Filed under: MISC
THE AMERICAN GANGSTER HAS NO LOVE FOR ITUNES
After seeing American Gangster on Friday, I was all fired up to download Jay Z’s album on iTunes yesterday. Jay Z produced the album after being inspired by an early release of the film. Yesterday morning, I logged on to iTunes only to receive an error message alerting me that Jay Z’s new album American Gangster was not “available on the U.S. store.” Being that iTunes had been offering the album to pre-purchase before the release date (Nov 6th), I found this just a bit odd. So, I did what I always do in these situations; I blamed it on my computer.
Turns out, this was no accident. The album was pulled off iTunes as Jay Z only wanted the album to be experienced in its full album format and not on an a la carte song-by-song basis. I tend to agree on this one. The album feels cinematic in a similar way to an album like Beastie Boys’Paul’s Boutique. To fully understand the concept, I think the songs must be linked together.
There is a solution and it’s called amazon.com. Click on the album art above to go to Amazon and purchase the album. And as an added benefit, the songs are available in mp3 format and not in the annoying m4p format.
http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=15931 11/6
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Time Warner plans to tie a large portion of CEO-elect Jeff Bewkes’compensation to its share price performance. The move could provide an added catalyst for Bewkes to make changes at the media giant. Also: Time Warner is reporting that its third-quarter net income fell 53%. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11072007/business/bewkes_pay_tied_to_time_warner_price_39111.htm 11/7, http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20071107-000547-0654 11/7)
Because of the Hollywood writers’strike, production has ceased on at least six sitcoms that are filmed before live audiences, although some of the shows may have already wrapped production. The shows affected include CBS’The New Adventures of Old Christine, Rules of Engagement, Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory; and FOX’s freshman Back to You and ’til Death.
In other writers’ strike-related news, CBS may be bringing back Big Brother for a mid-season run as soon as next February rather than waiting until summer, according to Variety. The network added staff and quietly moved forward with casting for the new season a few weeks ago. The Endemol USA and Allison Grodner Productions reality show may also insert a new facet such as having celebrities live together for three months instead of regular folk. Airing three times per week, Big Brother would fill three hours of primetime if the strike keeps going.
As for Ellen - she has returned to her show and said that while she will continue her show as her contract requires, she does support the writers. As for the strike itself, at this writing there are no new talks scheduled.
CBS News is expanding its brand presence on Logo, the gay network from Viacom’s MTV Networks. Starting Monday, the venerable news division launches “CBS News on Logo,” a weekly half-hour news program aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender viewers. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11072007/business/cbs_news_goes_logo_267141.htm 11/7)
TV Guide Network has given the green light to 65 half-hour episodes of “Celebrity Says!” — its first original game show. The red carpet-based show will begin filming in Los Angeles this month and is expected to premiere in the first quarter of 2008. (The Hollywood Reporter 11/7)
AT&T says rolling out its U-verse IPTV service by the end of 2008 will cost far more than expected and reach fewer households than anticipated. The company announced that it will cost between $4.5 billion and $5 billion to roll out the service — about $500 million more than initially estimated — and that it would be available to 17 million homes, not 18 million. (Broadcasting & Cable 11/6)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
CinemaNow and Sonic Solutions signed a licensing agreement allowing CinemaNow users to legally burn encrypted movies and TV shows onto a recordable DVD for playback. The deal will also make the CinemaNow library, including 20th Century Fox, Disney, MGM, Sony and Warner Bros titles, available within Sonic’s Roxio Venue movie download application being offered to PC manufactures.
This is pretty cool combining the instant gratification movie download system with a DVD take-away satisfying consumers’ appreciation for having a physical object to keep. I just wish I could burn and label like the professionals.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of London for the Canadian Government found that P2P downloading of music actually increased CD sales as listeners used such services to sample albums before they purchased them. File sharers bought an average of .44 more CDs per year for every 12 songs they downloaded.
(Below) $2.26 per album? That doesn’t really afford the artist with much profit margin at all. In addition, how can we truly compare the ‘sales’ of this album with other full priced albums? It’s available for free. Of course I will download it.
