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Electronic Arts Slashes Some New Game Prices by 20%

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 22, 2006 - 4:14am.
Redwood City, Calif. - Video game publisher Electronic Arts announced on Wednesday that it plans to introduce a number of anticipated new titles at a 20% discount off the industry standard pricing for new games. EA's "Godfather" and "Black" will go on sale for PlayStation 2 and Xbox at $39.95, rather than the typical $49.95 price for new titles. A number of game publishers have taken similar steps to discount titles, both in light of flagging sales and in anticipation of the release of next-generation consoles. New games for Microsoft's new Xbox 360 console typically cost $59.95.
tags: Games | New | Electronic Arts | Slashes | Prices | 20%% |

Microsoft Names New Head of Japanese Xbox Division

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 16, 2006 - 8:29am.
Tokyo - Microsoft announced on Thursday that it has appointed Takashi Sensui to general manager of its Xbox division in Japan. Sensui replaces Yoshihiro Maruyama, who was appointed to a position within Microsoft's entertainment and devices division. Microsoft has sold just 115,000 Xbox 360 consoles in Japan in two months of availability -- fewer than the original Xbox in the same period -- compared with 900,000 sold in North America by the end of December. "Sales have not necessarily lived up to everyone's expectations since launch," Sensui told Reuters. "But considering the (software) titles due to be released and the features and functions of the Xbox 360, we believe we will see very strong growth from here on out." The company expects sales to increase once Japanese-developed games for the Xbox 360 are released in the near future. "There just hasn't been enough software available," Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst at KBC Securities Japan, told Reuters. "It's all about the games, and if they aren't there, there is just absolutely no point."
tags: Xbox | Microsoft | New | Head | Japanese |

RealNetworks Doubles Music Subscribers, Names New CFO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 15, 2006 - 9:47am.
Seattle - RealNetworks, a provider of media delivery technology and subscription services, announced on Wednesday that it counted 1.4 million subscribers for its digital music services at the end of 2005, double the 700,000 it claimed a year earlier. The company's music revenue was $26.1 million in the fourth quarter, up 29% from a year ago, while games revenue was $15.7 million, an increase of 52%. The company also said it has named Michael Eggers as its new chief financial officer. Eggers, who joined RealNetworks in 1997 from KPMG, replaces Roy Goodman, who will remain with the company assisting with treasury, investor relations and other finance functions.
tags: Music | RealNetworks | CFO | Subscriber | New |

Spitzer Sends Labels New Subpoenas in Digital Music Pricing Probe

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 14, 2006 - 10:37am.
New York - Record labels have received a new round of subpoenas from New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who is investigating the pricing of digital music downloads, CNET News.com reported on Tuesday. Warner Music Group disclosed in an SEC filing today that it received a second subpoena, while "music industry sources" told News.com that labels complained to Spitzer that earlier subpoenas they received were too broad. In addition to record labels, Spitzer has also sent subpoenas to a number of digital music retailers. Some label executives have recently said that they favor changing the current 99-cent pricing for digital songs, so that new releases could be sold at higher prices while library titles would sell for less.
tags: Music | New | Subpoenas | Spitzer | Pricing Probe |

Mediaguide Names Steve Lubin as New CEO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 1, 2006 - 7:48am.
New York - Mediaguide, a provider of digital fingerprinting technology used to monitor radio airplay, announced on Wednesday that it has named Steve Lubin as its new CEO. Previously, Lubin served in the legal department at ASCAP, the performing rights organization that is also co-owner of New York-based Mediaguide.
tags: CEO | New | Steve Lubin | Mediaguide |

Wi-Fi Companies to Work Together on New, Faster Standard

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 11, 2005 - 7:03am.
London - Twenty-seven Wi-Fi companies announced that they have agreed to work together on a new Wi-Fi standard that will make the technology go faster and further. The standard -- which follows the 802.11a, b and g standards -- is known as 802.11n. It will have superior reach and be two to 10 times faster than current standards. The companies that support the standard have formed a group call the Enhanced Wireless Consortium, which includes wireless chipmakers Broadcom and Intel, laptop makers Lenovo, Sony Corp. and Toshiba Corp. and network equipment maker Cisco. Not everyone has embraced the new standard, however; Airgo, a U.S.-based Wi-Fi technology vendor, and Nokia, a Finland-based mobile giant, have complained that the group is simply trying to force through the standard they are already planning to build.
tags: Deals | New | Wi-Fi Companies | Faster Standard |

MP3.com Founder Michael Robertson to Launch New Music Venture

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 2, 2005 - 3:42am.
San Diego -- Michael Robertson, the founder and former CEO of MP3.com -- which posted over a million tracks from independent artists online -- announced on Wednesday plans to launch a new digital music service that will focus on interoperability and consumer choice. The new venture, MP3tunes, will offer a hardware device, software products and an online music store available in coming months. "When I started MP3.com, the term 'MP3' was an obscure acronym recognizable only by geeks," said Robertson. "Today, certain market forces are trying to drive consumers away from MP3 towards proprietary systems, which lock out some consumers and force everyone to buy a particular company's player or software program. I wanted consumers to have more options, so I felt compelled to reenter the music space to bring the limelight back to MP3." Robertson said MP3tunes' first product will be an online music store featuring high-quality downloads in MP3 format, free from any digital rights management protections. Since selling MP3.com to Vivendi Universal in 2001 for $372 million, Robertson has founded companies that offer a Linux operating system and VoIP services.
tags: New | Venture | Musics | Michael Robertson | MP3.com |

U.K. Supermarket Chain Tesco to Launch Digital Music Store

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 11, 2004 - 4:18am.
London -- Tesco, a supermarket chain based in the U.K., announced on Monday that it plans to take on Apple and launch yet another music download service in the U.K. The company said its new service, which will offer more than half a million songs from major labels and independents at $1.49 (79 pence) apiece, would be compatible with more than 70 different music players, including Microsoft's Windows Media. Tesco said it planned to use its retail history to get a leg up in the increasingly crowded U.K. music download market. "The iPod may have 50 percent of the music player market, but I don't think it will stay that way," said Jon Higgins, head of e-commerce development at Tesco. The service will be run by Cable & Wireless Plc, a U.K.-based telecommunications firm, and cover both the U.K. and Ireland, Tesco said.
tags: Music | New | Digital Music Store | Supermarket | Tesco |

MyDTV Raises $7 Million in New Funding

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on April 12, 2004 - 6:26am.
Burlingame, Calif. -- MyDTV, a Burlingame-based developer of TV search engine technologies, said on Monday that it has raised $7 million in a new funding round led by San Francisco-based WaldenVC. Previous investors Rothschild Ventures and Defta Partners also participated. The company plans to use the money to support continued development of its TV metadata technology, as well as expand. MyDTV's system connects to programmers' production systems to automatically generate metadata that is continuously broadcasted to the viewer's digital receiver. When upcoming programs match a viewer-defined profile, a recommendation banner pops up on whatever channel the viewer is watching. The viewer can then click on the banner to access the desired channel or continue watching current programming. MyDTV was launched in 2000.
tags: Deal | New | Funding | DTV |