayStation Network. [more..]
o Ubisoft to Publish "Imagine" Line of Games for Girls 
Santa Monica, Calif. - Video game publisher Ubisoft this week announced plans to publish a series of video games targeted at girls ages 6 to 14. [more..]