On the other hand, not all Radiohead fans seem willing to shell out for their music. Preliminary ComScore data shows 60% of the users in the U.S. who downloaded their pay-what-you-may In Rainbows album didn’t pay a dime for the privilege. Those who paid spent an average of $8 for the album (with international users paying only $4.64). The average “freeload” and paid download revenue tallied out to be $2.26 per album globally. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_hi_te/radiohead_download_study 11/7)
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, speaking in Mumbai, is asked whether the software giant is interested in acquiring Yahoo. “My answer is a considered ‘no comment’,” he says. “We want to succeed in online advertising. What happens with Yahoo, we’ll all have to wait and see.” (http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=6908 11/6)
YouTube becomes even more all-pervasive Tuesday with an entire show dedicated to the site on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which included an interview with founders Chad Hurley and Steven Chen. Also: YouTube is launching an edition in Canada. (http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2007/11/youtube-omnipre.html 11/6, http://www.canada.com/topics/technology/story.html?id=fb360905-3359-4458-ba92-ec4862cd4468&k=51496 11/6)
Rolling Stone has finally plugged in with its first cover-to-cover digital edition to celebrate its 40th Anniversary. To navigate simply click to flip from page to page, similar to the page view function on Amazon.
ESPN formed a relationship with Ebay’s online ticket marketplace StubHub integrating the sites branding, links and promotions across ESPN.com. A custom StubHub ticket center will appear on every major sports index page.
Prince is threatening to take legal action against fan-run Web sites unless they remove photos of him. A fan group, Prince Fans United, claims the star is trying to “stifle all critical commentary.” Prince recently took action against YouTube to remove clips of his concerts. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7082684.stm 11/7)
Consumer advocacy group American Antitrust Institute argues that Google’s pending $3.1 billion deal to acquire DoubleClick will hurt competition in online advertising. The size and popularity of the publisher network created by the merger will “create an unfair barrier to entry.” (http://www.techconfidential.com/money-out/blog/money-out/proconsumer-advocacy-group-ame.php 11/6)
Lost drivers soon will be able to Google for help at the pump. As part of a new partnership with gas-pump-maker Gilbarco Veeder-Root, the online search leader will dispense driving directions at thousands of Internet-connected pumps across the United States. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071107/ap_on_hi_te/google_gas_pumps 11/6)
Microsoft is set to market its free upgrade package of its popular Windows desktop applications, including Live Mail, Live Photo Gallery, Live Writer, Live Messenger and Live Family Safety. Windows Live GM Brian Hall said the company’s planned online ad campaigns for the new package would include 10 billion Web impressions. (MSNBC/Associated Press 11/6)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Sprint Nextel hopes that its new Sprint Arcade subscription mobile-gaming service will appeal to those looking for game play for a set price. The service, which will cost $9.99 a month, will initially offer games such as Sudoku, Mini Golf, Mahjong, Hearts, Air Hockey, Blue Blocks and others. (Engadget Mobile 11/7)
LG Electronics’latest handset takes aim at the iPhone. The company’s new LG-KS20, now available in Europe, comes with a 2.8-inch touchscreen and runs Microsoft’s Windows Mobile operating system. It can run on 3G networks and offers HSDPA data service at 3.6 Mbps. (InfoWorld/IDG News Service 11/5)
Nokia officials remain open to joining Google’s new mobile-software alliance, which was announced Monday. “It’s not ruled out at all. If we would see this as beneficial we would think about taking part in it,” said Kari Tuutti, spokesman for Nokia’s multimedia unit. (The Boston Globe/Reuters 11/6)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Google’s long-rumored, game-focused advertising initiative is expected to launch later this month. The Internet giant, which bought in-gaming advertising company AdScape earlier this year, is believed to be planning to unveil its game-focused strategy in two steps. (http://gigaom.com/2007/11/07/google-games-adsense/ 11/7)
Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime, speaking before a Web broadcast, discussed the difficult position he feels his competitors Sony and Microsoft are in. “The challenge that our competitors have is significant.” Fils-Aime said. “They’ve gone down the path with building expensive machines that they lose money on. They’ve gone down the path with games that are hard to develop.” (MarketWatch 11/6)
Sony will launch a new, lighter version of its popular PlayStation 2 console this holiday season. The system will also come with a built-in AC adapter, allowing it to transport easier, according to Sony. (MSNBC/Reuters 11/6, GameDaily BIZ 11/6)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Lenovo unveiled its ThinkStation S10 and D10 workstations Tuesday, marking the company’s first foray into the market that has thus far been dominated by Dell and Hewlett-Packard. Lenovo will initially sell the workstations online and through business partners. (The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)/Cox News Service 11/7)
